A check before a long trip is a different list
Routine maintenance keeps a vehicle in good order over time. A pre-trip check asks a narrower question: is this vehicle ready for several hours of sustained work, possibly loaded, possibly towing, on terrain that does not forgive a marginal component.
The items that matter are the ones that get tested by that work rather than by daily driving.
- Cooling system, because a climb finds every shortfall at once. See cooling system service.
- Brakes and brake fluid, because a descent is where old fluid shows its age. See brake repair.
- Tires, measured rather than glanced at, including the spare. Pressures set cold, and set for the load you will actually be carrying.
- Belts and hoses, which age by time rather than by use and fail at the least convenient point.
- Oil and fluid levels, with a note of what you top up, since a change in consumption is information.
- Suspension and steering, if the vehicle will be loaded or towing.
That is a list worth running before a towing season starts rather than the day before a trip, when anything found becomes a problem instead of a job.
Which schedule applies the rest of the time
Sustained climbing belongs on the list of things that shorten a service interval, alongside towing and carrying weight. The national scheduled maintenance page covers how that works.
What it means here is that a vehicle doing modest annual mileage on this terrain can be working harder than one doing far more on flat highway, and the schedule should follow the terrain rather than the odometer.
Sixteen services at one address
Oil changes, brakes, cooling system, A/C, engine, suspension, alignment, balancing and tires in all nine categories.
For a business with several vehicles, attach the schedule to a fleet account.
About this store
The Colorado Springs store opens at 7:00 AM and is managed by Tyler Campbell.
See the national scheduled maintenance page for all 33 locations.