It’s a new year!

December was all about the holidays. But now that the calendar has turned, our attention is turning to other things… like car maintenance items we’ve probably overlooked. We sat down with CarShop Scottsdale technicians Paul Oshenic and Neil Pawlak to talk about how to keep the New Year trouble-free. 

Now that the holiday season is over, people are probably remembering things they put off last year. What are maintenance needs people sometimes forget to address? 

Paul: In Scottsdale, wiper blades, for sure. The heat around Scottsdale and in Arizona generally is really hard on wipers, and because it rains here so rarely, people tend to forget about wiper blades entirely. But when it rains, it’s usually pretty heavy, and if they’re already torn from the heat and the dryness, it could be an unpleasant — not to mention unsafe — surprise. So pay attention to wiper blades, front and rear. Any rubber parts, really, they seem to dry out faster. Tires, serpentine belts, if you’re living around Scottsdale, you want your mechanic to check them even before your owner’s manual might suggest. 

Neil: I’d put a word in about batteries. In the East, people often have battery problems when it gets really cold; in Scottsdale, it’s kind of the opposite. When it’s really hot in the summertime, with the heat, everything works harder and that’s when people can expect battery issues. Whether it’s really hot or really cold, it’s actually the same in that you often only get a few years out of a typical battery. I’d put a battery check on the list. 

Any thoughts on routine maintenance items — oil changes, fluids? 

Paul: A lot of vehicle manufacturers have oil lights these days, which makes remembering an oil change easier, but they don’t always tell you when you should really change it. Some cars, it doesn’t come on for 10,000 miles — it’s extremely excessive to wait that long to change your oil. 

Neil: Especially when it comes to the Scottsdale heat. CarShop recommends 4 months, 4000 miles… that’s probably about right for this area. 

Another thing — any fluid, for the most part, is important to change. Coolant changes as well as trans flushes or differentials because of the heat. Everyone thinks Arizona is pretty flat, but the mountains outside of Scottsdale are pretty steep and it can be demanding. 

Paul: Brake fluid, too. If you’re going down a steep grade, the temperature of that could get up there. And like Neil said, don’t forget transmission fluid — a lot of cars have Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs). You definitely want to keep on top of changing the trans fluid the way the manufacturers recommend, because once that fluid gets old and dirty, it’s going to hurt the transmission eventually — it’ll start slipping or making noise. 

What should people know about servicing their cars at CarShop? 

Paul: A lot of people are suspicious of auto mechanics, because not many people look under their hood, and it’s hard to know what’s going on when they do look. But just like everything else at CarShop, we’re not about a one-time transaction. We’re about developing trust — being completely upfront so you trust us the next time and the time after that.