Is it sensible to delay getting a car serviced to save money, if it has low mileage?

ididgetwhereiamtoday

Just get it serviced when you get it MOTd. 

Simple. I’ve found generally main dealers are not far off independents for pricing and you have the added security of no excuses if you needed to claim off the warranty. 

Ron246235

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Just get it serviced when you get it MOTd. 

The MOT and service dates are six months different, unfortunately. Also, the point was that I want to save money by getting it serviced less often.

Johnmcl7

As some others have pointed out it's not necessarily good for a car sitting around for too long hence manufacturers recommend services based on age or mileage.  My car does very low mileage but I get it serviced every year and as the car ages it ensures any issues are picked up quickly and resolved.

I wouldn't consider a car that had kept missing its services on times as it may mean the car has missed other work that was needing done and could mean problems occurring due to the lack of maintenance.  

DigSunPap

I always just get a full service when my MOT is due. It is suggested that you do a service annually so I have always done it this way to kill two birds with one stone. It reduces your risk of having any issues further down the line, so I would say that its worth it.

Herzlos

You really should service a car *more* when it's doing really low mileage, as it's not as likely to be running at a proper temperature for as long.

I've always got mine serviced and MOT'd at the same time for convenience since I only need to be without the car once, and so that little MOT issues can be caught during the service. It won't cost much for you to bring the MOT forward 6 months to match the servicing schedule.

Stateofart

If it's got a warranty, not servicing at the right time will invalidate it.  Also, in the future, if you do want to warranty, it might be impossible to claim due to missing services.

ontheroad1970

Ron246235 said:

ididgetwhereiamtoday said:

Just get it serviced when you get it MOTd. 

The MOT and service dates are six months different, unfortunately. Also, the point was that I want to save money by getting it serviced less often.

Servicing less often can be a little like the short cut in Lord of the Rings - "Short cuts lead to long detours".  Saving a little money now may end up costing you a lot more money in the future.  Even getting someone to simply change the oil and filters every other year and getting the car serviced properly every other year would be better than what you're suggesting.  

Dave_5150

Is it sensible to delay getting a car serviced to save money, if it has low mileage? -  No, saving a little by skipping regular maintenance now will increase the liklihood of more expensive future problems.

Would the resale value be affected? Yes.

A sensible approach to save money would be to find a reputable local garage to carry out regular servicing to the manufacturer specication. 

maxmycardagain

If  your car uses a cambelt be aware the change is usually something like "100,000 mile OR 5 years - whichever comes first", so a 40,000 miles 5 year car needs a new belt (and usually water pump), cambelt failure usually means a new £10,000 engine, a belt change is around £400

Bigwheels1111

maxmycardagain said:

If  your car uses a cambelt be aware the change is usually something like "100,000 mile OR 5 years - whichever comes first", so a 40,000 miles 5 year car needs a new belt (and usually water pump), cambelt failure usually means a new £10,000 engine, a belt change is around £400

My 5008 is 10 years or 112000 miles.
In 7 years I’m at 23k so will wait until it’s ten.
Might have 35k on the clock by then, £499 for belt kit, water pump and anti freeze at the main dealer.