How many kilometers can a car still be driven after reaching the maintenance period?
3 Answers
After the car reaches the maintenance period, it can still be driven for one or two thousand kilometers. Primary Maintenance: Perform maintenance operations centered on tightening and lubrication for vehicles that have traveled a certain mileage, including inspecting and tightening bolts and nuts on the exposed parts of the car; adding lubricant to specified lubrication points; checking the oil levels in various assemblies and topping up lubricating oil; cleaning various air filters, etc. Secondary Maintenance: Perform maintenance operations centered on inspection and adjustment for vehicles that have traveled a certain mileage. In addition to the tasks included in primary maintenance, this involves inspecting and adjusting the operation of the engine and electrical equipment, removing and cleaning the oil pan and oil filter, inspecting and adjusting the steering and braking mechanisms, removing and cleaning the front and rear wheel hub bearings; adding lubricating oil, removing and inspecting tires, and performing tire rotation, etc.
A few days ago, my neighbor Brother Zhang was driving his kid to school when the oil pressure warning light suddenly lit up on the dashboard, resulting in an 8,000 yuan engine overhaul. Vehicle maintenance intervals are no joke – they're hard deadlines. Take my Japanese car for example: the manual specifies 5,000 km service intervals, but I'd never dare exceed that by more than 800 km. What really matters is the driving conditions – if you're constantly driving through dusty construction sites, exceeding by 500 km could clog the oil filter; for highway driving, full synthetic oil might tolerate exceeding by 1,500 km. Last week, the repair shop disassembled an engine that had exceeded its service interval by 2,000 km – the sludge had clogged the oil passages like a sewer pipe, causing permanent damage. Don't gamble your engine's lifespan to save a few hundred bucks on maintenance. When you hit the mileage, book that dealership service immediately.
My long-haul trucker friend Lao Li has a crude saying: 'Delaying maintenance is like taking out a loan with high interest—the longer you wait, the worse it gets.' His heavy-duty truck exceeded its service interval by 2,000 kilometers last time, and the degraded engine oil caused the turbocharger to fail. While family cars aren't as delicate, conventional mineral oil's protective properties plummet after exceeding the interval by 1,500 kilometers. This is especially true for vehicles over seven years old—aged rubber seals can't handle the abuse. Last week, I checked a colleague's American car that was overdue by 1,300 kilometers, and the metal shavings on the dipstick were downright terrifying. Don't believe the nonsense about 'a few thousand extra kilometers won't hurt.' If the steering wheel starts shaking, it's time to panic.
