Dave's Auto Repair
1911 Bodega Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952 707.763.8365

Simple Answers from Dave's Auto Repair in Petaluma : Severe Service

Last Updated: May 04, 2021

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Question:
What is a severe service maintenance schedule?

Dave's Auto Repair Answer:
When I was a kid in Petaluma, Sunday meant having a bath, getting dressed for church and then hanging up my Sunday clothes soon as we got home. Mom didn't have to wash those clothes but once a month or so.

Now, Saturdays were another story entirely: catching lizards, splash contests in mud puddles and crawling through the brush with GI Joe. Those clothes went straight into the laundry basket. My Sunday clothes – easy use. My Saturday clothes – hard use. They required a different laundry schedule. Severe service maintenance schedules are kind of like that for Petaluma drivers. “Normal” driving has a regular schedule; “hard” driving has a severe service schedule. Service intervals are shorter on the severe schedule.

Most owner's manuals will describe severe service as:
Stop and go driving
Short trips
Low speed driving
Extreme hot or cold
Dusty conditions
Carrying heavy loads
Towing

For most people in Petaluma, some “severe” driving is part of their everyday routine. You can ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at Dave's Auto Repair about how you drive around the area and see if your routine is closer to the regular or severe definitions and adjust your service intervals for things like oil changes, transmission and cooling system service.

Give us a call.

Dave's Auto Repair
1911 Bodega Avenue
Petaluma, California 94952
707.763.8365