Do low-mileage cars still need annual services?

[Schnellmann]

I'm not sure of the situation in the UK but here in Switzerland, when I've gone to see 2nd-hand cars with low mileage, most of them have only had services stamped at the recommended mileage i.e. 20'000 km, 40'000 km, etc. For cars not being driven much that often means just a few services, even if the car is 10 years old or more.

The Swiss seem more relaxed about it but I always thought that cars should get annual services (if only for checks and replacement of fluids), even if they are not being driven much.

If cars are only being driven 1'500-2'000 km a year, do they really need servicing frequently?

[Pig Skill]

The thing is with short trips, low miles long rest periods is that the fluids can suffer from contamination due to moisture. Frequent use keeps this problem at bay as the fluids get hot and moisture in the fluids and exhaust get burned away. I would say changing the oil anually is imperative. Consumables like air filters etc wont need doing anually with very low miles as they have not filtered enough air to become dirty.

My old man always used to say that you can never change a cars oil too often

[98elise]

Pig Skill said:

The thing is with short trips, low miles long rest periods is that the fluids can suffer from contamination due to moisture. Frequent use keeps this problem at bay as the fluids get hot and moisture in the fluids and exhaust get burned away. I would say changing the oil anually is imperative. Consumables like air filters etc wont need doing anually with very low miles as they have not filtered enough air to become dirty.

My old man always used to say that you can never change a cars oil too often

I would disagree about modern engine oil. Your Dad was probably right about oil in his day, but modern oils are very good, and shouldn't degrade in a year, they get contaminated by use. Some cars have very long service intervals as standard.

I would agree on other fluids though, they should be changed at the right time interval.

[Mattt]

My Z4 was 12500 miles or 2 years intervals.

[E38Ross]

modern oils don't need changing every year, they usually state every 2 years. some cars are 15k miles or more depending on how they are driven.

[jbi]

E38Ross said:

modern oils don't need changing every year, they usually state every 2 years. some cars are 15k miles or more depending on how they are driven.

from what I have seen and heard, despite modern oils longevity, it is still prudent to change the oil fairly frequently to ensure the best quality of life for your engine.

[varsas]

Coolant will degrade and lose it's corrosion inhibiting properties, doesn't matter if the car is used or not. Granted most last 5 years but you still wouldn't want to leave it even in a car which did no miles.

[craigb84]

I'd still say yes. My last car had service intervals of 5,000km (3,000 miles). I was never out of the garage!!

[TAHodgson]

I do around 13,000 miles a year, and I change my oil, oil filter, air filter, and check the plugs every six months. Coolant just had a flush and new fluid when waterpump and cam belt were changed a couple of days ago. I like to think if you spend some money keeping the car running well, you'll save a fortune from letting things degrade and break!

[Ed.]

Extended service intervals are there to keep fleet managers happy, with less servicing modern engines shouldn't go pop within warranty but its not in the interest of manufacturers for 10 year old cars to go on forever.

[LiamM45]

craigb84 said:

I'd still say yes. My last car had service intervals of 5,000km (3,000 miles). I was never out of the garage!!

nothing wrong with that.

I change the oil/filter usually every 3 months. My friend works in a garage so I get a nice discount on the oil, works out cheaper than doing it DIY.

In a performance car, or one driven hard/tracked, I would always service at more regular intervals than the manafacturer says. It certainly does it no harm.