 A car is one of life’s biggest investments, but not everyone on the road is aware of how important servicing is. WhatCar? offers tips for drivers
The majority of new car owners dutifully return to the franchised dealer to have their car serviced, usually paying over the odds for the pleasure. In the past, owners of cars still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty were tied to the franchised network for servicing – but not any more.
Follow our steps to good value servicing.
Shop around – costs even vary between franchised dealers, so don’t just return to the one where you bought your car.
You can now get your car serviced at a non-franchised garage without invalidating your warranty, so call local workshops for prices too.
If you do go to an independent garage, ensure it is VAT-registered and make sure the parts and fluids used are genuine manufacturer products. Get receipts and part serial numbers to prove this.
Always stick to your car’s servicing schedule and ensure that the servicing book is stamped.
Always read your warranty document thoroughly before booking your car in for servicing.
If your car needs a repair or some warranty work carried out, however, this must be done at a franchised dealer in order to keep your warranty intact.
Try to do what you can at home
In between services, you can keep your car in tip-top condition by keeping fluids topped up and by carrying out regular checks. Find out what simple DIY jobs you can do. Cars are complicated machines that need to be cared for to keep them reliable and safe.
Don’t ignore problems. If you can’t fix it yourself, take it to a workshop to be put right. If you get a recall notice, take the car in for free repairs.
Service your car according to the manufacturer’s schedule.
Don’t think your car is safe for the next year just because it has passed its MOT.
Check your lights regularly. Try them out in your garage or parked next to a wall and you won’t have to keep on getting out to see if they’re working.
Check your tyres at least one a month and don’t forget the spare. Keep them inflated to pressures listed in your handbook and replace them when the tread depth reaches 2mm (even though the legal limit is 1.6mm).
Keep windscreen washer, oil, coolant, power steering, clutch and brake fluid levels topped up but not overfull. Don’t wait for warning lights to come on.
Park on level ground to check oil levels, and make sure you do it when the engine is cold. Remove the dipstick, wipe it clean and then reinsert it to get an accurate reading.
Replace worn wiper blades. Smearing dirt across the windscreen instead of wiping it off is a recipe for disaster.
Adjust washer jets with a pin to make sure they spray on the windscreen and not in a huge arc over the top of the car.
|
|
| |
