Scheduled Maintenance in Henderson, KY

Engine oil gets changed because everyone knows it has to be. A vehicle carries several other fluids that wear out too, and because none of them has a sticker on the windshield, they are the items most often skipped.

Brake fluid. It slowly absorbs moisture from the air. Over the years that lowers the temperature at which it boils and lets corrosion start inside the brake system. Many manufacturers list a replacement interval in years rather than miles.

Transmission fluid. It cools and protects the transmission as well as lubricating it. Towing, heavy loads and hot weather all work it harder. Some manuals list a change interval; some say the fluid is meant to last much longer under normal use, with a shorter interval for severe service.

Differential and transfer case fluid. On a pickup or a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the axles and the transfer case have their own gear oil. Towing and four-wheel-drive use are exactly the conditions that call for changing it.

Coolant. It loses its protective additives with age, even when the level stays full. The interval is often long, which is exactly why it gets forgotten.

Power steering fluid, on vehicles that still use it.

Each of these has a long interval, often well beyond the time between oil changes. Over that time the vehicle may change hands, records go missing, and nobody remembers when it was last done. A fluid that is due every several years can go a decade unchanged without anyone deciding to skip it.

Bring the owner's manual or the mileage, and ask which of these fluids are due. If the history is unknown, the store can check the condition of each fluid and suggest where to start.

Individual jobs that come out of a maintenance visit are their own services here, including brake repair and cooling system work. The national scheduled maintenance page explains how the schedule works.

Owensboro and Princeton also offer scheduled maintenance.

The Henderson store runs sixteen services and is managed by Derrick Madewell.

See the national scheduled maintenance page for all 33 locations.