Maintenance Schedule - Time (age) vs. Mileage

[Veteeple]

Hi Everyone - looking for a C6 (2006) maintenance schedule based on a time interval vs. mileage. Like many of you with older, low mileage vettes, time / age is likely a larger maintenance concern than high mileage. Wondering if anyone has constructed a maintenace schedule for fluids replacement, maintenance tasks, etc., to be completed and what time / age for completion? Thanks in advance!

 

[tony]

you can get the full manual for your car at GM web site, under owners manual !!

For a C6, Z06, 2009 car.......oil change at least once yearly. The on-board computer guides as to when service
is needed. Section 6 of my manual gives details re maintenance 1 and maintenance 2 schedules, which are
time based. [ less than 10 months since last service; or more than 10 months]. Maint. 2 is more thorough.

Hope this helps,
Tony

 

[ddgermann]

Hi Everyone - looking for a C6 (2006) maintenance schedule based on a time interval vs. mileage. Like many of you with older, low mileage vettes, time / age is likely a larger maintenance concern than high mileage. Wondering if anyone has constructed a maintenace schedule for fluids replacement, maintenance tasks, etc., to be completed and what time / age for completion? Thanks in advance!

Thinking you are looking for advice more along the lines of, seals, hoses and belts that sit for long periods of time? Yes, this is equally as important as oils and fluids. It's a good question and there are some on here who will have good advice to offer. I have a similar concern as my car now sits covered in the garage for 11 months of the year.

Will be watching your thread here

 

[Cariboocreek]

Condensation is the killer. Assuming not a tracked car, I would change out tranny and diff every couple (maybe 3) years. Anti-freeze is probably good for 5 year intervals. I would keep an eye annually on hoses. I know that oil pan gaskets may start weeping on stored cars as well. Not a simple job on a C6 to change the oil pan gasket. Weatherstripping should be conditioned annually.

 

[Veteeple]

you can get the full manual for your car at GM web site, under owners manual !!

For a C6, Z06, 2009 car.......oil change at least once yearly. The on-board computer guides as to when service
is needed. Section 6 of my manual gives details re maintenance 1 and maintenance 2 schedules, which are
time based. [ less than 10 months since last service; or more than 10 months]. Maint. 2 is more thorough.

Hope this helps,
Tony

you can get the full manual for your car at GM web site, under owners manual !!

For a C6, Z06, 2009 car.......oil change at least once yearly. The on-board computer guides as to when service
is needed. Section 6 of my manual gives details re maintenance 1 and maintenance 2 schedules, which are
time based. [ less than 10 months since last service; or more than 10 months]. Maint. 2 is more thorough.

Hope this helps,
Tony

Thanks for responding, Tony. Yes, I have the OEM maintenace schedule and follow it for recommened service and inspections. Howvere, my concern is that my car is thirteen years old and has still not acheived the stated first mainteance interval of 41,500 kms. The fact that the car is stored much of the year has me wondering what should be done due to age and environment? Case in point, the schedule says change trany fluid at 160,000kms. I may never get there (i will die first). I must think that condensation may ruin the fluid before wear and tear. Since I don't know wondering what others are doing?

 

[Veteeple]

Thinking you are looking for advice more along the lines of, seals, hoses and belts that sit for long periods of time? Yes, this is equally as important as oils and fluids. It's a good question and there are some on here who will have good advice to offer. I have a similar concern as my car now sits covered in the garage for 11 months of the year.

Will be watching your thread here

Thanks for responding - yes, my concern exactly! Wondering if there is a published resource somewhere we can access?

 

[Veteeple]

Condensation is the killer. Assuming not a tracked car, I would change out tranny and diff every couple (maybe 3) years. Anti-freeze is probably good for 5 year intervals. I would keep an eye annually on hoses. I know that oil pan gaskets may start weeping on stored cars as well. Not a simple job on a C6 to change the oil pan gasket. Weatherstripping should be conditioned annually.

Thanks for responding and the excellent suggestions!!

 

[EJChevy]

Taking a look at the manual for my 2009. If you check page 6-4, there's 'Maintenance I' and 'II'. They are supposed to be tied in with the oil changes. You probably don't drive enough to do more than 1 oil change/year, so...

It also says,

Use Maintenance I if the [CHANGE ENGINE OIL] message displays within 10 months since the vehicle was purchased or Maintenance II was performed.

Use Maintenance II if the previous service performed was Maintenance I. Always use Maintenance II whenever the message displays 10 months or more since the last service or if the message has not come on at all for one year.

If you drive very little, I'd say perform Maintenance II once a year.

The following two pages include Additional Required Services. Since it recommends the least frequent service to be 240,000 km or every 5 years, I'd use each column as 1-year intervals. I've recreated the chart below:

Service and Year	Year 1 (2020)	Year 2 (2021)	Year 3 (2022)	Year 4 (2023)	Year 5 (2024)
Inspect fuel system for damage or leaks.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Inspect exhaust system for loose or damaged components.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Except ZR1: Replace engine air cleaner filter.		Y​		Y​
ZR1 Only: Replace engine air cleaner filter	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter.				Y​
Replace spark plugs and inspect spark plug wires.				Y​
Engine cooling system service					Y​
ZR1 Only: Intercooler system service					Y​
Inspect engine accessory drive belt.					Y​
Change clutch hydraulic fluid.		Y​		Y​

I hope this helps!

 

[ddgermann]

Taking a look at the manual for my 2009. If you check page 6-4, there's 'Maintenance I' and 'II'. They are supposed to be tied in with the oil changes. You probably don't drive enough to do more than 1 oil change/year, so...

It also says,



If you drive very little, I'd say perform Maintenance II once a year.

View attachment 37977


The following two pages include Additional Required Services. Since it recommends the least frequent service to be 240,000 km or every 5 years, I'd use each column as 1-year intervals. I've recreated the chart below:

Service and Year	Year 1 (2020)	Year 2 (2021)	Year 3 (2022)	Year 4 (2023)	Year 5 (2024)
Inspect fuel system for damage or leaks.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Inspect exhaust system for loose or damaged components.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Except ZR1: Replace engine air cleaner filter.		Y​		Y​
ZR1 Only: Replace engine air cleaner filter	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter.				Y​
Replace spark plugs and inspect spark plug wires.				Y​
Engine cooling system service					Y​
ZR1 Only: Intercooler system service					Y​
Inspect engine accessory drive belt.					Y​
Change clutch hydraulic fluid.		Y​		Y​

I hope this helps!

Good point on the clutch hydraulic fluid. My 13Z needed the fluid flushed out and replaced in 2017 with 6500 Kms on the car. Not good to let it sit for long periods apparently. I thought BS but they showed me the fluid... $250 later I went back into the garage to wait some more.

 

[Rruuff Day]

Good point on the clutch hydraulic fluid. My 13Z needed the fluid flushed out and replaced in 2017 with 6500 Kms on the car. Not good to let it sit for long periods apparently. I thought BS but they showed me the fluid... $250 later I went back into the garage to wait some more.

My 09 was the same. After reading here on the forum many years ago, I did my own flush and replace of hydraulic clutch fluid. My fluid was nearly as black as your C7 Derek. After siphoning out the fluid with a turkey baster and refilling... pumping the clutch 30 times, siphoning and replacing again, pumping again... this went on and on through a complete jug of DOT 4 until I could pump the clutch all I wanted and all I got was nice clear fluid. Woohoo I thought..a successful DIY and I also have exercised muscles in my left leg I never knew I had.. until three months later and it was nearly as black as when I started.... Reading up on it a little more, I found out that was typical and to live with it... I never flushed it again... Afraid to look at my C7 fluid as might get the DIY urge again.... lol....

 

[turbozig]

My 09 was the same. After reading here on the forum many years ago, I did my own flush and replace of hydraulic clutch fluid. My fluid was nearly as black as your C7 Derek. After siphoning out the fluid with a turkey baster and refilling... pumping the clutch 30 times, siphoning and replacing again, pumping again... this went on and on through a complete jug of DOT 4 until I could pump the clutch all I wanted and all I got was nice clear fluid. Woohoo I thought..a successful DIY and I also have exercised muscles in my left leg I never knew I had.. until three months later and it was nearly as black as when I started.... Reading up on it a little more, I found out that was typical and to live with it... I never flushed it again... Afraid to look at my C7 fluid as might get the DIY urge again.... lol....

People seem to change their engine oil more regularly, but ignore the other fluids. I change out the clutch fluid every year, brake fluid every 2, and the Dexcool antifreeze every 3 years. A good friend of mine, who has been a GM mechanic forever told me to change the coolant every 3 years. Dexcool breaks down quite fast and does some pretty nasty stuff inside all of your aluminum surfaces. Fluids are cheap in the big picture, and keep you vehicle running properly. I would rather replace them more often and have good piece of mind that my car is happy. JMHO

 

[Vette1993]

Sometimes all the maintenance you can perform cannot outlast the ravages of time. Put away my '86 last fall, and just bent down to just check things under the car parked in a warm garage. Tadaaah! Big puddle of tranny fluid on the ground, probably the rear tailshaft seal. It's just old age...like the rest of us, stuff is just drying up and wearing out. Looks like a bunch of work before this one hits the street again.

 

[Veteeple]

Taking a look at the manual for my 2009. If you check page 6-4, there's 'Maintenance I' and 'II'. They are supposed to be tied in with the oil changes. You probably don't drive enough to do more than 1 oil change/year, so...

It also says,



If you drive very little, I'd say perform Maintenance II once a year.

View attachment 37977


The following two pages include Additional Required Services. Since it recommends the least frequent service to be 240,000 km or every 5 years, I'd use each column as 1-year intervals. I've recreated the chart below:

Service and Year	Year 1 (2020)	Year 2 (2021)	Year 3 (2022)	Year 4 (2023)	Year 5 (2024)
Inspect fuel system for damage or leaks.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Inspect exhaust system for loose or damaged components.	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Except ZR1: Replace engine air cleaner filter.		Y​		Y​
ZR1 Only: Replace engine air cleaner filter	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​	Y​
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter.				Y​
Replace spark plugs and inspect spark plug wires.				Y​
Engine cooling system service					Y​
ZR1 Only: Intercooler system service					Y​
Inspect engine accessory drive belt.					Y​
Change clutch hydraulic fluid.		Y​		Y​

I hope this helps!

Very helpful, Eric. Thanks!

 

[Live Wire]

Just bought my 85 C4, and from all my years as a boater, I learned that changing the oil should be done prior to the car being put away for the winter. You don't want acids and condensation sitting in the oil pan causing all kinds of problems over the winter.
Also, I'm going to go through the brake system and hydraulic clutch system and change fluids out, replacing with DOT5 fluid, which is silicone and does not attract water, with all of its corrosion problems. The old L98 in the car takes regular antifreeze, but I have no idea when it's been changed last so, it will be done as well.
Have fun!

 

[Vette1993]

Live Wire...Change out the oil in your Doug Nash 4+3 tranny, I've heard that this helps keep this problematic transmission from having longevity issues. There is also a "bypass system" available to lockout the overdrive system that causes all these problems.

 

[EJChevy]

Just bought my 85 C4, and from all my years as a boater, I learned that changing the oil should be done prior to the car being put away for the winter. You don't want acids and condensation sitting in the oil pan causing all kinds of problems over the winter.
Also, I'm going to go through the brake system and hydraulic clutch system and change fluids out, replacing with DOT5 fluid, which is silicone and does not attract water, with all of its corrosion problems. The old L98 in the car takes regular antifreeze, but I have no idea when it's been changed last so, it will be done as well.
Have fun!

If you're going to use DOT5 fluid in a car equipped with ABS, use DOT5.1. DOT5 + ABS could lead to brake failure.

I'm not a mechanic, so take this with a grain of salt, but DOT5 is not necessary at all for a road-going car, unless you live in the tropics. Your car will never be exposed to enough water/humidity to make a significant difference.

 

[ZRWON]

Oil is most important every year. Coolant every 2-3 years

 

[Creedence85]

The brake and clutch fluid are both hygroscopic, so you can check the moisture content with a test kit. My clutch fluid was black when I got my car at 13 year old and 59,000 KMs, I also used a whole bottle of DOT4 fluid, and I now turkey baster flush it anually. My brake fluid was looking darker too, so I did the same, though I should probably do a proper flush. I've read of the clutch pedal not releasing on its own if the fluid gets too dirty.

There is a lot of common sense stuff too, like visually inspecting the hoses, belt, spark plug wires, and other wiring which you should do at least once a year when changing oil, but probably more. I like to give things a quick look over when checking the oil, fluids, and tire pressure, about once a month or before a long drive, and is a good way to keeping up on potential problems or things like rodents building a home. I once had a rat build a pretty nice grass house under the hood of my G35 in about 2 days! If you really want to be thorough, replace the cooling hoses when changing the coolant, and you could probably replace the accessory belt at the same time, though I've always just visually inspected both.

Jack the car up about once a year (maybe when changing the oil) an grab the wheels, suspension, sway bar links, looking for any play or things that are loose. Give the tires a good visual inspection either while jacked up or on the ground, looking for debris, odd wear, and cracking. Tires wear out over time, not just tread life, which is very important with a car that is driven less, so once the tires are about 5 years old by the DOT date code on the sidewall (not when you bought the tires), check them more often, pay attention to their grip potential, and be thinking about replacement.

 

[Veteeple]

Thanks, Creedence85! Great advice.

 

[gone]

As others have indicated, make sure to flush and change out your radiator fluid. I learned that the hard way with a BMW 7-series I'd had for 10 years. It was my "winter driver" so it only had 116,000 km on it when I got rid of it. It had 2 water pumps and one of them started leaking not too long before I sold it. It turned out my antifreeze had turned acidic and ate right through the bottom of the back-up water pump, plus all the hoses were ++ corroded too. So it was a problem just waiting to happen. I deservedly felt like an idiot, since before then I only worried about oil/filter changes and topping up all fluid levels in the engine compartment. It wasn't a cheap fix for that car. I was told at the time I should have replaced the rad fluid every 7 years but I think you're much safer with 5 year intervals. And yes changing other fluids should be considered and especially brake fluid if you're into "spirited driving": there's a reason some tracks won't allow your car on them unless you have brake fluid that's no more than 6 months old.

Great advice on this thread. Thanks everyone!