Ideal Servicing – The Importance of a Full Service

Ideal Servicing – The Importance of a Full Service

A full service is the best treatment you can give your vehicle to find or prevent faults on your vehicle. A service should be preformed once a year on most vehicles. Some people perform the just before they book their vehicle in for the yearly MOT test. While the service is more expensive than either an oil service or a small service there are good reasons for this.

The average would contain something like this:

Remove old oil

Remove old oil filter

Replace oil filter

Fill to recommended level with new oil

Replace spark plugs on petrol vehicles

Replace the fuel filter

Check/replace the cabin air filter(pollen filter)

Visually inspect coolant hoses for weakness

Visually inspect drive belts for wear

Check the brake fluid level and condition

Check the power steering fluid level

Check coolant level and condition

Inspect air filter element

Visually inspect engine and engine bay for excessive leaks

Vehicle exterior inspection

Check wiper blades

Inspect glass for chips or cracks

Raise the vehicle on a lift and remove the tyres

Check tyre condition and tread depth

Visually inspect the braking system

Visually inspect the suspension system

Visually inspect the exhaust system

Perform an exterior light check

Oil door hinges and bonnet catch

Basic valet service

If you think of the amount of work involved you are getting a lot for your money. The service is sometimes viewed as a pre mot check over as the only real thing left that is not tested is the emissions levels which can only be done at the MOT station during the test. This should not create a problem for most cars as with the service you are optimising the running performance of the vehicle by replacing the kep parts that normally cause the vehicle to fail emissions.

A qualified mechanic should perform the full service for you and be able to let you know any problems they might find. They should also offer you guidance on how to have problems sorted before they get larger and more costly.