Scheduled Maintenance

[Sodium Duck]

My car is about to turn over 20K miles. 2008 liftback, automatic, non-ABS. All I've been doing so far is just changing the oil. I need to do some catching up, so I busted out the maintenance log and was kind of surprised at how much I didn't do.

So, here's my list of things to do:

1. Inspect and change air filter if needed. (Already replaced cabin filter yesterday.)

2. Rotate tires.

3. Change oil. (I go every 7,500 miles with Amsoil 5W-20.)

4. Check engine coolant level.

5. Inspect exhaust pipes and mountings.

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6. Inspect steering gear box.
I do not know where or what to look for.

7. Inspect radiator and condenser.
Looking for nicks/dents/holes?

8. Inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs.
I do not know what to look for. Can this be done while I rotate my tires, or do I need to remove other parts.

9. Inspect ball joints and dust covers.
I do not know where or what to look for. Is this the part that rests in the ends of the upper/lower control arms?

10. Inspect drive shaft boots.
Just look for cracking or rips?

11. Inspect steering linkage and boots.
Look for cracking or rips in the boots? I do not know how to inspect a steering linkage.

12. Tighten nuts and bolts on chassis.
Somehow I have a feeling not many people have done this... but none the less, how many bolts are we talking and where?

6-12, I'm a little lost on. Can anyone help? I really want to maintain this vehicle properly and learn to do it myself. Would anyone add something else to the list, or is that enough. I just figured I would do as much as possible since I'm going to be on, under, and around the car all day tomorrow.