Both foreign and domestic vehicles have many of the same standards when it comes to regular service maintenance. However, foreign vehicles tend to be a lot less forgiving with the timelines than domestic cars do. If you decide to neglect your regular maintenance on your foreign vehicle you will likely end up with costly repairs and needing even costlier replacements. You will also want to consider that your vehicle likely has a manufacturer’s warranty on it but that it will void the warranty if the vehicle is not regularly maintained. Make sure that you document all service records and save them should you ever need to refer to them or submit them to your warranty specialist.
Tires need to be rotated on all vehicles and during regular maintenance such as an oil change is a great time to consider rotating them. While domestic vehicles can likely withstand 8,000 miles or so before rotating, foreign vehicles really need to have the tires rotated every 6,000 miles. The front tires will wear much faster than the back tires so rotating your tires increases the longevity of your tires’ lifespan. Most foreign vehicles require expensive tires so you will want to make sure you get the full use of your existing tires before having to replace them.
Oil changes vary by each vehicle manual but a good estimate is that you should plan to have your vehicle’s oil changed every 3,000 – 5,000 miles. Refer to your owner’s manual to make sure that you are properly taking care of your unique vehicle. A few additional tips are: if your check engine light pops on for any amount of time you will want to make sure that you bring it in for maintenance ASAP. A check engine light is very vague and can mean a number of things that you will not want to let sit for any amount of time. When you go in for your regular oil change make sure that they check your batteries, belts, hoses, and cables. If your foreign vehicle is due for service our import care repair center Michigan is happy to help!