Regular maintenance is cheaper than the failures it prevents, and the arithmetic is rarely close. Brake pads caught at the wear indicator cost pads. Caught after they start grinding, the same job costs pads, rotors, and sometimes a caliper as well.
Which maintenance schedule applies to city driving?
Manufacturers publish two maintenance schedules. The second, usually called severe service,covers frequent short trips, extended idling, stop and go traffic, and temperature extremes.That describes ordinary driving in Queens and Manhattan almost exactly, even though nothingabout it feels severe.
The practical consequence is that intervals expressed purely in miles are a poor guide in adense city. A car driven fifteen miles a day in traffic can have oil in worse condition thanone driven fifty miles a day on a highway, and brake life here tracks the number of stopsrather than the distance covered.
Regular Car Maintenance: Questions
Is regular car maintenance really cheaper?
Yes. Regular car maintenance catches wear early: pads replaced at the wear indicator cost pads, while grinding brakes often mean rotors and calipers as well.
Which schedule should I follow?
The severe service schedule in your owner's manual, if you drive mostly short trips or in city traffic.
What should be checked at every visit?
Oil and fluids, tires and pressures, brakes, belts and hoses, the battery and lights.

