Hi Guys - I have an 03 that just flipped to 13k miles this past season. I do an oil change once a year, but now that the car is 16 years old I’m wondering if should start changing out some other fluids on a more regular basis too. From a mileage standpoint the car really doesn’t need it, but from a time standpoint it probably does. What fluids would you recommend servicing and on what intervals would you recommend? I know I’m definitely not the only one here with a garage queen so tell me what you guys do! Thanks!
Changing Fluid Intervals On Low Mileage Car
- Thread starter subobo0411
- Start date
Brake fluid (hygroscopic), engine coolant (additives), intercooler fluid (additives). These are the ones I worry about and change every 2-3 years. I change the engine oil and filter every year.
There's also supercharger, transmission, power steering and differential. I don't worry too much about those but I've read about 30K for them.
There's also supercharger, transmission, power steering and differential. I don't worry too much about those but I've read about 30K for them.
Last edited:
Agree with above. I own a garage queen as well. About 16k miles now. I had to bleed my brakes due to a caliper rebuild and couldnt believe how dirty the brake fluid was. Defiantly a must do no matter how many miles are on any vehicle.
Thanks guys!
Fuel filter
My $0.02 from reading a bit about this as I also have a low mile car. This is the schedule I've worked out after doing a lot of forum reading. It's not quite max paranoia, but it's also not trying to go cheap and delay things as long as possible. Basically I want factory performance and reliability without worry, and I feel like this strikes that balance.
Oil change, 12 months max regardless of mileage. Combustion byproducts make nasty stuff when it sits.
Coolant flush every 5-6 years. There's evidence coolant over 7-9 years starts to make some nasty chemicals from reacting with stuff too.
Brake fluid flush every 7 years. Brake fluid absorbs water over time, get the old stuff out. This is true for all cars, regardless of mileage.
Transmission flush. Normally 30k miles. I did mine at 10 years worried about fluid breakdown. I can't find authoritative sources either way if it is necessary.
Power Steering flush, every 10 years.
Fuel filter at 10 years. Normally I'd do one every 100,000 in a high mileage car.
Intercooler coolant -- never. Seriously, it's the factory interval, it's a closed system, no combustion byproducts, it's basically a mineral oil. Shouldn't ever need to be changed or go bad.
I just replaced the factory super charger belt and accessory belt at 16 years. There's very little data on how they break down in low mileage cars. Decided I didn't want to risk a failure over a couple of bucks, particularly of the supercharger during a hard pull.
I plan to change out the rear diff oil at 20 years. Lots of evidence it's "lifetime" if there are no issues, but also some evidence it breaks down over time.
Tires, I won't drive on ones more than 8 years old, try to replace around 7. They get hard, and hard == squirmy. Don't need the back end sliding out when I don't want it to do. Your comfort level may vary. Get an alignment when you get new tires by someone who can do a proper 4 wheel alignment.
Wiper blades every 7-9 years for a garage kept car, you can tell when they start to turn hard and bad.
Things I don't know:
Shocks? They still feel really good to me, but I don't really know if any of the interior parts degrade over time.
Bushings. These cars seem to be in an era where finally they last quite well. I'm not seeing a need to replace anytime soon.
Radiator hoses. They appear to be in really good shape, but I have no idea the real expected lifespan.
And with that, I feel like a garage kept car maintained like this should easily make it 50 years.
Oil change, 12 months max regardless of mileage. Combustion byproducts make nasty stuff when it sits.
Coolant flush every 5-6 years. There's evidence coolant over 7-9 years starts to make some nasty chemicals from reacting with stuff too.
Brake fluid flush every 7 years. Brake fluid absorbs water over time, get the old stuff out. This is true for all cars, regardless of mileage.
Transmission flush. Normally 30k miles. I did mine at 10 years worried about fluid breakdown. I can't find authoritative sources either way if it is necessary.
Power Steering flush, every 10 years.
Fuel filter at 10 years. Normally I'd do one every 100,000 in a high mileage car.
Intercooler coolant -- never. Seriously, it's the factory interval, it's a closed system, no combustion byproducts, it's basically a mineral oil. Shouldn't ever need to be changed or go bad.
I just replaced the factory super charger belt and accessory belt at 16 years. There's very little data on how they break down in low mileage cars. Decided I didn't want to risk a failure over a couple of bucks, particularly of the supercharger during a hard pull.
I plan to change out the rear diff oil at 20 years. Lots of evidence it's "lifetime" if there are no issues, but also some evidence it breaks down over time.
Tires, I won't drive on ones more than 8 years old, try to replace around 7. They get hard, and hard == squirmy. Don't need the back end sliding out when I don't want it to do. Your comfort level may vary. Get an alignment when you get new tires by someone who can do a proper 4 wheel alignment.
Wiper blades every 7-9 years for a garage kept car, you can tell when they start to turn hard and bad.
Things I don't know:
Shocks? They still feel really good to me, but I don't really know if any of the interior parts degrade over time.
Bushings. These cars seem to be in an era where finally they last quite well. I'm not seeing a need to replace anytime soon.
Radiator hoses. They appear to be in really good shape, but I have no idea the real expected lifespan.
And with that, I feel like a garage kept car maintained like this should easily make it 50 years.
Thanks 03blackvert! I appreciate your response. It’s starting to warm up here so getting the itch to get the car out and take care of some of this maintenance. I’ve only owned this one for a couple years and not sure what the previous owner did, so plan is to do its annual oil change I always do, plus coolant flush, brake flush, power steering flush, fuel filter, and probably a new belt and some stickier tires in back (ones I have are pricey and like brand new, but will be going on 11 years old now so it’s time).
I would never wait 100k miles before changing a fuel filter. Especially on a forced induction engines. I've seen the filters break down on some cars.
As for tires... they dry rot from the inside out. Had a bad experience with ‘like new’ 10 year old tires on an F350. Tires have a manufactured date stamped into the sidewalls. Best not to leave them on past whatever time the manufacturer recommends, OR about 5-7 years max.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Last edited:
I probably should have left this comment out, as it has some nuance to it. The filter gets dirt out, and how much dirt gets in depends on the quality of the gas stations you buy from, if they keep their tanks full, and if you fill up your car before it runs out or always run it down to E. If you buy from a gas station that often runs their tanks low pulling the gunk out of them, and then run your car down low as well, you could need a new one after 25-30k miles. And yes, faster flow rates like on forced induction cars means sucking up more crud.
On the other hand, a naturally aspirated engine that you fill from good stations and never run below a quarter tank will easily go 100k. I know the newer honda naturally aspirated cars recommend a 100k interval. 60k has been the norm on new cars for a while, and most mechanics I talk to say they rarely see a clogged one.
I didn't mention an air filter either in my list. While they have change intervals, any filter including the air, oil, and fuel are just about if they are dirty or failing. Some you're not able to easily check and measure like an oil filter, so better to just replace it every time. Some new cars actually now state in the owners manual to replace the oil filter every other oil change! Air filter you can visually inspect. On some cars the fuel filter can be inspected, it's in a clear housing. Others, no way to know. Lots of YMMV.
Anyway, I'll modify, never run a fuel filter more than 10 years, or 100,000 miles, as they are likely to be toast after either interval (for different reasons). And if you suspect you get bad gas, or often run the car down low, maybe go more with like a 5 year, 30k mile rule. It's not an expensive part.
Users who are viewing this thread
