What are essential vehicle maintenance tasks? What do they include?
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What are essential vehicle maintenance tasks? What do they include?
You should know that the vehicle that is always ready to get you on the road needs proper maintenance to continue doing so. Because owning and driving a vehicle is, in a way, like raising a child. You need to provide what it needs, know when something is wrong, and take care of its problems whenever they arise.
Thanks to advances in technology, cars can now communicate their needs much like humans do. Warning lights that provide information about the operation of all vehicle components can instantly alert drivers to existing or potential functional issues. More importantly, however, is taking preventive action before any malfunction occurs. The key to this is never postponing vehicle maintenance and ensuring it is performed regularly.
1. When Should Vehicle Maintenance Be Performed?
After a certain period of use, mechanical and electronic devices may develop malfunctions in one or more components. In automobiles, which combine numerous technologies, such issues can create serious risks for both personal and property safety.
Problems and wear may result not only from usage duration but also from driving habits. Because of these factors and possibilities, vehicle maintenance requirements should be addressed at different intervals, including daily, weekly, seasonal, periodic, and mileage-based maintenance.
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2. What Is Daily Vehicle Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Daily vehicle maintenance consists of the basic checks that drivers should perform before setting out on the road. This includes inspecting tires, steering, lighting and warning systems, battery condition, fuel level, and the levels of other essential fluids.
2.1 What Is Done During Daily Vehicle Maintenance?
3. What Is Weekly Vehicle Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Like daily maintenance, weekly vehicle maintenance involves checking components that are actively used while driving. These procedures include inspecting filtration, pressure, ventilation, and drainage systems, as well as checking the fan and windshield wipers.
3.1 What Is Done During Weekly Vehicle Maintenance?
4. What Is Monthly Vehicle Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Monthly maintenance is a more detailed version of weekly maintenance and also includes interior and exterior cleaning. Inspections of body paint, seat belts, wheels, tire tread depth, battery, doors, and upholstery are generally considered part of monthly maintenance.
4.1 What Is Done During Monthly Vehicle Maintenance?
5. What Is Six-Month Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Six-month maintenance covers the inspection and repair of critical components affecting vehicle performance, road handling, traction, ignition systems, and braking distance. For a complete assessment and maintenance process, vehicles should undergo a detailed service inspection.
5.1 How Is Six-Month Maintenance Performed?
6. What Is Winter Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Winter maintenance includes checks of the engine, filters, steering and braking systems, tires, and fluid levels, just like other routine maintenance procedures. The most important step in winter maintenance is reviewing wheel alignment and balancing after winter tires are installed.
In addition, defogger and defroster systems are checked, and antifreeze is added to the radiator coolant.
7. What Is Periodic Vehicle Maintenance? What Does It Include?
Periodic maintenance includes inspection and replacement procedures carried out after specific periods of use. For this reason, it is also referred to as preventive maintenance.
Vehicle periodic maintenance is generally considered an annual maintenance procedure performed according to intervals specified by automobile manufacturers. Annual maintenance also includes vehicle inspection. In Türkiye, annual vehicle inspections are a legal requirement to ensure road safety and protect lives and property.
8. What Is Vehicle Maintenance Before a Long Trip?
Pre-trip maintenance consists of a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle’s front suspension, tires, brakes, suspension system, steering system, and engine.
The procedures performed during this maintenance process are largely similar to periodic maintenance. However, drivers planning a long journey should have these checks completed before departure if they have not been performed recently, even if the next scheduled maintenance date has not yet arrived.
9. What Is Major Vehicle Maintenance?
Comprehensive maintenance performed according to mileage intervals is known as major maintenance. The intervals at which major maintenance should be carried out vary depending on the vehicle model and fuel type.
For example, the recommended maintenance interval for diesel vehicles is approximately 8,000 kilometers, whereas for gasoline vehicles it is around 13,000 kilometers.
9.1 At What Mileage Is Major Vehicle Maintenance Performed?
Major maintenance intervals vary according to manufacturer recommendations but generally include:
10. When Should a Newly Purchased Vehicle Be Serviced?
The timing of the first maintenance for a new vehicle depends on the manufacturer’s recommendations and the total distance driven.
The first major maintenance is generally recommended at:
8,000–10,000 km for diesel vehicles
10,000–15,000 km for gasoline vehicles
15,000–20,000 km for hybrid vehicles
For the most accurate information, vehicle owners should consult the vehicle’s owner’s manual.
11. Who Is Responsible for Maintenance in Rental Vehicles?
Although rental vehicles are owned by fleet companies, the party responsible for maintenance may vary according to company policies. However, fleet companies generally cover standard and periodic maintenance requirements within the scope of the rental agreement.
In addition to periodic maintenance, responsibilities such as insurance and comprehensive coverage payments, replacement of worn tires, and tax payments are usually included within fleet services without being charged separately to the monthly rental fee.
11.1 Maintenance for Vehicles Rented from Hedef Filo
Hedef Filo covers the periodic maintenance (annual inspections) and mileage-based maintenance of its leased company vehicles at contracted service centers without requiring any payment from vehicle users.
Moreover, drivers can benefit from priority service at contracted service locations throughout Türkiye, allowing them to complete maintenance procedures without waiting in line.
