What does a "service" actually entail
Discussion
People seem fixated on having a main dealer service history, what magic do they actually perform, I never take mine in to the dealers as its inconvenient, expensive and I am never entirely sure whether anything has been done having had cars go in and come out with oil as black as when it went in, cant be sure as that may happen as soon as it is started up.
On my Saab I do a kind of rolling service, i.e. not all on one day, bear in mind the car is hardly used, three years I have owned it but only done 7,000 miles.
Change oil and filter (fully synthetic, three times in three years)
Air filter, replaced with a performance item, have cleaned it a couple of times, still like new.
Transmission oil (once in three years)
Spark Plugs replaced and gapped as per specification. (once)
Cabin Filter (once)
Fuel Filter (once)
Wiper blades (once)
Brake fluid (once)
Coolant, havent done that yet but its on the list.
Cam belt N/A as is a chain, no noise so leave alone for now.
Tyre pressure/condition checked weekly
Washer fluid topped up weekly
Brake pad wear checked when washing wheels
oil checked weekly
Aircon run at least once a week.
Discs and Pads replaced as and when they are needed
Suspension checked for play/leaky dampers
underside inspected for rust/exhaust condition anything untoward
Spare tyre checked for pressure occasionally
Bulbs replaced as and when the warnings pop up
Is there anything I am missing ? all I can imagine the dealers would perhaps do that I cant is to hook it up to the diagnostics and read any fault codes.
It passes its MOT every year so far without issue.
On my Saab I do a kind of rolling service, i.e. not all on one day, bear in mind the car is hardly used, three years I have owned it but only done 7,000 miles.
Change oil and filter (fully synthetic, three times in three years)
Air filter, replaced with a performance item, have cleaned it a couple of times, still like new.
Transmission oil (once in three years)
Spark Plugs replaced and gapped as per specification. (once)
Cabin Filter (once)
Fuel Filter (once)
Wiper blades (once)
Brake fluid (once)
Coolant, havent done that yet but its on the list.
Cam belt N/A as is a chain, no noise so leave alone for now.
Tyre pressure/condition checked weekly
Washer fluid topped up weekly
Brake pad wear checked when washing wheels
oil checked weekly
Aircon run at least once a week.
Discs and Pads replaced as and when they are needed
Suspension checked for play/leaky dampers
underside inspected for rust/exhaust condition anything untoward
Spare tyre checked for pressure occasionally
Bulbs replaced as and when the warnings pop up
Is there anything I am missing ? all I can imagine the dealers would perhaps do that I cant is to hook it up to the diagnostics and read any fault codes.
It passes its MOT every year so far without issue.
No argument with what you are saying. It's horses for courses. If you buy a new or nearly new then dealer stamps in the service book may add value to your car. Warranty work or recalls should be dealt with if you are in the dealer system.
The choice is up to the owner as to what they want to do.
There are good and bad with both dealer and indy garages, and if you are competant yourself then no problems.
If you look at second hand cars that are 5 years old or less then dealer FSH will usually mean more to the average buyer.
The service entails whatever the manufacturer states in the service book, and some of those are recommendations eg brake fluid or pollen filter etc
The choice is up to the owner as to what they want to do.
There are good and bad with both dealer and indy garages, and if you are competant yourself then no problems.
If you look at second hand cars that are 5 years old or less then dealer FSH will usually mean more to the average buyer.
The service entails whatever the manufacturer states in the service book, and some of those are recommendations eg brake fluid or pollen filter etc
Edited by Ozone on Wednesday 8th September 12:50
yes, mine is seven years old now so not worth much and if I were looking at a seven year old car, if it were immaculate and there was a wodge of receipts and a written history to go with the earlier dealer stuff I would be happy but prhaps not on a three year old car so much, still, depends who is doing it I suppose.
An oil service is often the oil filter, oil, and then a whole list of simple things like checking the door hinges are greased, checking the locks are greased, looking for rust spots, in fact, a lot of it is trying to find extras to add on.
You then get to pay for their time as they try to find more work.
You then get to pay for their time as they try to find more work.
You support the network, the network will support you.
We've just had someone in, hasn't had their car serviced at a main dealer throughout.. Just got a slightly leaky shock absorber, and is complaining that it might not covered under warranty.
Customers also get goodwill payments towards stuff that goes wrong after warranty runs out, if the customer hasn't supported the network, they won't get any goodwill payment.
Its fair that way..
We've just had someone in, hasn't had their car serviced at a main dealer throughout.. Just got a slightly leaky shock absorber, and is complaining that it might not covered under warranty.
Customers also get goodwill payments towards stuff that goes wrong after warranty runs out, if the customer hasn't supported the network, they won't get any goodwill payment.
Its fair that way..
It's hard to prove that you've serviced a car properly yourself, so as a potential second-hand buyer the only way to be moderately confident that a car has been looked after properly is to look for a service history.
IMO it's a complete waste of time getting a car serviced by a dealer if you aren't worried about residuals and are happy carrying out the routine stuff yourself. I wouldn't fancy doing the cam belts on the Elise myself, but I see no real reason to take it to a garage for anything else.
IMO it's a complete waste of time getting a car serviced by a dealer if you aren't worried about residuals and are happy carrying out the routine stuff yourself. I wouldn't fancy doing the cam belts on the Elise myself, but I see no real reason to take it to a garage for anything else.
Sometimes it does seem like you are just paying for a stamp each time, a stamp that you save up so you can sell your car again afterwards.
perople tend to be so lame with cars, they have one tool that fixes all problems, its called a credit card.
Leaky shock absorber, hmm, most intelligent people with full use of their arms and legs could change one and if they use spring clamps keep all their teeth as well !
perople tend to be so lame with cars, they have one tool that fixes all problems, its called a credit card.
Leaky shock absorber, hmm, most intelligent people with full use of their arms and legs could change one and if they use spring clamps keep all their teeth as well !
There are a few things one misses out on when servicing one's own car:
- The next buyer won't know whether to trust your mechanical ability. This is the reason why a main dealer service history is worth more than an independant garage one - main dealers are of known and regulated quality. That's not to say that many independant garages aren't of better quality, but the quality varies, whereas a main dealer is a known quantity.
- Knowledge of specific things to check. Most cars have particular weaknesses which you'll need to look out for. Reading forums and chatting to garages can help with this, but there are many items that an amateur servicer may miss. For example, on some cars, cambelts can commonly go before the cambelt change interval causing a lot of damage, so garages change them early. It'd be helpful to know about that
- Early diagnosis via onboard electronics. Modern cars have a whole host of sensors on board and plug-in tools in garages can be used to great effect.
- Warranty claims. A full service history can help with warranty claims. Some car companies will honour a serious problem with a car, even outside of warranty.
kambites said:
It's hard to prove that you've serviced a car properly yourself, so as a potential second-hand buyer the only way to be moderately confident that a car has been looked after properly is to look for a service history.
I know, thats why I am trying to decode the mystique of a Full Dealer history, what magic do they do that I cant do at home, changing oil is not hard and I fail to see how a main dealer could do it better and lets face it, most of a service is the oil change, how many people are putting £300 they cant afford on a credit card for £30 worth of oil and filter.J4CKO said:
kambites said:
It's hard to prove that you've serviced a car properly yourself, so as a potential second-hand buyer the only way to be moderately confident that a car has been looked after properly is to look for a service history.
I know, thats why I am trying to decode the mystique of a Full Dealer history, what magic do they do that I cant do at home, changing oil is not hard and I fail to see how a main dealer could do it better and lets face it, most of a service is the oil change, how many people are putting £300 they cant afford on a credit card for £30 worth of oil and filter.Ozone said:
No argument with what you are saying. It's horses for courses. If you buy a new or nearly new then dealer stamps in the service book may add value to your car. Warranty work or recalls should be dealt with if you are in the dealer system.
The choice is up to the owner as to what they want to do.
There are good and bad with both dealer and indy garages, and if you are competant yourself then no problems.
If you look at second hand cars that are 5 years old or less then dealer FSH will usually mean more to the average buyer.
The service entails whatever the manufacturer states in the service book, and some of those are recommendations eg brake fluid or pollen filter etc
I'd guess that for every £2 you spend, it'll add no more than a £1 value to the re-sale of the car, with the exception of nearly new exoticsThe choice is up to the owner as to what they want to do.
There are good and bad with both dealer and indy garages, and if you are competant yourself then no problems.
If you look at second hand cars that are 5 years old or less then dealer FSH will usually mean more to the average buyer.
The service entails whatever the manufacturer states in the service book, and some of those are recommendations eg brake fluid or pollen filter etc
Edited by Ozone on Wednesday 8th September 12:50
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