Managing maintenance schedules for several vehicles can be daunting. However, without regular oil changes and other maintenance services your repair bills and the dip gas mileage will cost you even more. From sludge to seized engines, missing regular scheduled maintenance is no laughing matter.
Ultimately the point of oil is to keep your engine lubricated and cooled. Oil is a great tool for pulling heat from certain parts and circulating it equally throughout the engine so that your coolant can do it’s job and keep your engine from overheating. Because this is a primary function for oil, manufacturers add viscosity modifiers to the oil to keep it a thicker consistency when your engine reaches it’s highest temperatures. But those high temperatures also break down those modifiers over time. This makes the oil less effective at those high temperatures because it’s thinner. Thinner oil means there is less lubrication in the engine to keep it cool and create a barrier between the metal parts and gears that are sliding past one another.
Additionally, the anti-oxidizing and anti-wear additives will also break down due to the heat over time in your engine. These additives keeps your oil, oil in a sense. When these additives start to break down, sludge can form within the oil. Sludge can make it difficult for oil to flow throughout the engine and squeeze itself between the moving metal parts. If sludge does start to form, it’s best to talk to your mechanic about whether or not you need an engine flush. Engine flushes can help remove some of the sludge from your engine. Oil will pick up normal particles and debre from your engine. This is why having a consistent oil change is so important. As oil picks up these particles, your oil will be drained and replaced. This allows the older particle filled oil to take those particles with it out of your engine, essentially cleaning it up. But if you wait too long for an oil change, your oil will pick up too many particles and they will start to settle inside your engine. This means that when you do change your oil, it will not take those particles with it. Instead those particles will sit inside your engine, causing it to corrode over time.
Tip: The recommended intervals for regular oil changes - as well as the right type of oil for your vehicle can be found in the owner's manual.
Following your owners manual in terms of maintenance is critical to ensure your vehicle(s) run smoothly and you keep your warranty intact. The maintenance schedule is designed to give you the optimal intervals between maintenance and is one of the easiest ways to keep your fleet operating as smoothly as possible. The easiest way to find this information is in your owners manual or a quick search online at the manufactures website can show what your vehicles need. If you are behind on your maintenance or just want to stay up to date then contact us and we can look it up for you.
With the possibility of several drivers driving each vehicle, fleet managers need to pay extra attention to how their brake pads and rotors are wearing down. Without a healthy braking system, your fleet's vehicle can pose a danger to your employees as well as other drivers on the road.
The timing for brake pad and rotor replacement isn't as simple as KMs driven - someone who drives only 10,000KMS per year in a highly populated city centre will need to change their brake pads and rotors more often than someone who drives more but focuses solely on highway driving. So in order to know when to change your brake pads and rotors it is important to look at and listen to the way your brakes are preforming.
Have you ever heard a high-pitched screeching sound when you applied your brakes? That's a small metal shim, called an indicator, which is giving you an audible warning that you need to replace your brake pads. You should be aware of this sound (which is loud enough to be heard while the windows are up, but not necessarily loud enough to be heard over the radio or air conditioner). If you hear it regularly, quickly make an appointment with your mechanic.
Hear a loud metallic sound? That means that you have worn down the pads completely, most likely beyond replacement. The grinding or growling noise is caused by the two pieces of metal (the disc and the caliper) rubbing together. This can "score," or scratch your rotors, creating an uneven surface. If this happens, do not be surprised if your mechanic tells you that the rotors need to be "turned" (a process that evens out the rotor surface), or even replaced.
Tip: if you're unsure whether or not your brake pads or rotors need replacing, have a mobile mechanic preform brake checks on all vehicles in the fleet in one appointment - don't leave it to chance!
This belt as a long life span - usually about 100,000KMS. This repair although it doesn't come up often, if hugely important as it is a necessary component to running your vehicle. Serpentine belts can be tricky to replace because of the way in which they are routed and because of limited access in a tight engine compartment. Although most late-model belt drive systems use a single belt, some applications also may have a separate belt for an accessory such as the A/C compressor or power steering pump. What’s more, some applications may use a secondary “stretch fit” belt that has no traditional adjustment. Installing one of these requires a special tool to slip the belt over the pulleys without damaging the belt. Don't worry - your mechanic knows what's what.
By the time a worn belt needs to be replaced, chances are other components in the belt drive system also may need attention. No. 1 among these is the automatic belt tensioner. Over time, the spring that maintains belt tension can weaken. Rust, corrosion, and wear also can cause binding that prevents the tensioner from rotating normally to maintain proper belt tension. Belt flutter or belt noise when revving the engine are indications of a weak tensioner.
So, does your maintenance schedule contain a plan for all of these important maintenance services?
