Quick oil change and lube ... in and out, right?

[solo379]

It's not really a "name", it's people, who work there. I was lucky to find a few , that i like, and stick with them.

[Copperhead]

I may be a little weird, but I don't consider an oil change and lube to be "Preventative Maintenance". Now, studying life cycle averages of components and changing them out on a regular basis to avoid major breakdowns is more like "preventative maintenance". Changing the air dryer out, say, at 300K miles is more like preventative maintenance. Better than being in the middle of Minnesota in the dead of winter and have it go out. The concept of preventative maintenance should be more like "preventing" a major breakdown from occuring or at least getting the odds more in your favor.

A lot of owners will take the time to do the oil changes, but spend very little energy on preventing equipment failures. It is a LOT cheaper to put your equipment on a component replacement cycle based on industry average life cycles than waiting for a major breakdown on the road and then having to pay for the tow and be at the mercy of shops that know you are stuck in the middle of no where and will charge you accordingly. Putting in a reman air dryer or reman alternator at home is a lot better on your operating costs, even if the current component is not showing a sign of failure. The TMC has studied component life cycles and can give anyone an idea of the projected life cycle so they can then set up a "preventative maintenance" schedule.

For instance, at 300K on my Freightliner I replaced shocks, belts, air dryer, power steering filter, adjusted axle bearings, alignment, checked king pins, etc (some of this done at a shop) even though none of these were a problem at this time. Not going to wait until a major problem on the road. Oil/filter changes are just a scheduled event not unlike checking my tire air pressure at least weekly.

Just a thought.