What Happens If You Skip Regular Car Maintenance?

As a car owner, staying on top of maintenance is your biggest responsibility. Maintaining your car is the key to keeping it in good shape for as long as possible. If you want to enjoy your vehicle for many years, following your car’s regular maintenance schedule, which you can find in your owner’s manual, is always a good idea. With scheduled upkeep and regular car service, you can prevent much larger, more expensive problems in the long run.

While almost every driver knows that maintenance is important, it can also be difficult to stay on top of it. With busy schedules and changing needs, you may think it’s okay to put off maintenance services or skip things like oil changes every now and then. Doing so, however, can cause serious issues with your vehicle’s mechanical components and bring on large, expensive repairs.

Knowing what happens if you skip regular maintenance can help you make automotive upkeep a top priority and avoid potential problems.

Skipping Regular Car Maintenance: Is It That Bad?

While it is always hard to find the time to bring your vehicle into the shop, putting off routine maintenance can have serious consequences. Your vehicle depends on regular service, and many of its mechanical processes require materials that need to be changed regularly, like fluids and filters. Having a good understanding of some of the things that can happen if you don’t maintain your vehicle properly will help ensure that you don’t skip your next service appointment.

Engine Problems

Engine problems are the most common thing you might encounter if you skip regular vehicle maintenance. Your engine has fluids like coolant and engine oil that need to be checked and changed regularly. If you don’t change them, they can become too thick or diluted to do their job properly.

Oil, for example, will collect all kinds of dust, dirt, and road debris over time and can turn too viscous to give lubrication to the engine. When this happens, the small intakes and lines can become clogged, and your vehicle’s engine will start to generate too much friction. In extreme cases, this can even end up warping the components in the engine block and completely destroying the powertrain, which will then need to be replaced. To avoid this, be sure to change your oil every 5,000 to 7,500 miles.

Your engine also requires regular changes of the oil filter, air filter, and spark plugs. These components are specifically designed to wear out, and once they do, your engine can be permanently damaged, causing costly repairs. Worn spark plugs will create misfires, which can then force unburned fuel into the combustion chamber and exhaust system.

Unburned fuel can clog up your cylinders and cause premature wear on your catalytic converter, which is incredibly expensive to fix. It can also affect your fuel economy and decrease the lifespan of your vehicle. Going in for regular engine maintenance will ensure that these pricey issues don’t happen.

Brake Issues

Your car’s brakes are perhaps its most important components, and if they are not working properly, your car will not be safe enough to be on the road. Modern brakes have a hydraulic system that uses fluid to force pads down onto the rotors attached to the wheels. The lines that carry this fluid can sometimes fill with air bubbles, which will make your brakes feel spongy and ineffective.

If you put off having your brake lines bled and refilled when this happens, it will only get worse, and you may not be able to stop the car in certain situations. Having a brake job done every one to two years will ensure that your brakes are in excellent condition.

Your vehicle’s brake pads will also wear out over time. The friction areas on brake pads grab onto the spinning rotor when you step on the pedal. If these friction areas are worn down, they will not give you the stopping power you need.

You may notice that your brake pads are worn if you hear scraping when you press on the brake pedal or if the brakes don’t feel as tight as they usually do. By replacing the pads every 25,000 to 50,000 miles, you can be sure that your brakes will be strong and reliable when you need them most.

Safety Concerns

More than almost anything else, skipping regular car maintenance can lead to serious safety issues with your vehicle. Ineffective brakes, worn-out tires, and overheating engines can all cause problems and be a hazard on the road. In some cases, these issues can even lead to fines and fees if you get pulled over or take your car in for an inspection. In general, maintenance is a safety issue, and it should be taken incredibly seriously if you want your car to be secure on the road.

Higher Auto Repair Costs

When you skip regular car maintenance, you are also opening yourself up to the potential for high repair costs and expensive component replacements. While maintenance may cost money in the short term, its long-term effects make owning a car much cheaper.

Failing to get regular oil changes or coolant flushes can cause warping and high temperatures in the engine, which may end up forcing you to replace the whole powertrain, spending thousands of dollars. By staying on top of your maintenance, you can avoid expensive breakdowns and complicated replacements and keep your car running smoothly for a long time.

Prioritize Car Care With an Extended Warranty

While most people know that automotive maintenance is important, it isn’t always a top priority in their calendars. Knowing what can happen if you wait too long to maintain your car is a great way to keep it in the forefront of your mind and keep your service appointments. While maintenance is a big help when it comes to staving off big repairs, they can still happen. When they do, you want to make sure you are protected, and an extended warranty is your best option.

Extended warranties can help prevent huge repair bills and ensure that you can get your car fixed as soon as an issue arises so it won’t get worse. Explore our extended warranty provider reviews and buying guide to find out which extended warranty will work best for you and your vehicle.