Why You Need To Maintain To Sustain

Performing self maintenance is the key to growth

Road trips were a big part of my summers growing up. My parents were not big on going to resorts or camping, but they had a sweet spot for road trips. Perhaps it was the freedom they offered, which they did not experience growing up. Maybe it was more practical, as it just cost less. Regardless, we would spend several weeks in the summertime, exploring America via its highways and byways.

The exploration was done in our family car, a 1986 sky blue Toyota Camry. The car was a pretty average sedan, reasonably comfortable and reliable. The car did not have any fancy extras like leather seats or a sunroof. The windows were still the crank down kind. However, curling up in the backseat and dozing off as my parents chatted in the front seats remains some of the best sleep I ever had.

We asked a lot of that car. We drove it thousands of miles, through various weather extremes, in particular heat and rain. My dad was not so thoughtful about maintaining the car. He would change the oil when the indicator light came on, but that was about it. Routine oil changes, tire rotation, and other basic maintenance was not a priority, mostly out of ignorance I believe.

As the car neared its 10th birthday, it was starting to show signs of wearing down. One vivid memory occurred soon after I got my driver’s license. I was about 2 miles away from home, returning from my summer job, and pulled up to a red light. Before the light changed, smoke started to come from the engine. Surprised and a bit panicked, I just put on the flashers and called my dad, failing to even pull the car over to the side. Fortunately, the car was not actually on fire: low engine coolant had led to the car overheating and whatever was left of the fluid was burning off.

Our next car was a 1998 Toyota 4Runner. Fortunately, we learned from the Camry experience and became practitioners of routine maintenance. While it is showing its age, the car and in particular its engine still run great today. As I grew older and started managing my own, my dad’s biggest piece of advice was to follow the maintenance schedule.

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