One of the key ways to keep your car running smoothly and to help identify any issues before they cause long term problems for your vehicle is to have regular services carried out on it.
But with so many servicing options out there it can become hard to know what the best option is for your car. With winter services, full services, dealer services etc... all offering different things, it can become quite confusing.
One of the big question is how often should you have your car serviced and there are guidelines to help with this. Most manufacturers recommend servicing a car every 12 months, or every 12,000 miles – whichever is sooner.
Some modern cars have a built-in diagnostic system which will tell you when your car needs servicing, which can be incredibly helpful and alert you to potential problems your car might be having.
However, many people time their car service with their MOT to make it easier to remember and many garages offer deals if you go for both options when you book your car in. So while a car should be serviced at least once a year, what kind of service should that be?
For this we post we asked the experts behind BigMotoringWorld, an online source for used BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and the likes; to give us their best advice on car servicing.
What type of service should I choose?
Interim service
This type of service is when your oil and filter need replacing, or at a change of seasons to check your car over and takes place around every six months.
Full Service
This is the main service which needs to be carried out every 12 months or every 12,000 miles and covers all aspects of the car.
Manufacturer Service
You need to check your manufacturer’s car manual to find out what the manufacturer recommends for your particular car.
Service and MOT
A service and an MOT are not the same thing – an MOT is a safety inspection which is legally required, whereas the service checks out wear and tear and will involve replacing fluids and parts of the car as required.
Winter service
A winter service is a small service which checks out your car is winter ready including things like checking tyres, brakes and anti-freeze
Summer service
A summer service gets your car ready for the warmer weather, topping up fluids and checking over all essential parts of the car are ready to throw off the winter and face the heat.
Why does my car need a service?
There are a number of reasons why it’s important to get your car serviced regularly so here are a few of them:
Routine maintenance – the service runs important checks on the main features of the car to make sure everything is running appropriately or to see if any fluids or parts require replacing. It makes sure your car is working effectively when you need it to.
Problem spotting – one of the key ways in which regular services help is spotting problems before they become a larger, potentially expensive issue. Car parts suffer wear and tear and it’s important to spot this before it becomes a major problem.
Car history – when you come to sell your car, having a full car history including all of the regular servicing can help to attract more buyers and can even help to boost the price that you might be able to achieve.
Reduce costs – servicing your car keeps it running efficiently helping you to save money on fuel and on repairs.
Reduce risks of a breakdown – regular servicing can help to prevent your car from suffering a breakdown, saving you cost and inconvenience.
Conclusion
When it comes to servicing your car it’s important to make sure it’s carried out regularly and also professionally. There are different types of service for different needs but it’s important to have a full service at least every 12 months or 12,000 miles.
There are interim services if you are worried about your car and want it checked over, or if you are preparing to go on a long drive and want to make sure everything is in good working order before you leave.
You should always get your car serviced by a recognised and approved garage – it doesn’t necessarily have to be the dealer you bought the car from but if you have a new car and warranty you need to make sure all part are manufacturer approved.
Regular servicing of your car helps to spot problems before they become incredibly expensive issues, as well as helping to keep your car running smoothly and not breaking down on you.
No comments:
Post a Comment