preventative maintenance and other ?'s

[JoeH]

I have a 2002 sl2 that is pushing 43000 miles. It has been terrific so far, with very minor issues along the way. I would love to get a bigger car, but with the gas prices, I can't justify getting rid of a car averaging of 30 mpg.

I want to keep the car for another 3 years or so and was wondering what maintenance issues should I address? Other than oil changes, I haven't done anything.

Also, I need to get new tires. Does anyone have suggestions? Also, probably a dumb question, but I was thinking about getting rims for the car. (Nothing flashy or blingy, just something to give the car a new look.) What effect, if any, does the weight of the rims have on mpg?

If I had to get rid of my sl2 today, I think I have to go for an Aura. Although I would love a new CTS!

Thanks in advance for any replies!

[saturncrzy]

anything you put on your car that is aftermarket like tires rims ect. will effect the milage unless you stay with the sam size and tire. One thing to keep in mind is that the Coolant Temp Sensor is the hart of these cars if something starts to act up change this. is it auto/ manual trans? I clean my throttle body with intake and carb cleaner everytime i change the oil, i know it's not nessacery to change plugs once a year but i do, as well as the plug wiresI do a coolant flush every 2 years,and now be cleaning my egr valve oftem as well.

[Tiger]

I believe 2002 came with the updated brass ECTS. So, you should be fine. Plus, mileage is very low. The old ones took time to fail.

If automatic transmission, I would change the fluild and filter. OEM fitlers tend to have less problems. I like Mobil 1 for transmission fluid. I came here with reverse slam. The Mobil 1 seems to be keeping it clean. I am on a 30,000 mile fluid and filter change. NGK spark plugs every 30,000 or sooner. Your EGR may be OK. Mine desperately needed its first cleaning at 130,000 miles. Most of this is in your owners manual. Not sure about transmission fluid change interval. I would do them more, not less do to the valve body/reverse slam problem. Changing the coolant would be good if not done yet. A Saturn Tech recommended 3 year and 36,000 interval instead of the 100,000 mile/5 year interval. Not too hard to change on these cars following instructions here. New OEM PCV. New Air filter when dirty. Not much to do with the low miles you have.