I have been studying at Automotive Technology at ITE College West for 1.5 years now. I have always been wanting to study about cars ever since I was young and can only afford study it as a part time course since I have entered the inevitable workforce.
Several of my classmates who are full time mechanics recounted similar stories of customers towing their car to their workshop for a costly engine rebuild due to a lack of maintenance. Some of those cars were less than 5 years old. That is rather unfortunate because an engine rebuild is rarely required for most cars throughout its entire lifespan. Unlike most everyday items we own that does not need any tinkering when its working fine, a car requires regular servicing to upkeep some of its "perishables".
Some car owners may be unaware that servicing has to be done even though the car is working completely fine. These are the same people who only feel the need to bring their car for a servicing only when they start to feel something strange with their car. By then, the damage might already been done. Leading up to costly and lengthy repairs.
If you own a car, the bare minimum you have change is its:
2) Engine oil
2) Oil filter
3) Intake air filter
But how often do you have to change them? The answer to this question lies within the owners' manual within your glove compartment. Typically, the recommended engine oil change interval is 10,000km or 6 months (whichever is earlier) and this forms the interval to change out the other maintenance items such as the oil filter and intake air filter.
You may ask, what about other parts of the car? Most other parts require maintenance or replacement every once in a long time or when it starts to wear out. Sending your car to the workshop regularly will allow the mechanics to inspect and recommend additional maintenance for your car so as to catch any potential problems before you end up stranded on the road shoulder.