Just got an '04

[nanofreak]

Hey all, I am new here. I just picked up an '04 last week, and I love it. It has 93k miles on it, but it is in great shape and looks new as can be, especially on the outside. It has a decal on the sides, but I will be taking that off. Not sure if it came from the factory that way or it was after market, but it isn't for me.I was curious, a vibe with 93k miles on it, what all should I do right away as far as any possible maintenance? I just got out of an 01 Taurus which was a mechanical nightmare, so I am wanting to baby this thing. Same day I changed the air filter, next day I got an oil change, today I changed the in cabin air filter which was a mess. I doubt the old owner knew it even had one. It even had leaves in it.Also I was thinking of beginning to do maintenance more myself. Like brakes, and spark plugs. Any advice? Any good visual threads for either, especially the spark plugs?I was debating for each of them maybe hiring someone from the automotive thread from craigslist to do it and show me while doing it.David

[BlueCrush]

Congrats! In addition to what you have listed, I would:~Clean the MAF Sensor~Tranny Fluid Flush~Clean or Replace the PCV ValveI'm sure other's will add more. Good Luck with it.

[nanofreak]

I had planned on getting a tranny flush. With my having been a Taurus owner, I am sure you can understand why.

[WaveAction]

welcome to the best forums on the net, enjoy the stay, alot of knowledgeable folks around here that can help you out with so many things that you could think of. make sure ya get some pics up soon before the hurd of people here start asking lol

[sk8r78]

Whenever I have purchased used I tend to replace all the fluids and filters, just to start on a clean piece of paper with the maintenance. Plugs are close to the 100 K schedule, so I would change them. If you have ABS it wouldn't be a bad idea to flush and fill the brake fluid. I usually don't trust car salesmen and used car salesmen even less. Its just peace of mind knowing for sure where everthing stands.

[waveresponder]

welcome...any questions you have...most likely someone on here will have an answer!

[nanofreak]

Fuel filter, does it only have the in tank filter? Does it have one that is easy to replace?

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by nanofreak »I had planned on getting a tranny flush. With my having been a Taurus owner, I am sure you can understand why.Welcome to the fam! As far as getting your tranny flushed, DON'T. Get it serviced, but paying the extra for a "flush" is pointless. My father-in-law owns a tranny shop, and there really is no reason to flush the tranny under normal circumstances.

[NewNeptune]

Quote, originally posted by lovemyraffe »Welcome to the fam! As far as getting your tranny flushed, DON'T. Get it serviced, but paying the extra for a "flush" is pointless. My father-in-law owns a tranny shop, and there really is no reason to flush the tranny under normal circumstances.Without flushing it though you're leaving around half of the transmission fluid in the torque converter.

[lovemyraffe]

Here we go again with the flushing. When most tranny shops say flush, they mean to push new tranny fluid through the tranny. This is supposed to somehow clean it out and make it better. All that it really does is waste tranny fluid. When you have your tranny serviced, it should be completely drained, including the torque converter, and then properly filled. There are some situations that would warrant having a flush performed.