Pontiac Repair: repairs, tire rotations, local car dealer

Question
Hi Harold
Is there anyway of knowing how long it would be before certain repairs would have to be made. For example: How long roughly would new brakes last on a car. Is there a certain time frame for the air conditioning unit, radiator,shocks and struts. Is there a guideline for when major parts/costly parts will need to be replaced. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Leo

Answer
Most of it depends on the way you drive and the conditions that you drive in. For example, your brakes will last longer if you do mostly highway driving as opposed to stop and go city driving or if you slow down to a stop or try to stop on adime everytime.
Front brakes usually last from 20,000 to 40,000 miles. Rear brakes usually last about twice as long as the fronts.
The AC, radiator, shocks and struts should last the lifetime of the car (in a perfect world) but things do wear out and break. The best thing that you can do is to follow the manufacturers maintenance schedule for severe duty driving. This will give you the proper mileage and time intervals for such things as oil changes, cooling system services, tire rotations, tune ups, etc. If you follow these guidlines, your car should last a long time without any major problems. Stop into your local car dealer and ask for the maintenance schedule. They will be happy to give you one.