Service
Why have your car serviced?
There are a number of reasons to have your car serviced, your car is made up of thousands of moving components if we take the engine, the oil in the engine breaks down over time and use it also degrades with carbon for the combustion chambers if it isn't changed regularly it become like treacle and eventually you will have excessive wear and finally the engine will sieze, resulting in a costly unplanned repair. Likewise your brakes need regular inspections and cleaning to ensure you get the maximum value for money and safety from them. This principle applies to all the other areas we look at when we service your car. It also helps you know the condition of your car and plan for the replacement of brakes etc, NB these items are not part of an MOT (see MOT section).
Here's a summary of our service options...
Short Service
Our short service consists of...
Under bonnet checks
- Oil and Filter change.
- Checking coolant levels and washer bottle levels.
- Checking condition of brake fluid.
- Check condition of battery and charging system
In the cab
- Replacement of cabin filter (if fitted).
Vehicle electric checks
- All exterior lights are checked and any bulbs replaced as required.
- Operation of washers and front and rear screen wipers together with the condition of wiper blades.
- Operation of the heater and it general controls.
- Operation of the horn.
- That no warning lights are showing.
Checking the operation of all doors
- Greasing hinges and locks for all closures.
General
- Resetting service indicator and stamping service booklet
- Following any work carried out we then take your car on a short road test to ensure the vehicle drives as we would expect it to.
Full Service
Our full service consists of...
Under bonnet
- Oil and filter change.
- Fuel filter change.
- Air filter change.
- Top up the washer bottle level and add additive.
- Checking condition of brake fluid (cleanliness and boiling point).
- Check for oil leaks.
- Change spark plugs (petrol)
- Add fuel system cleaner
- Check coolant system for leaks, general condition of components and antifreeze strength.
- Check condition of battery and charging system
- Grease battery terminals and check electrolite levels.
In the cab
- We would expect to replace the cabin filter (if fitted).
- Check the operation of all doors and locks.
- Check the operation of interior lights/switches.
- Operation of seat slides.
Vehicle electric checks
- All exterior lights are checked and any bulbs replaced as required.
- Operation of washers and front and rear screen wipers together with the condition of wiper blades.
- Operation of the heater and it's general controls.
- Operation of the horn.
- That no warning lights are showing.
Checking the operation of all doors
- Greasing hinges and locks for all closures.
Under body
- Condition of exhaust system.
- Check dampers for leaks.
- Check condition of suspension bushes.
- Check for leaks and condition of coolant system hoses.
- Check for oil leaks and gearbox and final drive oil levels.
- Check fuel system for condition and leaks.
- Check suspension and drivetrain gaitors for condition.
Wheels off
- Inspect condition of tyres and adjust tyre pressures (check for nails, punctures and excessive tracking wear etc).
- Inspect front discs and pads for condition and wear.
- Remove rear drums and inspect condition of wheel cylinders and shoes.
- Clean and remove excess dust from front and rear brakes.
- Check condition of suspension components.
General
- Resetting service indicator and stamping service booklet
- Following any work carried out we then take your car on a short road test to ensure the vehicle drives as we would expect it to.
Manufacturers Schedule
- This type of service is fine for a car within the first three years of use, and is the manufacturers recommended service for either the mileage or time base whichever limit is reached the soonest.
- Although we are happy to carry this out for you, there are a number of items we would recommend adding to this type of service. For instance some manufacturers recommend inspecting the rear brakes through an inspection hole in the drum (approx 12mm in diameter), whereas we would always recommend removal of the drum for a complete inspection of the rear brake system, including rear brake shoes, wheel cylinders, linkage and adjusters. This gives you peace of mind that there are no hidden surprises waiting that could result in more expensive repairs.