Air conditioning service - every two years - really?

MalMonroe

Doc_N said:

EssexExile said:

I've just booked my car in for a service. It's odd that they often tell me the brake fluid needs changing. It's not part of the scheduled service yet it needs changing every couple of years at a cost of £lots. I don't think so. Same with air con but, as it's not a safety matter, it'll get looked at if it stops working.

£65 for a Skoda dealership brake fluid change. Around £40 at Halfords. An easy job to do yourself - but from past experience it would take me a day, followed by another at the dealer’s putting it right.

Thank you for the smile, and a Merry Christmas, too 

SergeantBaker

ontheroad1970 said:

Grey_Critic said:

For all who say they have ignored the book and never had a problem you will find an equal or greater number who have.

As I have said it is YOUR choice - Don't complain if things go wrong.

Not all that lucky. If she’d been stopped with four bald tyres she’d only have got four points.

It is THREE points per tyre

You will normally only get the points for the most serious offence, and at the highest number of points.  You will normally get the fines for each, however.

So how many points for a defective tyre?

Bigwheels1111

I made sure a brake fluid change was included in my service plan.
Peugeot main dealer plan via emac,
5 year plan for £900.
£15 a month does not break the bank.

Ibrahim5

Changing brake fluid properly takes a while. Sucking a bit of old fluid out of the reservoir and putting new in takes seconds. The customer has no idea what they have done. I have read that standards are generally even lower than normal on service plans.

MX5huggy

Doc_N said:

daveyjp said:

Our Yaris is over 5 years old, has expensive aircon gas, the system has never been switched off and it works as well now as when new.

That's exactly the way I thought on our last cars.  Everything seemed to be working perfectly, just like new - and then, very suddenly, it wasn't.  An expensive repair would have been avoided with a little routine maintenance.

What was the failure? And what was the service check or maintenance that would have avoided that failure? 

Doc_N

MX5huggy said:

Doc_N said:

daveyjp said:

Our Yaris is over 5 years old, has expensive aircon gas, the system has never been switched off and it works as well now as when new.

That's exactly the way I thought on our last cars.  Everything seemed to be working perfectly, just like new - and then, very suddenly, it wasn't.  An expensive repair would have been avoided with a little routine maintenance.

What was the failure? And what was the service check or maintenance that would have avoided that failure? 

Not sure. It was a Golf, and everything had been fine - I always turned down the aircon services on the grounds that they were unnecessary - until it just stopped blowing cold air. The dealer said it was beyond economic repair. I’d even made sure it was used from time to time throughout the winter to avoid the seals going.

lemondrops69

Grey_Critic said:

In my time in the motor trade I came across many things but the one thing that created the most problems was people who ignored or thought what the customer manual said did not apply to them.  

The instruction book - which is what a customer manual is - is not a New York Times best seller - it is not a work of fiction. If it advises/recommends you do something - Check your oil weekly - check your tyre pressures, service every X miles or Y months whichever comes first are to help you enjoy trouble free motoring.

If you know better and ignore what it says that is OK just don’t complain when things go wrong.

For all who say they have ignored the book and never had a problem you will find an equal or greater number who have.

One of my Granddaughters has just had to have 4 new tyres because she did not bother checking them - as it says in the book - and was very lucky not to get 12 points.

Ummm, of course thats if the 'instruction book' has the correct information, for instance BMW claim that the automatic gearbox on their vehicles are 'sealed for life', but ZF who actually make the gearbox for BMW recommend an oil and filter service every 62,000 miles or 8 years, whichever the vehicle reaches the soonest. I do know changing the gearbox oil at the recommended interval greatly improves the shift smoothness

Bigwheels1111

Ibrahim5 said:

Changing brake fluid properly takes a while. Sucking a bit of old fluid out of the reservoir and putting new in takes seconds. The customer has no idea what they have done. I have read that standards are generally even lower than normal on service plans.

That’s true. I mark the wheels, air filter,pollen filters,sump plug,brake nipples and adblue neck.
To make sure it’s all done.
Caught out my local Peugeot dealer, did not refill adblue, brake fluid and pollen filter change.
I said did your fitter put the rag in the adblue tank then.
Did he fit after market Mann polled filters, no I did.
Plus is that his long blond hair wrapped around the bark fluid cap, no that’s my wife’s.

Grumpy_chap

lemondrops69 said:

BMW claim that the automatic gearbox on their vehicles are 'sealed for life', but ZF who actually make the gearbox for BMW recommend an oil and filter service every 62,000 miles or 8 years, 

Maybe BMW do not expect the rest of the vehicle to have that long a life