How often should I replace Car’s Battery, Tires, Air filters, Oil, and thermostat?

When you drive a car over a period of time, there will be lot of wear and tear of car parts that follow. Moreover, replacing certain car parts every few years may seem costly or unnecessary, but these replacements can help to prevent larger  mechanical issues or even accidents in the future.

However, knowing which car parts to replace and when can be quite an ordeal – especially when there are as many as 2000 different car parts in your vehicle.

Further, many of the parts and components rely on a clean and fresh supply of fluid injected into them to do their job properly. Like the parts themselves, fluids typically have a lifespan — after which point they need to be flushed out, refilled and replaced as part of your vehicle’s long-term care needs.

List of Vehicle Parts to be replaced after certain period of time

Hence, we have put together a list of the most common car parts and fluids that need to be replaced and how often they will need to be replaced, and what might happen if they aren’t replaced.

Caveat: The information below is a guideline only. Specific maintenance and replacement requirements vary widely from vehicle to vehicle, and the specific instructions you’ll need to follow for your specific year, make and model of car or truck are located in your owner’s manual.

1. Engine Oil Change:

Motor oil is of vital importance in keeping your car engine running smoothly and to last till its expected lifetime. When there’s enough oil, it will properly lubricate your engine and ensure smooth performance. When your motor oil level gets too low or the oil gets too dirty, your engine’s life and efficiency pay the price. Because oil is so essential to keeping your engine healthy, it needs to be replaced fairly often.

When to change/replace: Check the owner’s manual for maintenance schedule specific to your vehicle. General guidelines suggest having your oil changed every 3,000-5,000 miles.

A full oil change will usually be part of a full annual service on your car. But check the owner’s manual to ascertain the frequency of change.

2. Air Filters Change:

A well maintained Air Filter is a must if you want your beloved car to run like a Champion. Car engines breathe in a constant stream of outside air at all moments while they’re running. This air passes through the air filter that keeps unwanted contaminants such as insects, dust, particles, sand or debris from reaching the engine and ensures a good mixture of air and fuel to support performance. When your air filter gets clogged, it can cause problems and affect engine performance. Replacing a clogged air filter can increase fuel efficiency, improve acceleration, and prolong engine life.

When to change/replace: To maintain the highest possible performance of your vehicle, it is recommended to replace your air filters at least every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. It’s best to check the maintenance schedule provided by the manufacturer of your car for the appropriate replacement schedule.

3. Battery Change:

Your car battery is one part of your car that you need to have in working order at all times. Your battery is constantly drained by the on-board electronics in the vehicle, the engine starter, the lights, and various other systems. It is also constantly recharged while you drive, by your vehicle’s alternator. The battery in your car is constantly charging and discharging—and like all batteries, its ability to do so eventually degrades to a point where the battery becomes weak and needs replacement.

When to change/replace: On an average, most car batteries will last up to six/seven years with regular use. The more frequently the car is driven and the longer the battery is kept fully charged, then the better the overall battery life will be.

4. Tires Change:

Your car tires are arguably the most important part of your vehicle. Being the car’s first point of contact with all road surfaces make them paramount to the performance of your safety systems, how the vehicle steers, brakes, handles and responds, how well it’s AWD system works in adverse weather conditions, and more. Tires have a direct relation to fuel efficiency as well. Additionally, when the tread is worn down, tires lose traction during braking and won’t grip the road well when driving in the rain, ice and snow. But even if there’s plenty of tread left, tires should be replaced if they’re too old. That’s because over time, the rubber will dry and crack, possibly leading to a blowout or flat tire.

When to change/replace: More often than not, tires will last between five to seven years. But, however if they wear out sooner because of the miles driven or the kind of driving you do, you might want to replace them sooner.

5. Thermostat Change:

Your car engine needs to run at an optimum temperature in order to produce optimum performance. In this regard, one of the most important components that control a car engine’s peak performance is the Thermostat. A Thermostat is a small device that is housed between the radiator and the car engine. Its primary function is to regulate the flow of engine coolant from the engine to the radiator.

Modern car Engines generally operate at temperatures ranging between 195 degrees Fahrenheit and 220 degrees Fahrenheit. The Thermostat helps the engine maintain its working temperatures within this range. For instance, if the engine is hot enough, the thermostat will open itself for the engine coolant to flow into the radiator where it dissipates heat and cools the hot coolant. If the engine is cold, the thermostat will remain closed.

Checking your Car’s Thermostat: Checking if the car Thermostat is performing as expected can be done by following the below steps.

• Open the hood of the car and remove the radiator cap.
• Then start your car, engage the parking brake and let the car idle.
• Look inside the neck of the radiator and check if you can see the engine coolant flowing into the radiator.
• Given, the engine has not reached its optimal working temperature, you should not see any coolant flowing into the radiator.
• In case you see coolant already, this means that the thermostat valve is already open indicating that the valve may be stuck in open position.
• On the other hand, if you don’t see any coolant flowing into the radiator, wait for 10-15 minutes to allow the engine to reach its working temperature.
• As the engine heats up you should see coolant entering the radiator. If there is still no coolant flowing into the radiator and the temperature gauge in your dashboard is still rising, it may indicate that the thermostat valve is stuck in closed position.
• In either case, the car’s thermostat will need to be replaced or this will lead to the risk of engine overheating/underheating (depending on the above issue) which will result in damaging the engine/engine taking longer to reach its working temperature. Furthermore, this can lead to a reduction in the efficiency of the engine, and thereby poor fuel economy and increased emissions.

Therefore, it can be said that a car’s Thermostat is one of the most vital components of its cooling system directly impacting the performance of the car’s engine. 

Additional Reads

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