Is car servicing really necessary ?

tomstickland

I do all my own servicing. New cars aren't significantly different from old cars. The same things wear out generally and they're easy to fix - cars are designed for easy assembly in the factory.

Servicing is necessary - things do wear out and need replacing. Oil and filter changes are essential for good engine life. I much prefer doing it myself, because I can make the judgement as to what is necessary. I'll see that the brake pads are getting a bit low and I'll keep my eye on them and then change them when they really need it, not 4 months earlier.

goldspanners

moonrakerz wrote: »

I think your post just goes to show how much proper regular servicing is a must. The things you mention are simply not necessary if the car has been serviced properly.
Coolant - not necessary if your hoses have been checked
Oil - don't you check it before you set off ?, if you need it after that the car definitely needs a service - or more !
Spare belts - same comment as for coolant
Jump leads - already commented

As I said in my last post, if you have the car serviced properly these "most common eventualities" become very unusual rarities.

are you serious. there is no problem in carrying a few consumable parts like this in the boot.even if the car is well serviced.
how do you tell if your hoses are going to burst from the inside.other than pressure testing every single hose.
engines burn oil,this is fact,if you drive a good distance you may need to top it up when you get there.
belts do occasionally jump off,if your alternator belt jumps off the battery goes flat so then you need the jump leads to start the car.
i dont think a really good service can cover any eventuality you may come across on the road,you could be hundreds of miles from home,or a good distance from somewhere open to repair the car or buy parts.

moonrakerz

goldspanners wrote: »

are you serious.

Yes I am totally serious - a well maintained car will rarely fail on the road. I have nearly 40 years driving experience to back up that statement.

As for you saying : "engines burn oil,this is fact,if you drive a good distance you may need to top it up when you get there." If I left Lands End, drove to John O'Groats and found I needed to put oil in when I got there I would be more than a little concerned about the state of that car's engine !

anewman

moonrakerz wrote: »

As for you saying : "engines burn oil,this is fact,if you drive a good distance you may need to top it up when you get there." If I left Lands End, drove to John O'Groats and found I needed to put oil in when I got there I would be more than a little concerned about the state of that car's engine !

Old engines will generally lose quite a bit of oil. I think even according to the manual for my 1994 car, loss of up to 0.6 litres of oil from Lands End, to John O'Groats would not be unexpected. And I suspect my car does lose nearly as much oil as that although it is now 14 years older. I think there only needs to be concern when there is blue smoke and oil goes down something silly like 1 litre per 200 miles. Certainly a little loss isn't a reason to lift out the engine and refurbish it

I try do as much servicing as I can myself.

Those who only take the car in for an MOT and never get the oil changed etc, are going to break down at some point - and when/if they sell the car on, the buyer ends up with a complete mess of a neglected car.

I cannot understand why anyone would not have their car serviced, even if the car is old, as not only the longevity of the car, but also safety is at risk somewhat (although the MOT purports to check safety related things).

Conor_3

in2deep wrote: »

Ok firstly construction and use is NOT the same as an MOT you can pass an MOT only to be stopped by the police outside the garage for fault thats not part of the MOT.

If I take my 1995 import Mitsubishi that doesn't have rear foglights fitted (as they're not a legal requirement in Japan) in for an MOT, will it fail for the lack of foglight or will it pass?

And if it fails, why would it fail?

tomstickland

If I left Lands End, drove to John O'Groats and found I needed to put oil in when I got there I would be more than a little concerned about the state of that car's engine !

If you read the manual then quite a few engines consume oil at a non-neglible rate. It's actually better to consume oil than the other way round, which is to let combusion products into the oil.

moonrakerz

tomstickland wrote: »

If you read the manual then quite a few engines consume oil at a non-neglible rate. It's actually better to consume oil than the other way round, which is to let combusion products into the oil.

I believe a Rolls Royce consumes a fair amount of oil, by design. I'm afraid I don't drive one of those, nor do most people - and I bet Alan Sugar doesn't carry a pint of GTX in the boot either

Optimist

moonrakerz wrote: »

I believe a Rolls Royce consumes a fair amount of oil, by design. I'm afraid I don't drive one of those, nor do most people - and I bet Alan Sugar doesn't carry a pint of GTX in the boot either

His chauffeur probably does, he wouldn't want to be fired!:D

anewman

moonrakerz wrote: »

I believe a Rolls Royce consumes a fair amount of oil, by design.

Don't they have about 12 litres of oil in there or something crazy anyway?

CloudRuler

Have to get my car serviced with Toyota for the first 3 yrs to keep the warranty. Bit of a pain seeing as my parents know a mechanic who used to service my old car for only £30.