Car Servicing

When buying a new car one thing that rarely is thought of is the ongoing maintenance of the chosen vehicle. That is understandable of course as the purchase of a new car is a rare occurrence! Most people don't ever buy new at all. Instead buying a used cars every time the need arises.

The fortunate thing is that most new vehicles these days have service schedules that are further apart. Some cars, like any BMW, have variable service intervals depending on driving habits. This results in less reasons to book a service. While this is advantageous, the risk is your engine may be working hard with dirty engine oil swishing around. This may not be an issue if the driver only has the car for two or three years. It may become an issue in the long run.

The ideal situation is that every few months or 5000km the oil should be checked. In saying this, we are not only inspecting the cleanliness of the oil. The engine oil level is also critical. While under the bonnet, check the coolant level in the (usually a green liquid).

For those who are intent on owning the car for over 3 years, which is at a stage where most manufacturer warranty usually ends, ensuring that the vehicle is well maintained during the early years is important.
A suggestion is to go to your service department negotiate a price to change your car’s engine oil and filter, while checking other vital fluids, in between the recommended services. For instance if your vehicle has a manufacturer recommended interval of 15000km/12mths between services, it would be wise to change the oil and filter at 7500km or at least every 6 months.

In doing this you will ensure the longevity of the cars vital components, and less risk of costly repairs when the vehicle is out of new car warranty.
Adding to that, in usual cases it will be of benefit when you want a trade in valuation.

So the name of the game is to look after your car to ensure trouble free motoring!