How Long Does Vehicle Maintenance Take?
2 Answers
Vehicle maintenance typically takes about an hour. For car maintenance, you should prepare your driver's license, maintenance manual, and warranty manual. The first car maintenance inspection includes: 1. Checking car lights, including emergency signal lights, trunk lights, glove box lights, indicator lights, dashboard warning lights, and passenger compartment lights; 2. Inspecting car tire wear and tire pressure; 3. Examining the fuel lines, dust covers, rubber protectors under the car body, and checking all screw locations on the car chassis. Items to be replaced during the first maintenance include: 1. Engine oil and oil filter; 2. Antifreeze; 3. Windshield washer fluid; 4. Air filter; 5. Brake fluid; 6. Transmission fluid.
I've been driving for seven or eight years, and the thing I dread most about maintenance is wasting time in queues. A basic service like an oil and filter change can be done in 40 minutes at a skilled shop. But during peak hours at dealerships, waiting for a service bay plus a car wash usually takes two hours. Major services are more time-consuming – changing transmission fluid requires removing the undercarriage, and inspecting brake pads involves testing brake fluid moisture content, easily taking over three hours. Last month for my car's 60,000-km major service, I dropped it off at 9 AM and didn't get it back until 3 PM. I recommend making phone appointments in advance, especially avoiding weekends. Pro tip: clearing your glove compartment before service saves mechanics time when locating the cabin air filter.
