How often should you service your car?

The experts at the Prestige Car Kent service centre are here to help, debunk myths, and ensure you get a fair deal. In this blog, we discuss how often you should service your car.

So what exactly is the purpose of a car service? In essence, it’s to check the condition of your car in a more thorough way than what would be checked at an MOT (which must be carried out annually once a car is 3 years old). At an MOT, things that are worn or need repair aren’t seen to; it’s merely a visual inspection.

With a service, items that are prone to wear are checked, such as:

In essence, a service ensures your car stays reliable and safe, preventing bigger bills into the future, and more importantly keep you safe on the roads.

So how often should I get my car serviced?

You should find the manufacturer’s service schedule in your car’s handbook. Generally it is recommended to get a car serviced every 12 months or around 10,000 miles, but different manufacturers will have slightly different opinions.

Certainly an annual service is good practice, especially if you do a lot of miles. Here at the Prestige Cars Kent service centre, we provide manufacturer recommended servicing for all major makes and models using their schedules to determine both when a service is due, and also what level of service is required.

Get a car servicing quote! Call our friendly team on 01689 664 769 or use our online booking tool.

What’s the difference between a Minor and Major service?

You will often find references to ‘minor’ and ‘major’ services. A minor service – otherwise known as a basic or general service - involves a check-over of the whole car, complete with a diagnostic check for any electronic issues, and an oil change. You will usually receive a report on what you need to keep an eye on for the future, such as tyre and brake wear.

As you may guess, the Major service is more involved, checking and replacing components that may last a reasonably long time, but need more thorough checking or a mandatory replacement to prevent catastrophic failure further down the road.

For example, many cars are fitted with a cambelt – responsible for keeping the whole engine in sync. These do last a long time, but if left alone they will eventually fail and can require a whole new engine. So whilst a replacement cambelt may be expensive compared to a Minor service, it is a false economy to put off Major services.

Why should I service my car?

We know it’s probably yet another expense, especially as you have to pay for fuel, insurance and tax, but skipping a car service is definitely a bad idea!

First of all, maintaining service history is important to retain your car’s value. Not only would a car with a big gap in servicing put off most people, it affects value by between 15-40%.

According to a Kwik Fit survey, almost half said that they wouldn’t even consider buying a car without a full complement of service stamps in the book.

On a day-to-day level, servicing keeps your car in tip-top condition, ensuring you get he best fuel economy and reduces the risks of big problems in the future. After all, no-one wants to be stuck on the side of the road waiting for a recovery truck!

Think the cost of a car service is expensive? Well compare it to the average price replacements for the following parts, gathered by the Motor Ombudsman:

We previously talked about the cambelt, which can seem expensive to replace at £250 or more. However, if it fails, a replacement engine can cost at least £2,575.

Where should I get my car serviced?

With much higher overheads and staff commission, main dealers are nearly always a more expensive choice for car servicing than independent garages. However, they should have knowledge for your make of car if a fault develops.

At the Prestige Car Kent service centre, we like to think we offer the best of both worlds!

Looking at getting your car serviced? Then check out our dedicated Service Centre page.

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