One of the less well known maintenance services are the factory recommended services, commonly known as the 30K Service, the 60K Service, and the 90K Service. One of the most commonly asked questions on this maintenance is, “Is the 30K Service really necessary, is the 60K Service really necessary, is the 90K Service really necessary?” The answer is yes of course, however, the level of importance may surprise you.
The most important to the vehicle owner is the 30K Service regardless of what vehicle you are driving. This is because the 30K Service is required by vehicle manufacturers to keep your warranty intact. The dealer is within their rights to deny a warranty failure if the 30K Service was not done within a reasonable time frame of the mileage interval that it is due. To be clear, the denied warranty claim must be associated with the component or system whose service was not performed but that can be vague and far reaching.
Many new vehicle warranties extend beyond 60,000 miles so the same importance applies to the 60K Service as well. Even for those vehicles or items that are out of warranty, this important service is necessary to lower the long term costs of vehicle ownership. If the factory recommended services are followed, the failure rate of expensive components and systems is greatly reduced.
Another important consideration is for those who have purchased what are known as “Aftermarket Warranty Policies” and come in a variety of packages and marketing. In all these policies the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule must be followed or the “warranty” is voided. The interesting consideration however is that if you do follow the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule, the likelihood that you will experience a failure in a covered component or system is greatly reduced. For this reason, we do not recommend any aftermarket warranty policies. Simply save the dollars the policy would cost and use that to pay for the factory recommended services and enjoy relatively trouble free vehicle ownership.
The 90K Service has all the same implications but is even more heavily weighted as to the long term consequences of not following these important recommendations. That is because the 90K Service will have many component and system recommendations in which this will be the first time that service has been recommended and is designed specifically to prevent serious breakdowns and expensive repairs.
For the specific items that your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends at each service interval you can consult your owner’s manual or simply call one of our Service Advisors and they will look up the information and go over it with you. Please remember that in Yuma, AZ the factory recommended service schedule that must be followed is for “Severe Service”. That is due largely to the desert southwest’s high temperatures most of the year and that most of us travel relatively short distances to work or other errands. If you have any questions at all, please contact one of our service professionals at any location and they will be happy to assist you.