How do you minimise car servicing costs?

engineer_amy

with a bit of time and effort, you can save quite a bit of money. My dad always told me if you want the convenience of dropping the car off at the garage and them to "sort out whatever needs doing" you will definitely pay for it.


My first 2 cars were an 02 clio and an 06 megane. Dad taught me all the basic maintenance on them, changed spark plugs, changed oil and filters etc. At MOT time, we got a mechanic friend to give it the once over for any issues and the only thing he had to do on a couple of occasions was replace the brake pads. (NI- government run MOT centres, so mechanic had nothing to gain for pointing out unnecessary work)
I was going to go an do an evening course on car maintenance at my local college, thinking an investment of about £100 for the course could save me thousands in the long run, but then I realised that there are tutorial videos for nearly every car model and procedure on youtube, and car owner forums for every model too. I have solved quite a few car issues by having a chat with experts online and trial and error.


So if you are willing to do a bit of learning about your own car maintenance, and do the legwork when getting quotes for new tyres etc, you can save a fortune

seagull104

The only real cheap way is to do it yourself. I always have but then I run older cars which makes life easier for the amateur mechanic. For example, a typical minor service just involves changing oil and filters and "inspecting" the rest. Most garages charge £100+. The bits cost £25.00.
But if you don't know what you're doing it could prove fatal, never mind expensive! Which might happen if you don't do any servicing at all.
I recently tried to help a woman whose car wouldn't start outside a sports club. When I tried to open the bonnet it was obvious that the car, a VW Polo model which I know inside out, had not been near a garage or any other mechanic for several years. The mounting hinge mechanism on the bonnet was almost seized up. The fault turned out to be quite serious (the battery was effectively short circuit) and the car had to be loaded and removed on a trailer. I shudder to think of the final bill which basic sevicing would have avoided. The car was just seven years old.
So if you want to run and keep a reliable motor just bite the bullet. Or go to night school - do they have it any more?
As a Computer System salesman and ex-designer I always enjoyed getting up to my elbows in grease. A great way to relax.

jgriggle

A service is normally just an oil and filter change, sometimes an air filter and spark plug change as well, all of which are very easy to do yourself with basic tools. Plenty of tutorials on YouTube. My old car had stamps in the service book, and when I bought it I just kept a record of everything I'd done to it, noting date and mileage and keeping the receipts. Things like brake pads, although relatively straightforward should be left to the professionals if you're not confident.

I'd also recommend getting a code reader off eBay - if the car does throw up a fault code you may not be able to do anything about it, but you can find out online what the fault is, what the likely fix is and how much the garage should be charging you.

Pixie5740

You can have your MOT done at Council Test Centres (the test centres council's use to MOT their own vehicles). All they will do is MOT your vehicle. If it fails/needs work doing on it they can't do that so there is no incentive for them to create extra work over and above the MOT.

tazminator3

MrsTinks wrote: »

If you're mechanically minded and the car doesn't have 50 billion computers then there is nothing stopping you doing most of it yourself

Alternatively try asking around for friends who are mechanics and might be willing to do it for you - them doing it on your driveway might be a lot cheaper as ultimately you're paying parts and their time - but their time will be cheaper as there is no business overhead to cover in the cost and their hourly rate will be more than they normally make, but less than you would normally pay IYSWIM?

It's not without risk I guess as you would have little come back like you might with a garage that did a shoddy job, but that's a risk decision you need to make.

Both the husband and I are mechanically minded, however neither of us have the time or inclination to do services on our cars even if we could (50 billion computers...) - and service stamps sadly are still important to our cars as they're newish. The issue with needing new cars for the line of work we're in.

Brakes are silly easy to do though - is it pads and disks? Or just pads? And do all of them need doing?

Google youtube videos of how to change brakes - depending on your car this is actually a very easy job

I SERIOUSLY think you need to retract the above, & I quote: "Brakes are silly easy to do though - is it pads and disks? Or just pads? And do all of them need doing?", as from what I've seen of peoples "attempts" at their brake "repairs", it make's me really wonder how the hell they managed to pass their tests & obtain a Driving Licence!! It is a part of the car that does need a competent person's knowledge to do & do it safely too! The car you have and possibly the knowledge you have (along with tools), may see you through your brake repairs, but not others I'm afraid! So if it looks easy to do, just remember. If it gets above your head once started & you don't feel confident in it, get in touch with a professional because if your brakes fail after you have been messing about with them, your insurance will be null & void if the fault is down to your inexperience & proved so too!

Ilona

You can save money by driving correctly. I can't remember when I last had brakes changed in my last three cars. The thing to do is not brake or accelerate harshly. Read the road ahead, if you are approaching a roundabout take your foot off the gas before you get there and let the car slow down naturally. Down the gears as you slow down, braking at the last minute if you have to. Rushing up to a situation and then having to brake harshly will use more petrol and reduce the life of the pads.

Remove all clutter from the car, extra weight uses more fuel. Remove roof bars if not being used.

Take some advanced driving lesson to learn how to drive properly. Being aware of what might happen in front of you means you can plan your driving and not be caught out by something unexpected so you have to take evasive action.

I get my mot and service done at the same time. It's usually cheaper to book online.
Ilona

JuliusCaesar

Once a car is out of warranty there is no need for an annual service according to the manufacturers' instructions. Unless you are intending to sell the car while it is still relatively new, a service book full of stamps is an expensive luxury. Most service items are just checks anyway, which are picked up in the MOT. I just have the oil and filter changed annually. Places like National Tyre do this for a fixed price, but local garages may do it cheaper. It is fairly easy to check yourself if brake pads need changing. If they do, you can phone around for quotes. Order tyres online and have them fitted locally (e.g. from Tyreshopper which is part of National Tyre, but cheaper). Check the manufacturer's recommendations and have other checks and replacements carried out only when needed, such as changing brake fluid.

sourcrates

tazminator3 wrote: »

I SERIOUSLY think you need to retract the above, & I quote: "Brakes are silly easy to do though - is it pads and disks? Or just pads? And do all of them need doing?", as from what I've seen of peoples "attempts" at their brake "repairs", it make's me really wonder how the hell they managed to pass their tests & obtain a Driving Licence!! It is a part of the car that does need a competent person's knowledge to do & do it safely too! The car you have and possibly the knowledge you have (along with tools), may see you through your brake repairs, but not others I'm afraid! So if it looks easy to do, just remember. If it gets above your head once started & you don't feel confident in it, get in touch with a professional because if your brakes fail after you have been messing about with them, your insurance will be null & void if the fault is down to your inexperience & proved so too!

I think mrs Tinks was referring to the home mechanic not someone who doesn't know one end of a spanner from the other.

Any basic home mechanic can change disks and pads, it's a simple removal of bolts, disassemble then reassemble, no need to mess with brake fluid, anyone can do it with a Haynes manual.

MrsTinks

sourcrates wrote: »

I think mrs Tinks was referring to the home mechanic not someone who doesn't know one end of a spanner from the other.

Any basic home mechanic can change disks and pads, it's a simple removal of bolts, disassemble then reassemble, no need to mess with brake fluid, anyone can do it with a Haynes manual.

I SERIOUSLY started that whole post with "If you're mechanically minded"...

If you can't be trusted to put windscreen wash in your car without tipping it in the brake fluid reservoir, or topping up your oil in the petrol tank because you didn't know the bonnet even opened... then probably it's a fair assumption that you won't work out how to get past the locking wheel nuts to get to the brake pads. Or get the wheels off (hint - it has to be jacked up once the nuts are loose...)

Now I'm SERIOUSLY going to go to bed

OP let us know how you got on (or your OH did!)

DrWatson1

Ilona wrote: »

You can save money by driving correctly. I can't remember when I last had brakes changed in my last three cars. The thing to do is not brake or accelerate harshly. Read the road ahead, if you are approaching a roundabout take your foot off the gas before you get there and let the car slow down naturally. Down the gears as you slow down, braking at the last minute if you have to. Rushing up to a situation and then having to brake harshly will use more petrol and reduce the life of the pads.

Remove all clutter from the car, extra weight uses more fuel. Remove roof bars if not being used.

Take some advanced driving lesson to learn how to drive properly. Being aware of what might happen in front of you means you can plan your driving and not be caught out by something unexpected so you have to take evasive action.

I get my mot and service done at the same time. It's usually cheaper to book online.
Ilona

Great post. I don't exactly dither while driving, but just by being proactive rather than reactive you can save greatly on general wear and tear. For example, I've managed to get nearly 50k miles out of my rear tyres, and there is hardly any wear at all on my brakes after the same amount of miles.