Servicing.... do you bother?

[tapir]

Yearly full service for both of mine, always with good fully sync oil, tend also to fix things before they fail if at all possible. I don't want to be at the side of the road awaiting recovery

Just because cars are cheap doesn't mean they don't get looked after!

[gordonbennet]

Part of running shite, and i mean long term ownership (not bangernomics of buying cheap running till it breaks and scrapping), is maintaining it and driving it with mechanical sympathy for as long a life as possible.

 

Part of our shiter philosophy is we do not want what car makers now make for a variety of reasons, that goes hand in hand with a good ignoring of what passes as modern servicing, which means as little as possible for as short a life as possible after warranty expires so more new cars can be bought to replace them.

[reanimation-films]

Basic service, oil and filters really. My dad was a mechanic of sorts self employed but showed me next to naff all, just grouched and moaned and shouted etc.

So I feel I should do it but self learnt through trial and error how to do jobs, also bought my own tools. I think in my early days I didn't do any service really been a bit more religious with it over the last 15 years. When you look at HBOL theres loads to do to get it right but I just try keep an eye on things, oldest car is from 1982 so not too needy really besides everything is slowly getting renewed anyway!. 

[hairymel]

generally my daily driver gets its first wash after six months/a year when i decide its a keeper and gets serviced sometime in the next indeterminate period.

 

i have had my long suffering mondeo tdci for 2 1/2 years , its been washed 3 times i think, and i have been driving around with a set of unfitted service parts/oil for the last 9 months.

 

i do keep the oil topped up and repair/replace stuff that's grumbling (unless it breaks first!)

 

to be fair its been at least a decade since i have paid more than £350 for a get me to work car so i have less investment to maintain

[MikeKnight]

Absolutely, yes.

 

Even my shitty little 1.2 Corsa B that I use as a town car gets regularly serviced.

 

Course on the Supra it's far more important. Turbo doesn't like being ignored.

[rantingYoof]

I've only owned a few cars long enough to have them properly serviced. I tend to own cars between MOTs and put 6-7k on them in a year - will sell with 12 month's ticket if I'm ever going to.

 

The Volvo is going to get a proper pamper when MOT/service time is due in June. As I'm about to begin using it more frequently, driving around rural roads, it's going to get all advisories fixed on top of any failures that may happen, and a service to boot!

[myglaren]

My planned servicing schedule tends to be far more comprehensive than what actually gets done. 

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And they've got all oil drips and that on them. 

And in alignment with Spud and AngryDicky.

 

I always intend to do it every six months 6,000 miles or less but there is sometimes some slippage - I was going to do it last August but time has got away with me again.

There is a slight problem as the guy I buy oil and filters from is never there when I am not at work, very hard to catch him and I feel guilty going elsewhere.

The handbrake has been a bit odd and just after Christmas the was a bit of a clonk from the front brakes, then the exhaust started blowing and last year there was an advisory for slightly corroded brake pipes so slung it in to my friendly local Polish garage (they are excellent)! 

 

New discs, callipers, pads (naturally) handbrake cables and guides and a new back box. And new brake pipes the length of the car.

Cost almost what I paid for the car.  Needed doing of course.

Due to an unfortunate chain of events and dealer ineptitude it took 5 days rather then the one it should have done.

 

Upside is it is smoother, faster, quieter and more economical*

 

*some or all of these may be wishful thinking.