A car maintenance schedule is vital if you want your car to last many years. Cars which are well taken care of can last for over 200,000 miles. Imagine that! Many cars die early because their owners simply did not take care of them properly. Much like the human body, a car must be fed the correct food (fluids) and have regular maintenance performed on it, similar to a trip to the doctors!

Thankfully many of these car maintenance schedule tasks can be performed by you, saving you potentially thousands of dollars in mechanic bills every year.

Just as clear communication between you and your doctor can equal better care for your body, communicating carefully with your mechanic means the best care for your body of your car!

When you think about it, you know your car better than anyone else. You drive it every day and know how it feels and sounds when everything is right. So don't ignore its warning signals. If something doesn't feel quite right, get your car checked out.

The following tips should help you along the way:

"Preventative Medicine"

Follow the recommended service schedules.

If you are after some car maintenance tips then this article is going to be extremely helpful to you.

We will start with the timing belt. Not every car has a timing belt, some have a timing chain which does not need to be changed. A timing belt on the other hand is basically a rubber belt which controls the timing and motion of your entire engine. It is little wonder then that this eventually wears out and must be replaced. The bad news is that it's a long, tedious task due the number of parts which rely on the timing belt. In most cases, the engine must be almost completely pulled apart to replace the timing belt. Each car will have a different timing belt maintenance schedule; however the average is to change it at around every 60,000 miles or 100,000 km. It is very important that you adhere to this routine as a snapped timing belt can spell the end of your engine.

Basic car maintenance involves simply doing scheduled maintenance on time and with quality materials. Your car should have come with a manual that states the intervals of each maintenance item. IF you have purchased a new car, you will definitely receive this information. If you have purchased a used or older car, then these items may have gone astray.

The best thing to do in this instance (especially if you aren't sure of the past service history) is to perform a full service when you first buy the car, and then adhere to regular basic car maintenance after that. This will ensure you prolong the life of your older used vehicle.

Car maintenance cost will vary wildly depending on the type of car you drive. For example a Ford F250 is going to cost considerably more to run and maintain than a simple little Toyota Corolla (for the most part anyway).

Bigger cars obviously use more fuel, that's a given. However that is something that owners are, or should be, aware of well before deciding on a large car or SUV purchase.

Apart from fuel costs, is there really a huge difference in car maintenance costs across different types and models of cars?

You don't want to fool around when choosing a mechanic for your car. Keep an ear open for recommendations and warnings when your friends and family have car troubles. If you know beforehand of a body shop you feel comfortable with, you won't need to make a rushed or incomplete decision when you need one.

Ask friends and associates for their recommendations. I stay in touch with homeschooling families. They're often part of a larger group that can share recommendations for mechanics they've felt were honest and reputable.

If you are going to own and operate a car for any length of time, you will need to concern yourself with car maintenance. Car maintenance is an important part of owning and operating a safe and reliable car. Some of the simple car maintenance duties can be performed by the car owner and some of the more complex car maintenance functions must be handled by a certified mechanic either at the car dealership where the car was purchased or at an independent shop.

Want to save money on car repairs and costly emergencies?

Make it a point to schedule into your calendar a winter booster check for your car. Keep these tips in mind for your winter travel, and you'll have a safer winter travel season all around!

A gas tank which is kept filled helps keep moisture from forming. Make it a habit to go ahead and fill up when your tank is half empty.

Do it yourself car maintenance need not be a daunting task. If you can perform basic car maintenance y0ourself, the savings can be enormous. We all know how most mechanics love to charge and arm and a leg for such simple tasks as an oil change, so what if you could do this yourself?

With 3, 4 or more oil changes per year that's hundreds of dollars in savings. Not to mention all the other little tasks that you can easily do yourself rather than relying on a mechanic.

The upkeep of your vehicle can be quite an expense – from initial purchase to insurance to maintenance. And sometimes we get the sinking feeling that every time we need a car repair, we're going to get taken for a ride. (pardon the pun!) Actually there are some ways to make sure you don't get a raw deal when dealing with a local body shop.

After you get recommendations for honest mechanics, call around to check out the prices for certain jobs. It's always smart to get a second opinion.