I currently own two 2001 Accords- EX and VP-4 cyl-AT and the respective mileages are 30,000 and 17,000. Both vehicles were purchased in Aug. 2001 in LI-NY.
I am a little bit confused as to which schedule- (mileage or months)- to follow for each car with regards to the below maintenance items.

Also, are maintenance schedules based upon an avg. of 15,000 miles per year?

The accumulated mileage on both my cars is mostly highway driving.

Any comments would be helpful in clearing up this dilemna for me, as I am tempted to just follow the maintenance schedule solely on the mileage for both cars. However, I am not sure if this is the correct thing to do, as I was once told by the dealer that certain fluids are biodegradable(eg. coolant), and will deteriorate with time- not sure if this is true though!

Thank you.

1). Replace Brake Fluid

2). Drain and refill Automatic Transmission.

3). Valve Adjustment (EX was done at 19,000)

4). Replace engine coolant (EX was done at 19,000- received as a comp by Dealer)

 

The service schedules lists both miles and years, but it's always "which ever comes first". I must say though, even with all those highway miles, the service intervals under NORMAL CONDITIONS seem too far apart.

IMHO, I would go with the severe conditions schedule. The things you listed are easy enough to do often. You may end up spending a little more than you would on the normal conditions schedule, but I'm willing to bet that your car will return the favor with many years of problem free operation. I know what you're going through, Prestone and Pennzoil says one thing and your Honda manual says another. Whatever you decide to do, just do it consistenly. Most people just do don't it at all.

 

Follow both miles & time for both cars. WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. So one of your cars will probably reach miles first, the other will probably reach time first. But you keep track of both for both cars. What's so strange about that?

Whether the intervals are too long... that's a whole different arguement. But I agree that brake fluid & anti-freeze both degrade over time. They sorta 'don't care' how many miles are driven.

Engine oil decomposes & gets acidic with time & use. Low mileage usually means short trips, & that puts more gasoline into the oil, diluting it faster. If one car sits around without driving at all, then you get moisture condensing in the crankcase. So even though it's mostly highway, you can still go by months if it comes up first.

Lots of newer cars have a system that counts how many times you start the engine, how many minutes it runs cold & warm, along with miles & time & revolutions. You could keep track of all that stuff for your cars... (j/k)