Ownership
Car maintenance, on a real schedule
Manufacturer intervals assume ideal conditions. These guides give you the interval that fits how you actually drive, what the job should cost, and where the DIY line sits.
Browse by area
- Oil ChangesIntervals, oil grades and why the 3,000-mile rule stopped being true.
- BrakesPad life, rotor replacement, fluid service and what a brake job should cost.
- TiresRotation patterns, wear limits, pressure and alignment.
- BatteriesBattery life by climate, testing, replacement and registration.
- FluidsTransmission, brake and coolant service — including the ones called "lifetime".
- FiltersEngine air, cabin air and the markup between DIY and shop pricing.
- Belts & ChainsSerpentine belts, timing belts, tensioners and interference engines.
- IgnitionSpark plugs, coils and the intervals nobody can agree on.
- Maintenance SchedulesWhat the 30/60/90k services actually contain, and what is padding.
All maintenance guides
- maintenance schedules
Car Maintenance Schedule: What Your Manufacturer Actually Says (And Where They Disagree)
There is no single car maintenance schedule. Manufacturers publish intervals for the same service item that differ by four, five and six times over — this page shows the spread instead of averaging it away.
15 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- maintenance schedules
30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 Mile Service: What You Actually Need (And What the Dealer Adds)
Written for the reader holding a service quote. What a manufacturer actually schedules at each of the three thresholds, which items are inspections rather than replacements, and what gets added on top.
14 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- maintenance schedules
100,000-Mile Service: What It Includes, What It Costs, and What You Can Skip
Published estimates for the same 100,000-mile service differ by six to seven times. Here is why, what a manufacturer actually schedules at that mileage, and how to decide what is worth doing.
13 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- fluids
How Often Should You Change Brake Fluid?
Published brake fluid intervals run from every 2 years or 20,000 miles at one end to no interval at all at the other. That spread is the answer, and averaging it away is how most sites get this wrong.
9 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- fluids
How Often Should You Change Coolant?
Coolant intervals run from 2 years or 30,000 miles for older silicated formulas to 5 years or 150,000 miles for long-life chemistry — and the colour in your reservoir tells you which one you have exactly nothing about.
9 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- fluids
How Often Should You Change Transmission Fluid?
Toyota's own maintenance guide schedules no transmission fluid replacement at any mileage under normal driving. Nissan schedules one at 60,000 miles. Both are manufacturer documents, and neither is wrong.
10 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- ignition
How Often Should You Change Spark Plugs?
The material-based table everyone quotes — copper 30,000, platinum 60,000, iridium 100,000 — is not published by any spark plug manufacturer. Here is what NGK, DENSO and the vehicle makers actually say, and why their numbers are 2.7x apart.
13 min readUpdated August 24, 2026
- oil changes
How Often Should You Change Your Oil?
Most modern engines specified for full synthetic go 7,500–10,000 miles between changes; the 3,000-mile rule is a holdover from conventional oil.
8 min readUpdated August 12, 2026
- brakes
When to Replace Brake Pads
Pads are due at about 3mm of friction material; front pads typically last 30,000–50,000 miles and rears somewhat longer.
8 min readUpdated July 22, 2026
- fluids
Brake Fluid Flush: The Service, Procedure and Cost
What a flush replaces that a bleed does not, why the ABS modulator is the part that decides whether the job was done properly, and what it costs.
7 min readUpdated June 24, 2026
- batteries
When to Replace Your Car Battery
Most lead-acid batteries last 3–5 years, but heat shortens that dramatically — replace on a load test, not on a symptom.
8 min readUpdated August 6, 2026
- fluids
Transmission Fluid Change: The Service, Types and Cost
What a drain-and-fill actually replaces, how it differs from a flush, which fluid specification your gearbox needs, and what the job costs.
9 min readUpdated July 9, 2026
- tires
Tire Rotation: Intervals and Patterns
Rotate every 5,000–8,000 miles in the pattern your drivetrain and tire type require, or expect to buy tires 30 percent sooner.
8 min readUpdated June 18, 2026
- filters
Cabin Air Filter Replacement
A $15–$30 filter that shops routinely bill at $60–$120; replace it every 15,000–25,000 miles or once a year.
6 min readUpdated May 27, 2026
- filters
Engine Air Filter Replacement
Every 15,000–30,000 miles, or sooner on dusty roads — a $15–$40 part that most owners can change in under ten minutes.
6 min readUpdated June 2, 2026
- belts chains
Serpentine Belt Replacement
Modern EPDM belts last 60,000–100,000 miles and fail without cracking — check them with a wear gauge, not by looking.
7 min readUpdated June 5, 2026
- fluids
Coolant Flush: The Service, Coolant Types and Cost
What a flush replaces that a drain-and-refill does not, which coolant chemistry your engine needs, why colour does not tell you, and what it costs.
8 min readUpdated July 16, 2026
Cost and difficulty at a glance
Shop pricing versus doing it yourself.
| Service | Shop cost | DIY parts | DIY difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car Maintenance Schedule: What Your Manufacturer Actually Says (And Where They Disagree) | $1,104–$1,656 per year — AAA's 11.04¢/mile applied at 10,000–15,000 miles driven | $0 — the schedule itself is free to look up | DIY friendly |
| 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 Mile Service: What You Actually Need (And What the Dealer Adds) | $55–$600 spans a single cabin filter to a full 60,000-mile list — this is not a typical figure | $20–$90 for the cabin and engine air filters, the two items most often marked up | Moderate DIY |
| 100,000-Mile Service: What It Includes, What It Costs, and What You Can Skip | $400–$2,800 published estimates for the same service differ six- to sevenfold — this is a spread, not an estimate | $25–$220 coolant, filters and plugs as parts, where you are equipped to do them | Moderate DIY |
| How Often Should You Change Brake Fluid? | $50–$205 per service | $15–$45 fluid and hardware | Moderate DIY |
| How Often Should You Change Coolant? | $131–$209 per flush | $25–$90 coolant and consumables | Moderate DIY |
| How Often Should You Change Transmission Fluid? | $150–$343 drain and fill | $58–$160 fluid and filter | Moderate DIY |
| How Often Should You Change Spark Plugs? | $100–$461 parts and labour | $16–$100 plugs only | Moderate DIY |
| How Often Should You Change Your Oil? | $45–$130 per service | $30–$70 oil and filter | DIY friendly |
| When to Replace Brake Pads | $180–$400 per axle, pads only | $40–$120 pads per axle | Moderate DIY |
| Brake Fluid Flush: The Service, Procedure and Cost | $90–$190 per service | $15–$45 fluid and hardware | Moderate DIY |
| When to Replace Your Car Battery | $150–$450 installed | $110–$320 battery only | DIY friendly |
| Transmission Fluid Change: The Service, Types and Cost | $120–$380 drain and fill or exchange | $60–$180 fluid and filter | Advanced DIY |
| Tire Rotation: Intervals and Patterns | $25–$60 per rotation | $0–$30 tools you already own | DIY friendly |
| Cabin Air Filter Replacement | $50–$120 installed | $15–$35 filter only | DIY friendly |
| Engine Air Filter Replacement | $35–$90 installed | $15–$45 filter only | DIY friendly |
| Serpentine Belt Replacement | $120–$300 belt, installed | $30–$90 belt only | Moderate DIY |
| Coolant Flush: The Service, Coolant Types and Cost | $120–$250 flush and refill | $30–$80 coolant and distilled water | Moderate DIY |