CV maintainance

VnnerNomadic · Mar 28, 2015

Greetigs . I have a few questions regarding maintaining a Chevy CV van and would like you alls input. The van is do for some things soon according to her manual.

Tranny flush. Its due every 50k. When do you recommend doing it.

Brakes. Last tire rotation said brakes look good. Original brakes are at 80k, I'm wondering ...

Spark plugs are due at 100k. Is this something I can do myself behind a truckstop or should I pay the dealer for his expertise?

Also I keep reading horror stories about experiences with the big chain auto shops. Any advice thinking to just pay dealership and consider it a cost of peace of mind.

Thanks ,

paullud · Mar 29, 2015

Well if you think that your skills aren't up to it then having a dealer do it is a better option than starting and getting lost. All the things that you mentioned though are pretty basic mechanic skills so I would do it myself.

VnnerNomadic · Mar 29, 2015

paullud said:
Well if you think that your skills aren't up to it then having a dealer do it is a better option than starting and getting lost. All the things that you mentioned though are pretty basic mechanic skills so I would do it myself.

Paullud thanks for the reply.

The diy part is only in regards to the spark plugs. As I am on the road and not planning on returning to California anytime soon I will just pay the dealer to replace brakes and fluids. So would you say the plugs are something you would replace yourself even while on the road ? Also, at what interval would you recomend? The manual says 100k but I am considering pushing to 135k.

My main question is what would CV expeditors recommend as far as service schedule. For example if you have owned 3 vans in 20 years your experience and knowledge would be greatly appreciated. As to when you chose to do these procedures. The manual recommends tranny flush every 50k miles. I'm choosing to do it at 100k even though the fluid in the under hood reservoir still looks good.

I ask that the pads are observed every tire rotation and am being told they are good so far with the original brakes being roughly around 80k miles I am wondering if I need to get out the jack and check myself. Also wondering what experiences others have had as to how long brakes usually last.

Thanks

paullud · Mar 29, 2015

Brakes will last much longer than the normal mileage because you will do less braking than the typical driver does for each mile driven. Although transmission fluid can be pushed on the mileage I would follow pretty close to what is recommended since it is critical to keeping your van going. The biggest danger there is that the filter starts to get plugged up so changing it on time with a new vehicle is pretty important as the parts wear in. Even if I weren't going home I wouldn't hesitate to find a quiet place to dump the tranny fluid and do the work on the road. The old transmission fluid can be turned in at most places that do oil changes.

scottm4211 · Mar 29, 2015

I always went at least 200k on trans fluid and iridium plugs on my chevs. Make sure you have the transmission filter changed meaning dropping the pan. YMMV.

Moot · Mar 29, 2015

Here's a link to my most recent update for my 2004 Chevrolet 3500, 6.0 liter. http://www.expeditersonline.com/forums/threads/cargo-van-maintenance-costs-update.65071/#post-718324

What year, engine and GVWR Chevy are you running? Transmission fluid reservoir under the hood?

Zoli · Mar 29, 2015

VnnerNomadic said:
Greetigs . I have a few questions regarding maintaining a Chevy CV van and would like you alls input. The van is do for some things soon according to her manual.

Tranny flush. Its due every 50k. When do you recommend doing it.

Brakes. Last tire rotation said brakes look good. Original brakes are at 80k, I'm wondering ...

Spark plugs are due at 100k. Is this something I can do myself behind a truckstop or should I pay the dealer for his expertise?

Also I keep reading horror stories about experiences with the big chain auto shops. Any advice thinking to just pay dealership and consider it a cost of peace of mind.

Thanks ,

Find a good mechanic near your home and do the repairs at home . Will save a tone of money. Never step in a dealership they have huge prices. Spark plugs on Chevy I would replace every 200k miles. I would never do a tranny flush , just replace the filter and 6-7 quorts fluid every 150 kmiles.Brakes , put the best brakes will last 100 kmiles aprox.

FlyingVan · Apr 3, 2015

I changed my front brakes for the first time at 340k if I remember correctly, but that wasn't on a Chevy. I would think they should last more than 100k for a smart expediter.

Going by your comment about the transmission fluid reservoir under the hood, I would strongly suggest that you do not attempt to replace the spark plugs yourself. However I encourage you to educate yourself and start doing small things yourself and save big money instead of paying the dealer. It helps if you can find someone to show you how.

T270_Dreamin · Apr 7, 2015

2004-2006 Sprinter

Air Fuel Oil Cabin Filters
Transmission fluid/Oil Changes
Rear Diff fluid changes.
Brakes/tires every 80-100k
Sepentine belt tensioners/belts/waterpumps/Rollers
Run a good additive in the tank here and there maybe some b20 bio.

Drive them as far as they will go. Don't forget to change the suspension around 300k.