3 Reasons to Keep to Your Car's Recommended Maintenance Schedule

Every new car is provided with a recommended maintenance schedule by its manufacturer. If you follow it, you'll take your vehicle to a mechanic to be inspected at set intervals — these will either be based around a certain amount of time or a certain number of miles. Unfortunately, some people choose to disregard the service intervals and simply wait until something goes wrong, or they only bring their car in when they feel like it.

It can certainly be tempting to skip the recommended maintenance schedule checks, but here are just three reasons why they should be considered vital.

1. Prevent Rather Than Fix

Perhaps the most important reason to follow your recommended maintenance schedule is that doing so helps you avoid problems in the first place. If you wait until you can tell something is wrong, damage will probably be extensive, and repairs will probably be more expensive. You'll also increase the risk of breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

Your recommended maintenance schedule visits will help spot potential problems, and mechanics will know just what to check during each inspection based around how your vehicle tends to perform at certain intervals.  

2. Protect Your Warranty Coverage

If you purchased your car new, it should be covered by a manufacturer warranty. That manufacturer warranty provides welcome coverage without costing you a penny, so it's naturally something that you're going to want to keep.

However, manufacturers stipulate conditions that must be met to keep their original warranty valid, and keeping to the recommended maintenance schedule is almost always one of them. It's only fair; after all, the coverage is based around the idea that you're going to be doing your part to keep the vehicle in good repair, and missing recommended maintenance schedule visits means that you're not.

3. Make Selling Easier

Whether you're selling a car after only a year or putting it on the market after decades, it's obviously crucial to find the right buyer and make sure you can command the highest price possible.

Sticking to the recommended maintenance schedule really pays off when you reach this point. Prospective owners want to know you've done your best to keep the vehicle in good condition over its lifetime, and it can be hard to get that impression from just a cursory glance. That's why a strong maintenance record is so attractive. If you can show buyers that you've stuck to recommended service intervals, they'll be more likely to buy and more willing to pay.