Art161

Certainly a lot of members of this forum, probably most, do a lot of routine maintenance work themselves rather than relying on shops. Even if you go to a shop, it seems to me that they generally ignore some items that should be done.

So what do you need to do yourself, whether or not you use a shop? I'll start off with a few items based on my experiences with shops.

1. Lubricate locks, hinges, latches, etc.

2. Lubricate rubber weather seals with silicone grease. What do you guys/gals use for under the hood? I don't use any kind of silicone under the hood because the fumes may get sucked into the air intake and foul a sensor.

3. Check the two grommets (pouches) under the hood for water/debris.

4. Clean the windshield wipers with rubbing alcohol, followed by a a rinse with water. I apply the alcohol to a paper towel and give the wipers a good rub. It's amazing what dirt comes off. Then I apply distilled (probably overkill) water to a paper towel and give them another good rub. IMO a lot of good wipers get replaced when all they need is a thorough cleaning.

Please chime in with your maintenance tips.

Nuke

After the engine warms up during a drive where the roads are pretty empty, I'll clean out the cylinders and pipes by going WOT to about 130-135 MPH. It also helps you wake up.

When I detail the car, I'll use a silicone based lube on the door seals. Since my Stang is a garage queen, the rubber boots on the firewall don't need checking but I do check those on the wife's Pony about every other wash. I removed the plastic clips in the drain holes on the doors; they tend to catch debris and trap more moisture than can be good for the door metal. As far as wiping the wipers, cleaning them will only extend the life a small amount IMO. I simply keep 2 on hand (all 3 of our vehicles use 1 each of 22" and 20") and replace as needed.

I'm not as fanatical as I used to be, what with 3 cars, a boat, a huge property and 4 dogs, 2 of which are pups (somebody smack me).

JFitz

I'd been wondering about weather stripping and seals and such.

Does this same silicon grease idea apply to Vert tops?

petrock

I wouldn’t apply grease (silicone or otherwise) to any weather stripping. Especially the door or hood seals. The grease will only trap dirt & road grime and not help the sealing much at all. In the long term that oily dirt & grime will scratch up the paint it comes in contact with, not to mention making it slimy. The door seals are supposed to be porous, and makes it seal from the light spongy pressure it applies to the painted surface it comes in contact with. These seals are also fairly inexpensive and last a really long time. The stockers on my wifey’s ’98 are still good. If they start to go bad, they are pretty simple and inexpensive to replace, in my opinion.

I also wouldn’t apply alcohol to windshield wipers. It will dry out the rubber. Wiping them down with a damp towel/cloth is a good idea though. Distilled water is a bit overkill.

I would, however, suggest applying a liberal amount of dry lube to the felt part of the window tracks so the windows slide up/down smoother. Helps keep window regulator motors from working too hard and burning out, or cable style window regulators from popping/breaking. Once every 5-10k miles is OK.

Norm Peterson

Mostly it's a case of if I'm doing anything in one area of the car I'll make a quick check of other stuff in that specific area while I'm there. Aftermarket suspension and other undercar components do tend to require a little more attention than the OE stuff. A little lube here, maybe check brake pad wear, check tire pressures, etc.


If they're even remotely like the pup that our daughter brought into the house for her daughter, consider yourself 'ed . . .


Norm

Torch_Vert

I just have to wonder how the cops are going to respond to the "routine maintainence" defense...

Nuke

I was more concerned with how they'd take... "But officer, I HAD to drive 20 over the speed limit. Any slower and I get this horrid drone from my FRPP Stingers."

petrock

Thats nothin’. I’m married to a Vet Tech. 2 dogs, 3 cats, a bunny & a hamster. All of which have or had some kind of strange problem.
- both dogs are parvo survivors. One was surrendered to my wifes hospital when the original owner couldn’t pay for the treatment (couple grand) and the other was found wandering a local park. Both less then 1 month old when we took them in. Now one is 6 yrs old and the other is almost 1 yrs.
- 1 cat had bad seizures as a kitten and still thinks he’s a kitten after 10 years
- 1 cat is severely wall-eye’d and gets scared if a mouse farts
- 1 cat (named Loma Prieta after the 1989 CA earthquake) has a skull disformaty which made her eyes sunk into her head. So she can barely see. She also has a neurological disorder where she can’t control her hind legs very well so she shakes her butt when standing still, which is why we named her after an earthquake.
- The bunny was a laboratory bunny at my wife’s college, who my wife had to draw blood and other things from for school. We took it in after the lab shut down. It is 16lbs of white fluff with bright red eyes. Its bigger then all of our cats and kind of creapy if it looks at you with those big... red... eyes...
- The hamster was a pet store find that had a tumor about the same size as the hampser. My wife saw it as we were getting dog food one day and fell in lover with it. She had to save it. Got the tumor removed 6 months ago, but its starting to come back. Lovely...

Yeah, and knowing all this, I married her anyways... :-)

07BLACKGT

Quote of the year right here! If this ain't the truth, I don't know what is.

~73-80 MPH is ridiculous with stingers and 4.10s. When I was running an o/r midpipe, everyone in the car would get a headache after about 30 minutes on the highway. It was bad. Now I just drive around it. 85 is muuuuch quieter (serious)

potman

I've been using Armorall on door seals and plastic components for almost 30 years now. The seals on my 99 Tahoe look new. I'll swear by the stuff.