These are basic maintenance jobs list that we "should" keep up with for optimum vehicle life. Please understand they are more frequent for max. performance and looks. Your timing agenda will probably be different.
1. Clean the interior of the car- weekly
* use armor all extreme tire shine for best conditioning, wipe down all interior plastic, rubber, some metal, and works fine for leather (although some do recommend the armor all leather care product)(it should be slippery for a while)
2. Clean windows, mirrors, gauge glass, and radio/clock screen- weekly
* use windex and paper towels for cleaning
3. Vacuum the floor mats, carpet, roof lining, seats, and crumby areas- weekly
* use a shop vac with a hose and push in cracks of seats and areas not touched
4. Wash and Detail the car intensely- weekly
* use basic dish soap, strong sponge, rag, drying towel, and for tough grime use SeaFoam Deep Creep its a ultra degreaser
5. Shampoo the carpet- monthly
* use basic carpet shampoo, take a scrub brush and brush it around, and with shop vac suck up loose fluid then let it air dry
6. Detail the interior with a firm bristle tooth brush- every other week
* use the brush to get any crack that has sticky crumby muck in it
7. Check all (9) fluids- weekly
* to optimise performance and prevent damage check fluids to make sure they are up to the proper level and are in descent condition the 9 fluids are motor oil, transmission, powersteering, brake, antifreeze/coolant, battery acid level(if needed use regular distilled water), Freon (AC), windshield washer, clutch fluid (if manual), and gas (it is recommended that you don't go under 1/4 a tank because grime in the fuel tank gets circulated through the engine, if you do clean fuel system with seafoam soon)
8. Dust the car- weekly
* use good brand ones if possible to lock the dust it then vent the remaining dust out by driving with the windows down
9. Rotate the tires using the spare- (1/2) year
* use the spare as a substitute for one on the tires and switch the front tires with the back (some say to cross them EX. front right to back left, although some tire treads are made to go one direction so if you switch it that way a annoying driving noise will probably occur) this is to maximise the life of your tires note that and good way to check the treads depth is to use a penny stick it down in the tread and if the tread is less than the space of the edge of the penny to Abe's forehead then you need to replace your tires
10. Check the tire pressure- weekly
* the PSI (pounds per square inch) pressure rating is usually on the drivers side door if not check the owners manual and be sure to also check the spares pressure
11. Clean the spark plugs- monthly
* use sandpaper and a thin bladed knife, make the electrode metal shiny and use the knife to get around the white plastic to get all the grime from the compression chamber out (tip use permatex anti-seize around the threads so they wont get stuck or in cheap cars get melted in the, spray the electrode with starter fluid(aerosol gasoline) to get all dust and sand from the paper off, on the opposite end of the spark plug put petroleum jelly around it for good connection( performance wont be noticed immediately the jelly needs some of it burned off, so basically there's a break in period))
12. Check the battery for corrosion- 2 weeks
* use a wire brush to get the bolts on the battery shinny(note that if corrosion is to bad that the clamps that go around the bolts will feel loose, to get a tight seal use pliers to make the circle of the clamp more narrow then push it on the battery should be tight for a good connection) before putting the clamps back on use petroleum jelly around the bolts
13. Clean the air filter- 2 weeks
* most cars have stock cold air intake where the are getting cool air from the outside of the car so its fairly easy to bring in dirt and leaves so what you should do if possible take a paint brush and brush out the big pieces of "dirt" out then take a vacuum of some sort and suck out a lot of the packed it dirt, notice that when filters need replaced that this won't be as effective
14. Clean all disk braking system- monthly
*dirt and dust will get in the pads causing premature squeals, (unless pads are worn out) to get rid of it the squeals, there should be 2+ bolts that hold the caliper on there unbolt them, take the caliper off, clean all the break parts, rotors, pads, and calipers
15. Apply grease to shocks- yearly
* use valvoline synpower grease and pull the boot up from around the strut and apply grease, this will maximise the life of the shocks(also i friend of mine said to restore the seals on the shocks use jack hydraulic fluid with stop leak, i have never tried it but it sounds like it could work)
16. Clean tires, rims, and for painted hub caps (like mine) add paint- 2 weeks
* use a rag and armor all extreme tire shine and clean it all off(make sure you use spray paint that cling to plastic)
17. Sand off all rust- whenever needed
* rust commonly appears at the bottom of doors, under the car, in the corners of panels, and typical "Honda" rust right under the gas cap (if possible use a Dremel tool with a sander bit) remember the spots so you can see if the rust is getting worse
18. check for broken fuses- monthly
* be sure to check cabin fuses and engine fuses and if your taking them out it's recommended to disconnect the negative battery terminal, replace when needed
19. Every 3,000 miles change your oil and filter- 3,000 miles or 3 months
* when changing your oil be sure to use top of the line of fairly close do not buy the $1-$2 a quart oil, it will mess with your engine, for Asian cars use castrol, for American cars use Mobil 1, for European oil use either top of the line oils or dealerships oil, note that any oil will work just for best performance use the oils specified (castrol and Mobil 1 both work on European, although European oils are very specific) Pennsoil is also i great brand of oil and will work on any car, and if you have sludge issues Pennsoil platinum is the best for you. also use top of the line filters, i prefer FRAM Tough Guard filters but for high performance use K&N Gold Filters. now to the for the basic idea take the drain bolt out and unscrew the filter, screw new filter(put new oil around the seal ring) in put the bolt back on then add oil. for great performance its better to be cleaner first switch out one pint or quart for either Seafoam(1pt) or Gunk solder seal engine flush(1qt) drive for ten minutes fairly hard then come back and drain the oil (for best job drain the oil then add cheap new oil with seafoam or engine flush run again then drain again then change filter and add new oil) then take the oil filter out replace the oil filter with the fram or K&N filter out new oil around the seal and screw filter back in tighten down drain bolt and add new top brand oil back in. Performance notice should be immediate
20. Check and clean windshield wiper blades- weekly
* when needed replace the blades instructions are on the box
21. Fix and condition all door seals in the car- monthly
* use permatex epoxy to put the seals tight on the body of the car and condition them by armor all extreme tire shine
22. Clean the underside of the car- weekly
* for the weekly cleaning use basic SuperTech engine degreser, spray under the car, let it sit then rinse it off with a high pressure hose. for great detailing put up on ramps and wipe down with degreaser and rags (if you do this cleaning should be less often)
23. Check all electrical connections- 2 week
* use WD-40 to dry off the connections then apply petroleum jelly note that performance notice will break in when after some of the jelly burns off and the ECU makes its changes
24. Lube down the door hinges with grease- monthly
* nothing is more embarrassing than a squeaking door, it brings up the thought of a big nasty CLUNKER
25. Make during every job to tighten down all noticed bolts- when found
26. Use electric tape on any damaged or exposed wires- when found
* before applying the tape put some petroleum jelly but not to much that the tape won't stick
27. Before every oil change use SeaFoam and STP complete fuel system cleaner-every 3,000 miles
* use SeaFoam by adding (1/2) can to EGR valve(valve cover circulation) or in older cars right through the throttle body then put (1/2) can to gas and 1 full can to oil when flushing (read the SeaFoam review for more information) then add STP into the gas at about (1/4) of a tank
28. Flush the radiator- yearly
* how to this is different for every car but there's a purge valve and the radiator cap stick a hose in the radiator cap and turn it on then run the excess through the purge valve although use your owners manual as a resource.
29. touch up scratches- when found
* use dupli-color to find the correct color for you car and use it to touch up scratches and be sure to wash your car first to make sure no dirt will get in the paint
When new jobs are thought of they will be added for more specifics so jobs will be put up in detail in later documents below
Thank You,
Evan R. and Will H.
