Car servicing necessary?

wright25

Hi

I have an 06 plate Citroen. I do about 10,000 miles per year, mainly motorway miles.
I bought it at 42k miles and it had just had a major service. Since then it's not had a service, just regular oil + filter changes and fluid top-ups by me.

Just had an MOT (passed) and the mechanic said I really ought to get it serviced, as it hasn't had new spark plugs, the brake fluid changed, coolant changed (and some other things he listed) in 40k miles.

Are any of these things necessary? Would *not* replacing / changing these things lead to costly repairs in the future?

I do plan on keeping the car for at least 12 months I think.

Thanks in advance

albert101

Hi there,

You do quite significant mileage, and presumably breakdowns would have a big impact on your life. Also, your car is getting on a bit in age now, so breakdowns might become more likely. If I were you, I would service it once a year - if cash is short, maybe a minor service one year and a major one the next.

Not maintaining an older car is a false economy IMHO, and could make it more likely you will have a major engine problems which could be very expensive or cause you to have to bin it.

Good luck,

Albert

angrycrow

Most Citroens run on 2 year or 20k miles servicing with oil change between. On this basis you have missed 4 oil changes including 2 major services. You will also be due a cambelt / timing chain replacement which is likely to be due at 100k or 10 years whichever comes first. Most likely cambelt at that age and if it breaks you will be looking at major damage to the valves and pistons.

Get it in for a major service and belt change.

WobblyDog

On some engines (eg. the old Ford Endura-E), the spark plugs have a tendency to seize in the cylinder head and break apart when removal is attempted. That's quite expensive to fix. Changing spark plugs at regular intervals reduces the chances of that happening. I don't know if your car is affected by that issue.

mrmot

Brake fluid absorbs water, which leads to corrosion, which you don't want in things like the brake cylinders and ABS pump, similar story with coolant, once the corrosion inhibitors are used up.

forgotmyname

Ignore it and pray it blows up so you can get a better car.

AdrianC

wright25 wrote: »

Are any of these things necessary? Would *not* replacing / changing these things lead to costly repairs in the future?

Yes, and yes.

peter12345678910

I would do these things minimum, period; after more miles you would also need to change the gear oil, fuel filter, PSF, ignition coil, check battery terminals and clean MAF sensor or the other type of air sensor, pollen filter and air filter, also check the Air Conditioning. If you do change the spark plugs also change the leads unless the ignition coils are also the spark plug leads. Have a look under the car, if there is rust you may also need to buy a metal brush!

If you buy the Haynes book it will list all the services needed and when to do them.

foxy-stoat

Look at servicing as preventative maintenance - a car has lots of moving parts that wear and eventually fail. If you do not replace the wearing parts until they fail you will end up paying for a recovery as well as repairing the fault, also makes your car a money pit for the next poor sap who buys it.

motorguy

angrycrow wrote: »

Most Citroens run on 2 year or 20k miles servicing with oil change between. On this basis you have missed 4 oil changes including 2 major services. You will also be due a cambelt / timing chain replacement which is likely to be due at 100k or 10 years whichever comes first. Most likely cambelt at that age and if it breaks you will be looking at major damage to the valves and pistons.

Get it in for a major service and belt change.

He says in his original post hes been doing regular oil and filter changes.

angrycrow

motorguy wrote: »

He says in his original post hes been doing regular oil and filter changes.

Not sure how I missed that. In that case not so bad after all. Probably could do with air and pollen filter but if you are self servicing no need for a garage service other than cambelt.