2003-2011 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
If you want to hang on to the car for the long term the way you go about things will be a little different.
One thing I now tell my enthusiast owners who do their own work is to do oil no more than every 5k, auto trans. fluid at no more than 30k (15k if they drive hard), plugs every 30k.
If you have Xenon headlamps you should pull the front bumper cover, remove the headlamps, take the Xenon control modules off the bottom of the lamp housings and take the cover off, look for moisture. I've seen a couple that had water in them that hadn't died yet, and you should be able to dry them out, re-assembly with maybe a little dielectric grease on the gasket ans re-assemble. If they go out they're $150 minimum, $300+ for new ones.
Talked to one sound engineer guy who though about putting some dessicant in his or something like that.
I wouldn't do the water pump unless it starts to leak, but when you do it I'd strongly suggest finding a shop that knows what they're doing and have the special tools, and have them remove the timing chain cover and replace the guides and balancer shaft tensioner and guides at the same time, you can read on here of how often the special tool lets the balance shaft tensioner slip a tooth, and then the chain is too tight and makes noise. Or breaks.
If you haven't done the serpentine belt & tensioner (should be every 60k) absolutely do that, the special one-way pulley on the alternator is expensive to replace if it gets messed up from the belt bouncing around. That you can do yourself if you're handy, it's a pretty easy job.
If you have an automatic change the transmission fluid a couple times.
Make sure your springs are OK and don't look like they're corroding around the lower seats in the front.
Cabin blower motor may take a dump at some point, save for contingency for that.
Take a look really carefully for vacuum leaks, the common places are the brake booster vacuum line (nylon) and the PCV return line that goes into the intake manifold underneath the throttle body - it's a little rubber 90-degree elbow, they tear at the elbow.
Then there's all the oil leaks you may or may not have, the easy ones to fix are at the oil cooler o-ring seals where it bolts to the head, and the brake booster vacuum pump, there's a gasket back there. Those will leak oil all down the back of the engine, look kind of like it's coming from the turbo - the gasket is cheap, like $16.
The oil leak at the oil level sensor on the front of the oil pan is a royal pain though, the sensor pulls out from the inside, so you have to drop the pan.
I usually treat these cars with a don't-fix-it-till-it's-broke attitude, otherwise you will never get away from $1,000+ repair bills every month or two.
Jeez... that got to be long.
Drew
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