Poll: Are you for or against preventative maintenance?

Simply vote one or the other.

Preventative maintenance. Taking a pro-active approach to car maintenance by replacing parts at regular intervals to reduce the chance of breakdown, headaches, and unexpected tows and to ensure overall reliability of your vehicle.

or;

Don't fix it 'til it ain't broken! These cars aren't special, and replacing parts when they ain't broken is a waste of money. If a part fails, just call a tow truck -no big deal!

there are certain things i am preventative with... but i don't go overboard

122k with no issues whatsoever

<------- Lazy

It's a pretty simple concept. Know the useful life of the different parts & components on your car, and be sure you replace them before they reach it. I have a very in depth spreadsheet I use for this on my current e46:

Originally Posted by tock172

It's a pretty simple concept. Know the useful life of the different parts & components on your car, and be sure you replace them before they reach it. I have a very in depth spreadsheet I use for this on my current e46:

^^^ nice.. that's awesome. I need to start doing this too.

Originally Posted by tock172

It's a pretty simple concept. Know the useful life of the different parts & components on your car, and be sure you replace them before they reach it. I have a very in depth spreadsheet I use for this on my current e46:

Please share! great idea

Originally Posted by tock172

It's a pretty simple concept. Know the useful life of the different parts & components on your car, and be sure you replace them before they reach it. I have a very in depth spreadsheet I use for this on my current e46:

wow. want to do that for me???

I would be happy to share a template of my spreadsheet. In addition to the two photos I posted, it also features two other sheets:

Thanks, man. I'll have to check that out later. IT's blocked on the computer i'm on now. must be a hosted image.

i have every single receipt and service record saved, so it wouldnt be too hard to do.

Change oil, plugs, filters <- preventive maintenance
Change T-stat, 2 wheel bearings when only one has failed <- waste of money if it's operating fine

Just some examples. I think a "cooling overhaul" is a big waste of $$$. Look for leaks, check pulley/brng when belt is off. If you find something wrong, replace it, if you don't... don't flush your hard earned cash down the drain. What reason would I have to replace a non-leaking hose that still has brand-new flex/rigidity when NONE of my cooling related parts are failing. Sorry I'm not made of cash and spending hundreds of dollars every 50-100000 kms as some people on here are doing is ridiculous. Maybe I should get a job with a site sponsor cause those guys are raking in the $$$ off many of you.

Originally Posted by rcsummers

i have every single receipt and service record saved, so it wouldnt be too hard to do.

I was in the same boat. I have a decently thick folder full of receipts and records and other information, most of which is reflected in this spreadsheet.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

Thanks, man. I'll have to check that out later. IT's blocked on the computer i'm on now. must be a hosted image.

Yes, it's on photobucket.

I do wonder, for those who have had cooling system components/etc. fail, how hard do you drive your e46's?

I know quite a few members here take their cars to the track and such, putting extra pressure on the system. I'm on the opposite spectrum, one who drives like I'm 80 years old. And we all know, older folks love their 1980's Buick's/Oldmobiles that have lasted this long with minimal maintenance .

Can't say. I've never experienced a failure because I replace things before they get a chance to fail.

Actually there was one time. When I drove the car home from the dealer I bought it from. The expansion tank failed on the way home. Prior to buying the car, I had already made a list of parts to buy to refresh the cooling system.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

Can't say. I've never experienced a failure because I replace things before they get a chance to fail.

Actually there was one time. When I drove the car home from the dealer I bought it from. The expansion tank failed on the way home. Prior to buying the car, I had already made a list of parts to buy to refresh the cooling system.

Haha, what luck. Did the dealer at least take care of the ET?

If doing preventive maintenance means ending up with extra parts of the car that cannot be put back like mango had reported, I say EN OH, NO.

If they are truly maintenance parts (things that wear), I'll replace them and try to stay on a schedule. Other stuff, no.

To a certain extent, replacing good parts with new parts may actually increase your chances of failure. Remove a good ET and put in a new one just because? The new one may actually be weaker than the old one. I probably preventatively replace a few more non-wear parts on the race car, but generally not even there for the same reasons (putting on a new part could actually introduce a new failure point). On the race car it would be more like seals and things of that nature. On a road car, I'd just wait until I noticed a leak. Failure on a race track could ruin your weekend. Failure on a road car is more likely to just be a minor annoyance.

The only real exception is "while you're in there" type parts when doing a major overhaul of something (like new dampers).

Originally Posted by Geo31

If they are truly maintenance parts (things that wear), I'll replace them and try to stay on a schedule. Other stuff, no.

To a certain extent, replacing good parts with new parts may actually increase your chances of failure. Remove a good ET and put in a new one just because? The new one may actually be weaker than the old one. I probably preventatively replace a few more non-wear parts on the race car, but generally not even there for the same reasons (putting on a new part could actually introduce a new failure point). On the race car it would be more like seals and things of that nature. On a road car, I'd just wait until I noticed a leak. Failure on a race track could ruin your weekend. Failure on a road car is more likely to just be a minor annoyance.

The only real exception is "while you're in there" type parts when doing a major overhaul of something (like new dampers).

Or, say, a cooling system. Expansion tanks aren't "good" after a certain amount of mileage. It's made out of plastic and experiences thousands of heat cycles over a period of time. If enough time has passed (at which it does all-too-frequently), it will fail. At $55 a pop, replacing the ET on a preventative basis is an absolute no-brainer. Why this particular subject of the ET is even up for discussion is beyond me.

Originally Posted by GoingNuts

If doing preventive maintenance means ending up with extra parts of the car that cannot be put back like mango had reported, I say EN OH, NO.

This is what I'll feed you. Oh so manly!

Originally Posted by GoingNuts

If doing preventive maintenance means ending up with extra parts of the car that cannot be put back like mango had reported, I say EN OH, NO.

Is it really true that one day you found yourself at this place shown in the photo below and you sat there for 3 days with no food or water and that is why you are the way you are? Curious minds want to know.....