What If I Told You That You Can Maintain Your Car in 35 Minutes a Month?

Taking care of your car is a good practice for the long-term. After spending a fortune for it, it can at least perform for you—make it worth your investment.

But who has time for all that? I know. You buy a car so you can go to work. And then you work so you can pay for your car. That’s not right! That’s just a doom loop.

What can that car do for you? Can it look good while it takes you around? Can it run smoothly and not cause you to worry? That would be nice too.

What if car maintenance didn’t take up all your time? What if it took up no time in the scheme of things? 35 minutes a month is like 1 minute a day. If we double that 35 minutes a month, you can throw in bi-weekly car washes. But, subtracting that (and calling it vanity), you can give your car regular maintenance in 35 minutes a month.

What is Proper Car Maintenance?

First let me address proper car maintenance. The list below breaks down the tasks based on how often you should do them. 

Tires

You should check your tire pressure monthly. This should take about 1 minute per tire, so we’ll round this up to 5 min. total, to account for nerves or inexperience. Put in the tire pressure gauge and read the number. The correct level is written on the tire itself, so that’ll take no extra time to find out. If the air pressure reads too low, put air in until your tire reaches the correct level. You should rotate your tires every 6 months. This job usually requires an appointment at a shop, and the job itself takes 15 minutes. That averages out to 2 ½ minutes a month.

Oil Tasks

You should check your oil once a month. This 1 minute task will keep you on top of your oil levels and color. The blacker the oil, the older and dirtier. You don’t want to be surprised by needing an oil change. Keep track of the date and the products you need to change your oil with Oil Change Commander. This service looks up your car by VIN# and sends you emails reminding you when to change your oil and what to use in your oil change. You will be reminded every three months or six, depending upon how much you drive your car. Each oil change should take 45 minutes. So quarterly oil changes will take 15 minutes a month.

Windshield Wipers

Inspect your wipers when you change your oil, which should take 2 minutes each time. This inspection includes checking your wiper fluid level. Topping it off is also included in this time. This averages out to 67 seconds a month. Replace your wipers once a year, which takes 15 minutes, averaging 40 seconds a month.

Air Filter

Your air filter is due to be replaced once a year, and this should take 10 minutes. Of course you knew this would shake out to about 83 seconds a month.

Brakes

You should inspect your brakes every 6 months. It’s a good idea to do this on the same day you rotate your tires. Tire rotations are also done every 6 months.

Brake inspections take under 5 minutes each time, which would average out to: 83 seconds a month.

You need to replace your brake pads every 10,000-20,000 miles, which is around 10-20 months. This is a 4-hour job, workings out to 3.33 minutes a month.

Belts and Hoses

You should include belts and hoses in your yearly inspections. Belts should be inspected every month, checking for wear and tear. Replace them every 6 months. This replacement is a 15 minute job. That would average 2 ½ minutes a month. Inspect hoses every 3 months, but they only need replacing every 4 years. That 15 minute service averages 31 seconds a month.

Conclusion

Is it absurd to break these cyclical maintenance tasks down by the month? Sure, but that was just an exercise to show you what little time it takes per year to maintain your car. It takes 35 minutes—less than 1 hour a month to fully maintain your car. Is a reliable car worth 35 minutes a month of your time? I think so.