SEVERE SERVICE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES

Simple Answers from FrontLine Automotive in Fairbanks : Severe Service

Question:
What is a  severe service maintenance schedule?

FrontLine Automotive Answer:
When I was a kid in Fairbanks, 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 frogs, 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 Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks, some “severe” driving is part of their everyday routine. You can ask your friendly and knowledgeable service advisor at FrontLine Automotive about how you drive around the Fairbanks and North Pole 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.