Servicing low mileage car

Servicing low mileage car

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ro250

Original Poster:

2,734 posts

56 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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When I bought my car new (A Class, A250, 2l, petrol) it came with 3 years servicing included. That’s been great. Heading to the 4 year anniversary means it’s ‘due’ a service very soon. I say ‘due’ because in the last 12 months it became our second car and so has only done about 3,000 miles.

I’m waiting for MB to give me a quote for the service (the booking clerk seemed surprised I’d like to know how much it would cost first!) but I have a feeling the B5 service might be pricey?

To be honest, I can’t see how it needs a service, and certainly not a very expensive one given the low miles it’s travelled (total mileage about 25k). But I want to do what’s right, I look after it and don’t want to wreck the resale value.

Would welcome views on best approach.

Earthdweller

13,432 posts

125 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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One of my cars is a low mileage car

I have it serviced annually .. certainly an oil change at the very least

I think there’s an argument that a car that does that do much and spends a lot of time standing needs it’s oil changing on time rather than mileage

MarJay

2,173 posts

174 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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There is a reason why manufacturers specify age or mileage, and it's not to rip people off, as much as the tin foil hat brigade would have you believe.

If you want the car to maintain it's value, then I'd get it done. Most of the expensive service items for consumables consist of 'inspection' anyway (brake discs, pads, etc) but coolant, oil, oil filter, and arguably plugs should be done on a time basis anyway as others have said.

Dog Star

16,079 posts

167 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Get a price at an independent, then go to MB with that price. For me they have always price matched - or got pretty close. Could save you a few quid if you wnnt the full dealer history.

RicksAlfas

13,355 posts

243 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Our cars do low mileage so we service them annually, normally at the same time as the MOT so it minimises the hassle.

There's some argument that low miles are more damaging than high miles - cars doing low miles tend to do more urban driving, often don't get up to temperature, lots of cold starts or stopping and starting - so they need more servicing not less!

Lowtimer

4,286 posts

167 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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RicksAlfas said:
Our cars do low mileage so we service them annually, normally at the same time as the MOT so it minimises the hassle.

There's some argument that low miles are more damaging than high miles - cars doing low miles tend to do more urban driving, often don't get up to temperature, lots of cold starts or stopping and starting - so they need more servicing not less!
It does depend on the kind of low mileage, and how it's kept when it's not being driven.
You're absolutely right that lots of cold start, drive two miles, switch off, repeat eight hours later usage will degrade the oil quickly. 3000 miles of that is a pretty grim year for a car.
If it's left outside and experiences a lot of temperature and humidity change that also doesn't help.

But if it's properly garaged and does a lengthy round trip at decent speed every couple of weeks, then 3000 miles of that is a very different kettle of fish.

ro250

Original Poster:

2,734 posts

56 months

Friday 7th February 2020
quotequote all
Thanks for the comments, looks like I'll be spending more money then mad

It isn't garaged and although does always get to full operating temperature, it's often short journeys.

I'm not aware of a local specialist other than a local Bosch approved service centre (who I have used many moons ago). Not sure how comparable their service would be to an approved MB one.

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Not everything's per mile on a car. Many things age with time, such as engine oil, gearbox oil, or brake fluid; or rubber degrading in tyres, damper seals, hoses etc.

Torquey

1,888 posts

227 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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2 contradictory points, and I hope not to offend anyone.

- When you come to sell the car there will be a lot of them around so full dealer service history will probably not make any difference. You'll be hammered by depreciation either way.

- should you have a major problem, with a full dealer service history there is more chance of MB donating a good will gesture now that its out of warranty.

boyse7en

6,671 posts

164 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Torquey said:
2 contradictory points, and I hope not to offend anyone.

- When you come to sell the car there will be a lot of them around so full dealer service history will probably not make any difference. You'll be hammered by depreciation either way.

- should you have a major problem, with a full dealer service history there is more chance of MB donating a good will gesture now that its out of warranty.
Surely if there are "a lot of them around" then having a full dealer service history would be a plus point? Two identical vehicles, one with DSH and one without, I'd definitely go for the former

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Personally I wouldn't hesitate to leave a low mileage car 2 years between services. At least, so long as it's not being used for a one mile cummute twice a day... Ultimately it has more to do with the use cycle of the car than anything else.

The official service interval for my Porsche is 2 years in any event (or 20,000 miles if sooner).

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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RobM77 said:
Many things age with time, such as engine oil, gearbox oil...…..
Any evidence to back that up?

RicksAlfas

13,355 posts

243 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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rockin said:
RobM77 said:
Many things age with time, such as engine oil, gearbox oil...…..
Any evidence to back that up?
Some blurb here:
https://www.amsoil.com/newsstand/motor-oil/article...

Of course it's from an oil manufacturer so you may choose not to believe it!

Limpet

6,293 posts

160 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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There is always a time element to servicing, even on variable interval cars, which will have a maximum time stipulation. Worth checking when you buy / lease / PCP a "new" car just how new it is as well, because this can have a big impact on service costs, particularly if you only plan to keep the car 2-3 years.

As happened to us with our Mini Clubman. We bought it new, but it had been built almost 12 months before, so had spent best part of a year sitting around in a compound somewhere. All the time based service countdowns start ticking away from the build date rather than registration date. The car has 2 yr or 18,000 mile service intervals (whichever comes first).

The car was acquired on a 3 yr PCP with no intention of keeping it at the end. We do about 10k a year, and as we had always planned to hand it back at the end, we should have been in for one standard oil and microfilter service (somewhere around the 20-21 month mark @ 18,000 miles, and about £200). The next (major) service wouldn't fall due until 40-42 months, and we'd be out of the car by 36 months, at the same time the brake fluid change was needed. For this reason, we opted not to take the service pack at £300.

So, we took delivery, and started driving the car, oblivious to the fact that it was already half-way to its first service on time grounds before it even turned a wheel. Then of course, about a year in, and with just under 10k on the clock, the car started asking for a service. This was effectively 8,000 miles "early" but as the car was 2 years old from build date, it was valid, and couldn't be reset or adjusted. The service had to be done, but in fairness, the dealer did this free of charge. Great result, so we thought.

Then it asked for a brake fluid change at 2 years from registration (instead of 3) as well, which was another £110 (including a mandatory "scope" service - outrageous, but we were stuck with MINI servicing due to the PCP)

And then the second service (major) came early too, two years later at 28k (18k from the first service that was done at 10k instead of 18k). We should have swerved this service altogether, but got lumbered with it, and were relieved of £550 for the privilege.

So for 3 yrs of servicing costs that should have come to £200 (or a £299 service pack), we've spent over £650 just because the car was a year old when we started. OK, it's not a lot of money in the scheme of things, but when it's a car you have always planned to out at a specific time, and have zero attachment to, or emotional investment in, it's a matter of principle.

Edited by Limpet on Friday 7th February 13:18

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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I'm inclined to believe that things like oil and brake fluid degrade with heat cycles more than with time, so if the car's low mileage because it does lots of short journeys the service is more important than if it does low mileage because it's not being used. My car currently gets very little use and the service light came on in September based on being a year since it's last service, but it's only done probably 3-4000 miles in that time. I haven't had it done yet but will probably book in fairly soon if only to stop it bonging at me when I start it biggrin

DuraAce

4,240 posts

159 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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rockin said:
RobM77 said:
Many things age with time, such as engine oil, gearbox oil...…..
Any evidence to back that up?
Any evidence to say it doesn't?!

Scenario... Car does 1k miles per year. Are you really saying you'd be happy to go 10yrs without an oil change as it'll only have done 10k miles?

Oils do degrade over time (once out of sealed bottles, in engines being exposed to condensation, effects of combustion etc etc) in my opinion (and the oil company advice posted above).

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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DuraAce said:
rockin said:
RobM77 said:
Many things age with time, such as engine oil, gearbox oil...…..
Any evidence to back that up?
Any evidence to say it doesn't?!
Just the small matter the oil was in the ground for millions of years before it got anywhere near your car.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 7th February 2020
quotequote all
DuraAce said:
Scenario... Car does 1k miles per year. Are you really saying you'd be happy to go 10yrs without an oil change as it'll only have done 10k miles?
Did you even bother to read my post? It seems not.

Limpet

6,293 posts

160 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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rockin said:
Just the small matter the oil was in the ground for millions of years before it got anywhere near your car.
Most oils and fluids in cars now are made in a lab.

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 7th February 2020
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Limpet said:
Most oils and fluids in cars now are made in a lab.
Oh, I wonder what they are "made" out of?

"Synthetic oil is made from a base oil, powder additives, and a carrier oil that enforces an even distribution of the additives. Both synthetic oil and traditional motor oil are made from refining oil. Most synthetics begin with highly refined crude oil, pumped from deep underground."