|
As the car gets older, these things carry less weight.
|
|
The OP says "As soon as the car is out of warranty".
|
|
|
|
"Better resale value"
That's got to be one of the biggest myths in car ownership. The reality is that trade and private buyers use any excuse going to support a low bid. These days, mainstream cars over 5 years old are approaching banger money anyway, so there's not much room in the price to recoup the extra cost of main dealer servicing.
|
"Better resale value" That's got to be one of the biggest myths in car ownership. The reality is that trade and private buyers use any excuse going to support a low bid.
The reality is FMDSH is very important factor for a cars value, but the vast majority of cars don't have it..! Amazing how many don't have ANY service history (to me a good reason to knock of 40% minimum). What do you expect if you don't look after your car..?
AFAIR FMDSH is not always that expensive.
|
|
|
|
Cars are just nicer to drive when properly maintained. I agree that reliability of modern cars is such that they will drag themselves along until the very end however neglected, but an engine given scheduled maintenance will always be smoother, more responsive, more powerful and more frugal than an identical engine which has done 60,000 miles on the same oil, filters and spark plugs. Ditto a car that has had bushes and dampers replaced as they wear rather than if they ever fail an MoT will feel sharper, tauter and "newer" than one which never gets put on the ramps and prodded about. A car which has regular checks of brakes and problems such as sticking caliper slides cleaned and regreased will stop better and with less effort... etc etc.
There's also a better chance of spotting problems or replacing failure prone components as a matter of course before they cause the car to break down (on a motorway in the rain with the kids in the back - sod's law), or their failure damages another more expensive component. This does however rely on a degree of trust between mechanic and punter, which can often be lacking as in the other threads on this site.
Plus everything cheddar says, although I guess he's thinking of main dealer servicing, specifically. I get the Renault serviced at the main dealer to preserve warranty, but once that's up it's going to an indie. The Mondeo has been 100% DIY in the 2 and a bit years I've had it. The only time it's ever seen a professional mechanic is at MOT time.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
I think the OP definition of not bothering with servicing is a lot different from most people?s.
I?ll bet there are many cars out there that don?t get their oil changed, and very few would have 6mth brake examinations.
|
I think the OP definition of not bothering with servicing is a lot different from most people’s.
Agreed, I was expecting another "I've never looked under my bonnet for the last 3 years..." post, but it turns out the OP is just a normal person who doesn't like being ripped off by main dealers. As a DIY-servicer, I sometimes go to the local Nissan dealer for parts (some parts are very difficult to source through motor factors), but wouldn't dream of taking the car there for any work. It only sees a garage at MOT-time, or for things like exhausts which aren't easy to change in the street. I deliberately bought a car without a cambelt to minimise the likelihood of spending money at garages.
|
There are two rather crucial and often neglected items that will be missed if you only go for the oil and filter changes.
1 - Brake fluid - should be changed every two years, as a safety issue this should be carried out and can save extra expense later on when cylinders fail due to corrosion.
2 - Coolant - again, should be changed every couple of years. No safety aspect to this one, but can also save extra expense later on.
You should definately have your serviced properly, once out of warrenty just find a good local indy.
|
2 - Coolant - again should be changed every couple of years.
Ford (and probably others) life their coolant at 10 years nowadays.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
|
|
|
Sorry moonshine, I did think about that and deliberately left it off my list as I didnt want to list everything that you should check, but you are correct.
I think my question is, if you keep a record of what needs to be done and when, then having it done my a reutbale indie or DIY if you can, then is this better than simply taking it to a main dealer and getting things changed when they suggest. And does it really have an impacton you car these days, as one post said, cars these days will keep on draggingthemselves along, and I think I read, maybe on this forum, that the typical economical repair life of a car was 7 years, so after the warranty is it really cose effective to continue with main dealer servicing?
|
|
|
1 - Brake fluid - should be changed every two years as a safety issue this should be carried out and can save extra expense later on when cylinders fail due to corrosion.
I know 2yrs is pretty universal - but how come the Honda change interval is 3yrs?
|
|
|
|
When I was a lot more fixated on these things, I used to keep tank-by-tank mileage figures for the first decent car (Mondeo MkI) I ran and had serviced regularly. The graph was perfectly saw toothed. I worked out that the fuel savings paid for almost exactly half the cost of the services.
The other point (that my wife made the other day) is that we've not had a "mechanical" based breakdown since I started having cars serviced rather than repaired.
That said, keeping up with oil changes might well do the trick for 90% of problems.
The thing I think would be missed is when it's up on the ramps and someone notices that the brake pipes are about to give way, for instance.
V
|
Depends if the vehicle is a wreck, something you want to keep running reliably or whether you value your safety doesn't it?
|
"Hello Mr Dox, XYZ Garage here, we have your vehicle on the ramps and note that the front brakes are worn and replacement will be £1,000,000. Would you like us to go ahead and fit them?"
"No thank you, but thanks for bringing it to my attention"
How easy was that? Get a second oppinion and quote!
|
I have a local independant guy who runs a garage by himself, who has three ramps on the go at any one time so most likely very efficient.
He doesnt do electronic diagnostics but for any mechanical/servicing work, even on very modern stuff, he is cheap but very competant, willing to have a go and always very fair and honest.
As such, having a car regularly serviced is hardly a big expense and the potential problems of unreliability and potential faults not being spotted makes it money well spent to me - I like piece of mind when I drive my cars, be they old bangers or relatively new cars.
With my Suzuki van intended as a long term proposition, I am having Suzuki do the servicing until the warranty runs out in 18 months, then my indie will do the servicing with genuine Suzuki parts from that point onwards which he is happy to do. I will keep the van indefinatly unless the engine/gearbox give up or our ever so clever government decide its too old. For that reason, correct servicing is important to maintain its long term useability AND for £250 per year, it will be 25 years before I spend the cost of a new van, so maintaining this one makes more sense than getting a new one.
|
|
|
|
The graph was perfectly saw toothed. I worked out that the fuel savings paid for almost exactly half the cost of the services.
Vin - sorry for being a bit slow on the uptake, but do you mean that fuel economy improved after each service?
|
"sorry for being a bit slow on the uptake, but do you mean that fuel economy improved after each service?"
Yes - I can't recall the exact amount, but it was significant. I've mentioned it on here before and been told that with a newer engine one might not see the same improvement.
V
|
I have always kept a log of fuel consumption: I never have seen an improvement after REGULAR servicing..
As we now keep cars for decades, FMSH for 6 years then DIY. Works perfectly , saves £100s a year.
And by DIY I mean DIY by the maker's recommendations.
Any car with a coolant change every 2 years? Forget it and use long life stuff.(provided meets maker's spec).
madf
|
>>The other point (that my wife made the other day) is that we've not had a "mechanical" based breakdown since I started having cars serviced rather than repaired.
Lucky you. Parts can fracture unexpectedly. Alternators and starter motors can fail with no warning. Coolant pipes can spring leaks. etc. etc. etc.
Regular servicing can have little impact on such failures. You wouldn't replace a head gasket on a Rover annually, would you?
On the other hand, poor starting in winter can be rectified with new 'plugs etc. etc.
______________________________
The above should not be construed as a recommendation or advice. Be
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
