sampaschal

I recently acquired a superclean 09 C6 Coupe with less than 7k miles on the clock. Hardly broken in but I was concerned about the time and mileage particularly the negative effect on fluids. My first action was to drain the engine oil and replace with 5w-30 Mobil 1 and the correct GM filter. The filter and oil looked original... Moving to the brake fluid. It appeared to a brownish yellow, but the container was full. Out comes the handi-dandi brake flush gismo..and just over an hour later and the better parts of two quarts of Valvoline Synthetic Dot3-Dot4 brake fluid..I was done with the brakes. Shining a light through the brake fluid reservoir reveals a honey colored fluid that is translucent and yes it stops fine. My next concern is the automatic transmission..WOW that sounds like a beatch to DIY...so I moved to the differential. Easier than an engine oil change..the factory fluid which was nearly black and was exchanged for 2.15 qts of Mobil I LS 75W90 gear lubricant and all is well......

The reason I relate this is to encourage you to take on some of the simple tasks to maintain your car. I admit I have tools, ramps, floor jacks and jack stands and a little bit of mechanical ability and enjoy the hands on approach to maintaining my cars. At nearly 66 years of age, I don't know how much longer I can continue, but I would stress to all of you that there is a great deal of self-satisfaction that goes along with monkeying around in the garage with your car. Be safe and double check your work and I think you can save mucho $$$$$ if you DIY!!

LFZ

Yes...I agree. And maintenance on these cars are actually pretty basic and straight forward. Not nearly an obstacle as some of the foreign cars I own.

truckplay

change the oil, brake fluid, clutch fluid (if manual) & coolant. also check the date on the tires & battery.

sampaschal

Thanks for the added suggestion...I have the battery on a trickle charger to keep it topped off...as for the coolant ..great idea..the overflow looks like its the right color...but as we all know extended time setting around is as big a killer as hard use. Tires are the stock GM/Goodyear standard issue...no cracking in the rubber. I have had all four wheels off the car several times already to clean the suspension, grease the z51 rear suspension linkage, flush the brake fluid etc...nothing notable or apparent with the tires..just can't wait to replace with Michelins... again thanks for your comments

VET4LES

Keep up the good work. I'm eight years older than you and plan on doing it for many more years.

sampaschal

Congratulations, I hope as I approach .....the 70s...I can say that. Remember when we spoke of the 70s and that was in reference to the Nixon era time frame and the end of the Vietnam War.

dndrsn

Does Mobil I LS 75W90 gear lubricant require a limited-slip additive?

HOXXOH

Not unless you find an old bottle (pre-'08) sitting on a dealer's shelf. The newer stuff already has the additive in it.

HOXXOH

I wouldn't bother changing coolant quite yet. The "offical" time is 150,000 miles or 5 years. It dies in relationship to heat/cooling cycles, not a specific calendar date. If there were a shelf life, it would be printed on the bottle. If it's in your car and hardly been driven, it's pretty much the same as being in a bottle on the shelf.

sampaschal

Great comment, Its approaching 5 yrs old...the 09 car was a late 08 production, so a couple of months out, we will consider the coolant change.

sampaschal

The LS in the product name signifies that it contains a LIMITED SLIP additive. I looked at fully synthetic GM 75W90 LS products and for nearly 3X the price but exactly the same specs, could not justify using them, particularly when the my confidence level in Mobil 1 products is particularly high. I looked at Amsoil Severe Gear...gotta add their limited slip additive, Valvoline LS, and a couple of others and went with my gut. My "inside contact" at a local GM dealership also recommended the Mobil 1 LS 75W90 indicating they use it almost exclusively over the GM stuff. Time will tell, I will probably change this on a yearly cycle given how simple the exchange is.

dndrsn

Good to know, thanks.

JCtx

I use the newest GM stuff because it's fully synthetic, and it has the RIGHT amount of aditive. You don't want too much or too little on your LSD, and I didn't feel like experimenting for a few bucks .

sampaschal

Probably a safe approach...my GM tech is not sold on GM's approach to the "right stuff". If you follow the part #s for lubricants for their limited slip differential, they have numerous attempts at solving the noise problem with the differential. He goes with what works and Mobil 1 LS was his go to solution. Sometimes the field fix is the right one.