As New Orleans consumers, we live in a disposable society. It's amazing all the stuff we throw away.

New stuff comes out so fast in Louisiana, and much of it is fairly cheap, so we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids in New Orleans, our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff - especially parents who grew up in the Depression. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough, we had to do without. 

New Orleans drivers couldn't afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It's a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don't break down as often. And the good news for us New Orleans penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles with proper care. The engineering's there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the auto maker's maintenance schedules.

Is it really that bad for New Orleans motorists to get off schedule? Well, it all adds up. Every time you go a couple thousand extra miles between oil changes, you've created an opportunity for harmful sludge to form and clog passages. Then some parts don't get oiled and they start to wear out faster. 

Skip a cooling system service, and the corrosion inhibitors become depleted, and the radiator starts being damaged – one step closer to a failure. The same thing is true for transmission service, power brakes, fuel system cleaning – really everything on your schedule.

It's also even more important for older vehicles in the New Orleans area. Those engines and other systems have had more time to get dirty, so they're working harder anyway. But it's never too late for New Orleans car owners to get back on track with key maintenance and to hold off further expensive damage.

It's just another example of our parents knowing what's best. (Surprising how often that happens.) And it really does start with the oil change, just like Dad said. When you get a full service oil change they top off all your fluids and check for other items that are on your maintenance schedule. That's like your safety net; go in for oil changes on time, and let your technician at Boudreaux's in New Orleans help you keep track of the rest.

Of course, it is inevitable for New Orleans motorists that some things are going to wear out along the way - key stuff like alternators, water pumps and such - they don't last forever. But that stuff is cheaper than a new car payment. And taking care of problems early means they have less time to cause other problems. It's like having high cholesterol; you don't want to wait for a heart attack before you address it.

Boudreaux's
9400 Chef Mentor Hwy
New Orleans, Louisiana 70127
985-788-3192

• 
  Surrounding Communities
• Chalmette
• Eden Isle
• Kenner
• Metairie
• New Orleans
• Slidell