# A Car Maintenance Schedule You Can Actually Stick To > A car maintenance schedule by miles and by date: oil, tyres, brakes, servicing, then registration and insurance renewals, each on a reminder that repeats. Source: https://www.getmindie.app/blog/car-maintenance-schedule (published 2026-10-29) The sticker on the windscreen says the oil change was due 2,000 miles ago. The registration renewal is somewhere in a pile of post on the kitchen counter. Cars are forgiving right up until they aren't. Most expensive repairs, fines and lapsed cover start with a date nobody was tracking. A schedule that splits jobs into "by miles" and "by date", with reminders for both, keeps a car legal, safe and cheaper to run. ## Two clocks: miles and the calendar Car maintenance runs on two clocks at once, which is why it's easy to lose track. - **The miles clock.** Oil changes, tyre rotation and many service items depend on how far you drive. - **The calendar clock.** Registration, insurance, inspections and some service items are due on a date, however little you drive. A car that sits in the garage most of the week still needs its oil changed on time, because oil ages even when the car doesn't move. Most owner's manuals give both: "every X miles or Y months, whichever comes first". Start by finding your manual's maintenance table. It's often in the back of the handbook, or on the manufacturer's site under your model. Everything below is a typical pattern, but your manual wins. ## The basic schedule ### Every month (or every few fuel stops) - **Check tyre pressure,** including the spare if you have one. The right pressure is usually on a sticker inside the driver's door. - **Look at the tyre tread.** Uneven wear can point to alignment problems. - **Check the lights** front and back. Ask someone to watch while you test brake lights. - **Top up washer fluid.** ### Every few months - **Check oil level** with the dipstick if your car has one. - **Check coolant and brake fluid levels** against the marks on the reservoirs. - **Look at the wiper blades.** Streaks mean they're due. ### At each service interval This is the one in your manual, often somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 miles or every 6 to 12 months for many modern cars. It usually covers: - Oil and oil filter change - Tyre rotation - Brake check - Filters (air, cabin) - A general inspection of belts, hoses and suspension ### Once a year or longer - **A full service** if your manual or garage recommends one. - **Battery test,** especially before winter. Older batteries tend to fail on the first cold morning. - **Brake fluid and coolant replacement** at the intervals your manual gives. - **Timing belt replacement** if your engine has one. Missing this one can mean a very expensive repair, so check the interval. ## The paperwork dates that cost the most Skipping an oil change is bad for the engine. Missing a paperwork date can mean a fine, a car you can't legally drive, or no cover after an accident. These deserve the earliest reminders. ### Registration and inspections Depending on where you live, this might be registration renewal, a road tax payment, an emissions test or a yearly safety inspection. The deadline is fixed and the penalty for missing it can be steep. Set the reminder a month ahead, so there's time to book an inspection slot if you need one. The [car registration reminder](/reminders/car-registration) page has examples for renewals and inspections. ### Insurance Many policies renew automatically, often at a higher price than a new customer would pay. A reminder three to four weeks before renewal gives you time to get a few quotes and decide. See the [car insurance renewal reminder](/reminders/car-insurance-renewal) for a simple setup. ### Your driving licence Licences expire too, and some renewals need an office visit or a new photo. It's worth a reminder a couple of months ahead. The post on [tracking renewal dates](/blog/renewal-dates) covers this and other documents in more detail. ## Make the miles clock easier to follow Date reminders are simple. Mileage is harder, because nobody wants to check the odometer every week. A few ways around it: - **Convert miles to a rough date.** If you drive about 1,000 miles a month and the service is every 6,000, that's roughly every six months. Set a date reminder for that, and adjust after the first one. - **Use the garage sticker.** Many garages put the next due mileage on a windscreen sticker. When you get home, put that on a reminder before the sticker fades. - **Check monthly.** Add a quick odometer glance to your monthly tyre check, and you'll catch it if you're driving more than usual. ## How to set it up with Mindie Mindie lives in WhatsApp, so you can set each reminder in a sentence the moment you leave the garage. For the paperwork: - "Every year on 1 March remind me to renew the car registration, due 31 March" - "Remind me before the car insurance renews on 14 August, give me a heads-up 4 weeks before" For servicing: - "Every 6 months starting 10 April remind me to book the Honda service" - "On the 1st of every month at 10am remind me to check tyre pressure and washer fluid" For the garage details, keep a note in the same chat: - "Note: Honda Civic serviced 3 Oct at 41,200 miles, next due 47,000, Jake at Main Street Garage" When a reminder arrives, reply "done" once you've booked it, or "snooze 1 hour" if you're on the road. For the registration, nag mode keeps nudging until you mark it done, which is useful for a fine you'd really rather avoid. You can also send Mindie a photo or screenshot of a renewal letter or the garage invoice, and turn it into a reminder from there. ## Keep a simple service record A service history helps when something goes wrong, and when you sell the car. It doesn't need to be a binder. - Date and mileage of each service - What was done and what the garage flagged for next time - Tyre changes and battery replacements - Receipts for big repairs If a garage says "your brakes will need doing in a few months", that's a reminder to set the same day. Otherwise it's forgotten by the time the brakes start squealing. Car costs are easier to plan when they're on a list with your other bills. The post on [never missing a bill payment](/blog/never-miss-a-bill) has a system for yearly payments like insurance and registration. ## Reminders worth setting - [Car service reminder](/reminders/car-service): A repeating reminder to book the next service, set from the garage's due date. - [Car registration reminder](/reminders/car-registration): A heads-up weeks before registration is due, plus a nudge to book any inspection. - [Car insurance renewal reminder](/reminders/car-insurance-renewal): A yearly reminder weeks before renewal, so you can compare quotes in time. - [Driver's license renewal reminder](/reminders/drivers-license-renewal): An early warning before your licence expires, with time to gather documents. ## FAQ ### How often should I service my car? It depends on the make, model and how you drive. Most manuals give an interval in miles and in months, whichever comes first. Check your owner's manual or ask your garage. ### Do I need to change the oil if I barely drive? Usually yes. Oil breaks down over time even when the car sits still, which is why manuals give a time limit as well as a mileage. Follow the shorter of the two. ### What happens if my car registration expires? The rules vary by place, but driving with expired registration can lead to fines and, in some places, your car being towed. Check with your local vehicle licensing office for the exact rules and grace periods.