To service or not to service

vaderag

I have a 2011 Nissan Qashqai, that does a tiny 3,000 miles per year.
I have religiously serviced it every year up until now, along with it's MOT however I'm now wondering if I'm just wasting my money.
This has been especially highlighted to me by some intermittent issues I'd been having with my battery - every service and MOT said the battery was fine, but the car wasn't starting properly a lot of the time. I recently decided to change the battery and lo and behold it now works great.
Which leads me to ask... if they couldn't test the battery right (or didn't) then what else are they not doing that they're supposed to be doing in these services.
Add in the low mileage (Nissan is a time OR mileage service), and I can't help but think i should drop to every few years or just paying attention to the milage?

Am I right?  

Car_54

No.

The battery is not tested in an MOT test. I'd be quite surprised if it is tested as part of any manufacturer's recommended service.

vaderag

Car_54 said:

No.

The battery is not tested in an MOT test. I'd be quite surprised if it is tested as part of any manufacturer's recommended service.

Well, it was listed on the test sheet... (not MOT, service)
Irrespective of that, why do I need my car serviced every <3000 miles?

walwyn1978

As a minimum I’d be doing the oil and filter every year. That’s basics. 

Also, how long are you planning on running this for? Until it dies? If you want to sell it limited or very intermittent service history will push down your sale price 

EdGasketTheSecond

I change my oil and filter every 6000 miles. In theory you are supposed to change it yearly if that is sooner but in practice you probably don't need to. Maybe oil & filter every two years for you might suffice.

vaderag

walwyn1978 said:

As a minimum I’d be doing the oil and filter every year. That’s basics. 

Also, how long are you planning on running this for? Until it dies? If you want to sell it limited or very intermittent service history will push down your sale price 

Till it dies - sales price isn't of interest to me - probably only worth a few thousand as it is now...

EdGasketTheSecond said:

I change my oil and filter every 6000 miles. In theory you are supposed to change it yearly if that is sooner but in practice you probably don't need to. Maybe oil & filter every two years for you might suffice.

Based on that I'd be good doing it every other year...

facade

Just change the oil & filter every Spring (to get rid of any nasties from colder running in Winter)  Then use an old service sheet to "service" it yourself- mainly counting the wheels, checking the tread depth, liquid levels and that the bulbs all work.

Herzlos

vaderag said:

Irrespective of that, why do I need my car serviced every <3000 miles?

Because low mileage is terrible for cars - the oil isn't likely to be getting warm enough to flow properly for instance.

Servicing isn't hugely expensive and should improve the life of the vehicle. If you're deep in banger territory and happy to run it into the ground, then there's no point servicing it.

patman99

A well-serviced car may go for another 20 years or more.

Mutton_Geoff

Herzlos said:

Servicing isn't hugely expensive and should improve the life of the vehicle. If you're deep in banger territory and happy to run it into the ground, then there's no point servicing it.

Even “deep in banger territory” should include as a minimum, oil, oil filter and air filter. Failure to refresh this at least every 2 years/20,000 miles will accelerate the decline of the vehicle in the same way saving money by not putting fuel in will soon reduce it to a tonne of scrap metal.

Most people don't realise how important oil is for your engine, not only does it lubricate, it cools, cleans, seals and protects the inside of the engine from corrosion.

EdGasketTheSecond

Herzlos said:

Because low mileage is terrible for cars - the oil isn't likely to be getting warm enough to flow properly for instance.

Complete twaddle.