How often are you guys looking under your hood/underbody ?

How often do you guys check under the hood and under your truck just to look things over, check for leaks etc?

 

Every ten minutes because of all the complaints of timing case leaks and burnt valves , I can’t sleep , I lay on my back under the truck with a flashlight , while the sweat runs down my forehead …. Not that I’ve actually had any of these items go wrong , my truck has been flawless for 5 years

 

So on a serious note how often

 

Once a month or so I take a quick look around , check for signs of coolant residue etc .

 

In that once or twice a month club myself...

 

Only time I find myself checking is when I'm down there for a reason like an oil change or replacing my suspension etc. Same for popping the hood. And by checking I mean just a quick cursory glance to ensure no major changes / issues

 

I look around at oil changes (5K/6mos), and b4 and after long trips or wheeling. would up it if I had any issues, so far so good.

 

I let my dealer look when I have them change the oil every 5-7k. I'm fortunate to have a dealer I trust and I'm only at 3k miles.

On my 2nd gen that had 130k, I would crawl under and check once a month.

 

Not often enough. Lying on the pavement in arizona can result in 3rd degree burns so it's not something
I entertain thoughts on. The daum hood weighs more than I do so just getting it open is a chore in itself.
I need some struts on that thing.

 

I need some struts on that thing

Can’t go wrong with Spiker Engineering, only about 100 bucks, well worth it.

 

The last time I was under there, I noticed my skid needs buffing and polishing.


Seriously, I have witness marks on critical suspension component fasteners.

 

For me it is after every off road trip. That is about 30 - 40 trips per year. Some bad trails so I like to make sure everything is tight after beating on it.

If you are offroad frequently you want to do this. A good way to check for leaks of course, but also underbody damage, brake lines, and especially tightness on all front end suspension components.

As an example, I had been on a couple of easy trips early this spring and was lazy and did not look. Then a few weeks later I was packing for a 4 day off-road camping trip, and the day of packing decided to do an inspection. Discovered that my passenger side swaybar linkage was shot, it wiggled like a worm on a hook. That was around noon and I was in the middle of packing for that trip. So, I called the dealer who had nothing in stock, but they were able to get me a jobber part. I installed it that afternoon and was able to then finish packing.

That was a rough trip and unsuspectingly leaving a broken swaybar linkage would not have been a great move.

I finished an inspection just now in fact. Also had my wife going forward/reverse multiple times to track down some noise. While I lay down beside the truck. I kept my head clear of the wheels, did not want to give her any ideas.

It turns out it is my rear drum brakes are making the racket. Quite sure they are just dirty and need to be disassembled and cleaned.

 

once a month for fluid levels, tire pressure, anything leaking etc... at oil change check torque specs on suspension and look for any loose fasteners, air in spare.

 

Should have just started a poll. I’m in the one to two times a month club.

 

I know lol

 

I do a quick visual inspection everytime I fill up , check the oil and fluids every other month.

 

In parking lots I almost always park with the passenger side facing the store, this allows me to do a quick visual of the body, tires and a pavement check for leaks as I walk up.

I have the instant access button on the steering wheel set to the tire pressure screen and check that on the first start of the day.

Under the hood check every 2 weeks or so.

Under truck inspection and brake check every oil change/tire rotation every 5000 miles or so.

 

I might do an inspection whenever I'm cruising down a trail and hear a crash-bang and see a wheel flying off into the woods.

On a more serious note... I generally only inspect the truck when I'm airing up/down, pumping gas, washing the truck by hand, or doing some other sort of maintenance.

 

For me about once a season so 4 ish times a year. Just a general look-see underneath