Hi All,

We have a 2011 Grand Caravan Express which is now a year old and has approximately 8k~ miles on it. We've tried to take good of it so that it will have a long life (multiple oil changes during first 3k miles, etc.).

Now that we're coming up on 10k miles, are there things we should be looking at? Whether it is or isn't in the formal maintenance manual?

Possible Ideas:

1) Should we switch to a full synthetic oil? If so, under normal driving conditions how often should it be changed (assuming 3k is a bit excessive?).

2) What about a tranny oil change? Any benefit to doing this at this point? What about a tranny cooler? We don't pull anything, but we do live in the S.E. where it can get very hot and humid during the summer.

3) I've heard lots of brake/rotor issues with the caravan. We haven't noticed obvious just yet, but should we do something preventative here?

4) Anything else that comes to mind?

Thanks for the feedback, just want to make sure we're taking care of the van in its early life to help maximize its longevity.

 

well, these van has fairly minimal maintainence. Oil change, air filter, and tire rotation for first 30k miles. Maybe change trans fluid every 30k-60k miles, depending on your driving habit, like mostly highway or mostly local, towing or driving under extreme climate?
front brake is under 3yr-36k miles waranty, get it check before it expires. And if you have to pay to get the brake done, make sure you go to a reputable shop and use quality parts.

these vans are fairly reliable, and if you are changing oil every 3k the old school way, Synthetic oil is a waste of money. But if you want to stretch it to 5-6k miles, synthetic is the way to go!
And tune up, power steering flush, etc... is 100k miles.

 

1) Wouldn't hurt. Change it every 5 to 10k miles. I go 7.5K on my daughters 06 Accord and the wifes 06 RAV 4. Use a good quality extended life filter.

2) Far too early to change the tranny fluid. I'm guessing your interval is 100k miles. I would feel better changing it every 50k considering the lousy tranny record on these vans. Add a cooler? Not unless you start regularly towing something.

3) 08 was the worst year for brakes on these vans. The problems, though not gone, are slowly fading. Try the easy stuff. Don't race up to red lights. Avoid hard braking in puddles, etc.

4) As an example of longevity, I own a 96 with 210k miles on it. Still has the original tranny and engine and runs like a top. Always has. I can't say I adhere to the schedule to the letter but I do loosely follow it. I change the tranny fluid (suck it out the dipstick) an average of every 40-50K miles.(book says every 30k) I've dropped the pan and changed the filter twice. Always, always, always use ATF+4 fluid. I change the regular dyno engine oil every 5k miles. I've flushed the cooling system twice not counting the radiator change some years ago. When I bought it it got 23-24 highway mpgs. Still gets that today. Major problems? Leaking radiator and leaking A/C evaporator. That's it plus about a dozen minor problems. Take reasonably good care of it and you double the chances it will take care of you for quite a while.

 

If you use a High Quality Group 4 or 5 Synthetic oil you can go to 8K oil change intervals that Fiat allows us to go even though high quality synthetic oil can last much longer then 8,000 miles.

As for the transmission from my 2011 owners manual: The six–speed transmission is equipped with a capped dipstick tube. It is sealed and should not be tampered with. Your authorized dealer has the necessary tools to ensure that the fluid level is set properly.