How often should I service my car?

It doesn’t matter what car you drive, servicing it is vital. Not only will it help prevent future breakdowns, it will help maintain the performance and safety of your vehicle – and protect your investment.

Cars that have been serviced regularly (and come with the receipts to prove it) are always going to be worth more than those that haven’t. So, if you want your car to hold its value, regular servicing is a complete no-brainer.

But how often do you need to service your car? Let’s take a look!

How regularly are services required?

In a nutshell, this depends on the car you drive and how many miles you cover. Car manufacturers determine a servicing schedule for each model they release based on extensive testing conducted before the vehicle goes on sale. These servicing schedules seek to strike a balance between minimising wear on your engine (and other components) without causing too much inconvenience and expense for the owner.

Basically, your car’s manufacturer knows best! They’ve put an awful lot of thought into their cars’ servicing schedules, so you should adhere to them if you want to take the best care of your vehicle.

You should find these schedules published in your car’s owner’s manual or service record booklet.

They’re based on both time and mileage. For instance, your service schedule might demand an oil change every 12 months or 10,000 miles. You should service your car at whichever comes first; i.e. if you do 10,000 miles in less than 12 months, get the oil changed at that point.

There is a common misconception that if you do fewer miles (say, 5,000 per year), that you can skip services. This is not true. In reality, oil becomes less effective over time – each successive startup introduces contamination like carbon into the oil, hampering its ability to lubricate your engine.

The long and the short of it, then, is that it’s always best to stick to the manufacturer’s recommendations, which will be different for every car: there’s no ‘one size fits all’ here.

Car servicing in Peterborough

Looking for a competent garage to service your vehicle each year? We carry out both interim and full services on a wide variety of vehicles, with some of the best prices in the Peterborough area. Learn more about what our car servicing in Peterborough covers.