A motor vehicle service or tune-up is a series of

maintenance Maintenance may refer to: Biological science * Maintenance of an organism * Maintenance respiration Non-technical maintenance * Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English * Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doctri ...

procedures carried out at a set time interval or after the

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), wat ...

has traveled a certain distance. The service intervals are specified by the vehicle manufacturer in a service schedule and some modern

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s display the due date for the next service electronically on the instrument panel. A tune-up should not be confused with

engine tuning Engine tuning is the adjustment or modification of the internal combustion engine or Engine Control Unit (ECU) to yield optimal performance and increase the engine's power output, economy, or durability. These goals may be mutually exclusive; ...

, which is the modifying of an

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

to perform ''better'' than the original specification, rather than using maintenance to keep the engine running as it should.

Common tasks involved in maintaining a vehicle

* Inspection - vehicle components are visually inspected for wear or any leaks. A diagnostic is performed to identify any electrical components reporting a failure or a part operating outside of normal conditions. * Replacement - Given certain lubricants break down over time due to heat and wear, manufacturers recommend replacement. Any parts that are close to their expected failure are replaced too to avoid a failure while operating the vehicle. * Adjustments - as vehicle components wear, they may need adjustment over time. Example: parking brake cable. The completed services are usually recorded in a service book upon completion of each service. A complete service history usually adds to the resale value of a vehicle. Mechanic and Customer

Scheduling

The actual schedule of car maintenance varies depending on the year, make, and model of a car, its driving conditions, and driver behavior. Carmakers recommend the so-called extreme or the ideal service schedule based on impact parameters such as * the number of trips and distance traveled per trip per day * extreme hot or cold climate conditions * mountainous, dusty, or DE-iced roads * heavy stop-and-go vs. long-distance cruising * towing a trailer or other heavy load Service advisers in dealerships and independent shops recommend schedule intervals, which are often in between the ideal or extreme service schedule.

Common maintenance

Maintenance tasks commonly carried out during a motor vehicle service include: * Change the

engine oil Motor oil, engine oil, or engine lubricant is any one of various substances used for the lubrication of internal combustion engines. They typically consist of base oils enhanced with various additives, particularly antiwear additives, deterge ...

* Replace the oil filter * Replace the

air filter A particulate air filter is a device composed of fibrous, or porous materials which removes solid particulates such as dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria from the air. Filters containing an adsorbent or catalyst such as charcoal (carbon) may also ...

* Replace the fuel filter * Replace the cabin or a/c filter * Replace the

spark plugs A spark plug (sometimes, in British English, a sparking plug, and, colloquially, a plug) is a device for delivering electric current from an ignition system to the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine to ignite the compressed fuel/air ...

* Check level and refill brake fluid/clutch fluid * Check

Brake pad Brake pads are a component of disc brakes used in automotive and other applications. Brake pads are composed of steel backing plates with friction material bound to the surface that faces the disc brake rotors. Function Brake pads convert the kin ...

s/Liners,

Brake discs A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hold ...

/ Drums, and replace if worn out * Check Coolant Hoses * Check the charging systems * Check the battery * Check level and refill power steering fluid * Check level and refill Automatic/Manual Transmission Fluid * Grease and lubricate components * Inspect and replace the timing belt or

timing chain In a piston engine, either a timing belt (also called a ''cambelt'') or timing chain or set of timing gears is used to synchronize the rotation of the crankshaft and the camshaft. This synchronisation ensures that the engine's valves open and clo ...

if needed * Check condition of the

tires A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...

* Rotate Tires * Check for proper operation of all lights, wipers, etc. * Check for any error codes in the ECU and take corrective action. * Use a scan tool to read trouble code. Mechanical parts that may cause the car to cease transmission or prove unsafe for the road are also noted and advised upon. In the United Kingdom, few parts that are not inspected on the MOT test are inspected and advised upon a Service Inspection, including

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differ ...

car battery An automotive battery or car battery is a rechargeable battery that is used to start a motor vehicle. Its main purpose is to provide an electric current to the electric-powered starting motor, which in turn starts the chemically-powered internal ...

, and engine components (further inspections than MOT).

References

Sources

External links

Maintenance