AUTONET TV


Regular Schedule or Severe Service Schedule at Niel's Auto Service?

Posted February 27, 2022 11:31 AM

Today's Niel's Auto Service article focuses on severe service maintenance. Many Thousand Oaks drivers are not aware of them and yet there are also very vocal advocates in CA who think that severe service schedules apply to everyone. Somewhere between a complete lack of awareness and the dire blanket statements lies a reasonable approach to severe service maintenance at Niel's Auto Service.

To back up a little, vehicle owner's manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance: things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil after a certain distanced traveled or after so many months. Thousand Oaks drivers understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

Now when you hear 'severe service,' you may think it doesn't apply to you because you don't feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it's just normal everyday driving in the Thousand Oaks area. So let's list some of the conditions that classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

Before we start the list, here's a point of contrast that definitely is not severe driving. Driving down your nearest CA interstate at the highway speed limit on a 75 degree F/24 degree C day loaded only with your passengers. This is an easy trip for your vehicle: your engine is loafing along at low RPMs, no heavy loads to pull and moderate Thousand Oaks temperatures. Now let's look at some severe service driving conditions.

Most trips around Thousand Oaks are less than four miles/six and a half kilometers. When your vehicle engine cools down, moisture condenses in the engine. This water in the oil doesn't get a chance to evaporate on short trips because the oil doesn't get hot enough. A lot of short trips in your vehicle means a lot of water build up. And water in the oil leads to the creation of sludge which can damage the engine. Changing the oil more frequently keeps sludge from building up. By contrast, highway driving warms the engine up and gets the water burned off.

Here's another example. Most trips around Thousand Oaks are less than 10 miles/16 km and outside temperatures are below freezing. This is the same reasoning, but in very cold CA weather it takes even longer for the oil to get hot enough to evaporate the water, hence 10  miles/16 km as opposed to 4 miles/6.4 km.

Next, you drive in very hot CA weather. The hotter it is outside, the more cooling the engine, transmission, brake fluid and so on becomes. The environment in which the fluids reside is more hostile, and the fluids simply break down faster. Therefore, the lower change interval.

Another: driving at low speed most of the time. Every vehicle engine has what's called its power band. This is a range of RPMs in which it's most efficient. Low speed driving doesn't keep the engine in its power band so it's working harder. This is one of the reasons that ratings are worse in downtown than on the highway.

Stop and go driving in Thousand Oaks is another severe service condition. You're always accelerating, which works the vehicle engine and transmission harder. Then you're stopping, which works the brake fluid harder, causing it to get very hot. Highway driving, on the other hand, requires far less horsepower to maintain its speed than getting a stationary vehicle from a stop light up to 25 mph/40 kph. A lot of this and you'll need to follow the severe service schedule.

Also on the list is operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions. Obviously, your engine air filter and cabin air will get dirty faster and need to be changed more frequently as will your breather element. Some of this dust and dirt will make its way into your fluids. They will simple get dirty faster and won't protect the components as well as fresh fluids.

Finally, you're driving under severe conditions in Thousand Oaks when you tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier. This is pretty obvious. You'll spend more time in lower gears so the engine and transmission work much harder and create more heat. Brakes will be more stressed stopping the heavier loads.

Sounds like most of us in Thousand Oaks operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How can Thousand Oaks drivers know which schedule to follow?

Think of it as a spectrum with "always driving under severe conditions" on one end and "never driving under severe conditions" on the other end. Some will be at one extreme or the other, but most of us will fall somewhere in between.

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Niel's Auto Service service advisor can help you with your decision.

Niel's Auto Service
49 Taylor Ct Ste B
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805-379-4040
http://www.nielsautoservice.net



Search



Archive

September 2018 (16)
October 2018 (4)
November 2018 (4)
December 2018 (5)
January 2019 (5)
February 2019 (4)
March 2019 (5)
April 2019 (4)
May 2019 (4)
June 2019 (5)
July 2019 (4)
August 2019 (4)
September 2019 (5)
October 2019 (4)
November 2019 (4)
December 2019 (5)
January 2020 (5)
February 2020 (4)
March 2020 (5)
April 2020 (4)
May 2020 (5)
June 2020 (4)
July 2020 (4)
August 2020 (5)
September 2020 (3)
October 2020 (4)
November 2020 (5)
December 2020 (4)
January 2021 (6)
February 2021 (4)
March 2021 (4)
April 2021 (4)
May 2021 (5)
June 2021 (4)
July 2021 (4)
August 2021 (5)
September 2021 (4)
October 2021 (5)
November 2021 (4)
December 2021 (4)
January 2022 (6)
February 2022 (4)
March 2022 (4)
April 2022 (4)
May 2022 (5)
June 2022 (4)
July 2022 (5)
August 2022 (4)
September 2022 (4)
October 2022 (5)
November 2022 (4)
December 2022 (4)
January 2023 (5)
February 2023 (4)
March 2023 (4)
April 2023 (5)
May 2023 (4)
June 2023 (4)
July 2023 (5)
August 2023 (4)
September 2023 (4)
October 2023 (5)
November 2023 (4)
December 2023 (5)
January 2024 (5)
February 2024 (4)
March 2024 (5)
April 2024 (4)
May 2024 (4)
June 2024 (5)
July 2024 (4)
August 2024 (4)
September 2024 (5)

Categories

Keys to a long lasting vehicle (2)Tires and Wheels (1)Exhaust (4)Fluids (4)Brakes (6)Alternator (2)Dashboard (1)Fuel Economy (5)Steering (4)Service Intervals (2)What Customers Should Know (45)Check Engine Light (2)Cooling System (5)Maintenance (4)Timing Belt (3)Drive Train (1)Air Conditioning (4)Auto Safety (3)Safety (1)Battery (6)Service Standards (2)Older Vehicles (1)Alignment (2)Oil Change (3)Headlamps (2)Shocks & Struts (1)Water Pump (2)Customer Detective Work (1)Wheel Bearings (1)Fuel System (4)Safe Driving (1)Brake Service (3)Tire Rotation and Balancing (2)Fuel Saving Tip: Slow Down (1)TPMS (1)Spark Plugs (1)Transmission (2)Transfer Case Service (1)Tires (3)Winter Prep (2)Inspection (1)Cabin Air Filter (1)Differential Service (1)Fuel Filter (1)

Partners

Auto Value CSC - Certified Service Center
BBB (Better Business Bureau)
ASE (Automotive Service Excellence)
SureCritic Reviews
ACDelco Professional Service Center
Bosch
Denso
Motorcraft
Car Care Aware

What our clients are saying about us

We have established longterm and stable partnerships with various clients thanks to our excellence in solving their automotive needs!

I totally trust Neil with all of my car repairs. He recently repaired a power motor that was not working. He is very efficient and fair. He doesn't do any repairs without first asking if you want it done. And his prices are very reasonable. quotes-image
, 03/01/2021
reviewiconHeating and Cooling Services, near Thousand Oaks, CA
Just the best. Trust them completely. If you live within 100 miles it's worth the trip to get them to take care of your auto.quotes-image
, 09/16/2020