MOT/Service Advice

clg86

Toyota have called me letting me know my MOT and service are due in March. They've said if I have an intermediate service with them at £99, my MOT will be half price at £27.something.

Is this good? My car is 5 years old in March and I bought it new from them. Are they likely to "find issues" with it as I'm not trading it in for a newer model, even though I get at least one phone call a week asking me... Or am I better to take it elsewhere?

Notmyrealname

I never had an issue with my 165,000 mile 2004 MK3 Mondeo at my local Ford dealer with a similar offer.

Road_Hog

It depends on what they do for the service. I find so many of them, are just check, check, check. And then they advise you what needs done. Personally, I'd want an oil change, new plugs and a new air filter on a service, but many don't even do the basics like that.

Notmyrealname

Road_Hog wrote: »

It depends on what they do for the service. I find so many of them, are just check, check, check. And then they advise you what needs done. Personally, I'd want an oil change, new plugs and a new air filter on a service, but many don't even do the basics like that.

Plugs and air filters don't need to be changed every service. Most services are as much about the inspection of components as replacing.

mikey72

60,000 miles for plugs, 40,000 for the air filter on one.

Road_Hog

mikey72 wrote: »

60,000 miles for plugs, 40,000 for the air filter on one.

I'd have to disagree. I'm doing a service on the wife's C3 and having looked at the service schedule, it says 20,000 miles for most of those and the pollen filter as well.

But, putting manufacturers recommendations aside, I think 60K for plugs and 40K for a filter is way too long. He C3 she got off of her parents last January with 15K on the clock and three years old. It has been regularly serviced by the main Citroen dealer and had just had a service in December before we got it.

Just over a year later and it has an extra 17K on the clock and I'm doing the annual service. The filter was filth an seemed like it was the original. A filter cost me £6 inc vat retail. I ran out of time to do the plugs, that'll be done tomorrow. £8 inc vat for four Bosch plugs. Personally I wouldn't run a car for 60K between plug changes and for that amount of money, it is crazy not to replace them.

garethgas

Just as an amateur DIYer, I've decided that I will change plugs at every other service regardless since my little episode many years ago with my old fiesta.
All the plugs had rusted in solid and all snapped clean off with little effort. I had to heat up the remnants and use screw extacors to get them out, whilst praying nothing dropped inside...never again!
Whether this is common or necessary or not, I don't know but the cost of the plugs is relatively cheap and it only takes a few minutes to do.

Notmyrealname

garethgas wrote: »

Just as an amateur DIYer, I've decided that I will change plugs at every other service regardless since my little episode many years ago with my old fiesta.
All the plugs had rusted in solid and all snapped clean off with little effort. I had to heat up the remnants and use screw extacors to get them out, whilst praying nothing dropped inside...never again!
Whether this is common or necessary or not, I don't know but the cost of the plugs is relatively cheap and it only takes a few minutes to do.

This always gets me. You get people saying you shouldn't buy the diesel Mondeos because if the DMF goes it costs money but the spark plugs on the petrols are only changed every third service and you risk threading the holes every time they're changed with a repair bill far in excess of changing a DMF and clutch.

mikey72

Some vauxhalls are out to 80,000 miles or 8 years for plugs.

Mine you, they won't rust in, they're on the top, and always full of a mixture of oil and sludge.