What's Checked On Your Car Service?
Understand the different types of car servicing and what's included in each
As a collection of many moving parts, your car needs a regular check-up to make sure that everything’s working efficiently, and as it should for it to live a long and happy life.
Keeping breakdowns and costly repairs at bay, your service is usually an annual occurrence (or a set amount of miles), designed to check and replace the parts that suffer wear and tear throughout the year.
What’s the difference between an MOT and a service?
It’s important to understand that an MOT and service are different. Your MOT is required by law to take place annually in order for your car to legally remain on the road; it’s to check the safety of your vehicle, and ensure that it’s not a risk to you or other road users. You can see our full guide to MOTs here.
Your service on the other hand isn’t compulsory, but if you fail to adhere to your vehicle’s service schedule, as set out by the manufacturer, you may find things start to fail, or run less efficiently than they could do. We’ve talked here about the reasons you should get your car serviced. It can be done in the same appointment as your MOT, but they are different.
What are the types of car service - and what’s included?
The type of service your vehicle requires each year will depend on your car manufacturer’s service schedule. They will usually recommend a service every year, or every time your car covers a certain amount of miles (such as 6,000 or 10,000), whichever comes first.
The service your car is due can range from:
An interim service
You’ll usually find that your car’s first ever service will be an interim service; as it’s relatively new, there shouldn’t be too much that needs checking or adjusting. It's mainly to replace your oil and oil filter, and check your drive belt, tyres, lights, steering, suspension and fluid levels. It shouldn’t take long; you’ll be back on the road in no time.
A full service
You’ll probably encounter a full service at the next service interval after an interim. This will cover everything that an interim service includes, plus further inspections of elements like the air conditioning system, alternator, and exhaust system. If your car runs on diesel, you may find that the fuel filter will need to be replaced at this point too.
A major service
A major service usually happens when the car is over 2 years old, or reaches around 24,000 miles. Here, everything that’s covered by a full and interim service is checked and adjusted or replaced as necessary, plus a more in-depth inspection of the brakes takes place, including a brake fluid replacement. You may also find that your spark plugs are replaced if this is applicable to your car.
Car servicing in East Anglia at EMG
We’re proud to offer servicing to a wide range of makes and models across East Anglia at our EMG service centres. We’re approved repairers for Kia, Mazda, Nissan, MG, Ford, Vauxhall, Mitsubishi, Citroën and Hyundai, but we’re happy to say that our experienced technicians can turn their hand to the whole spectrum of manufacturers.
Knowing which service to get on your car can sometimes be a bit confusing, but we’re here to help. Simply contact us to find out more about the services we offer, and what your car needs next.
When you trust us with the maintenance of your car, we’ll do everything we can to ensure it performs to the best of its ability, keeping it on the road for many years to come.
Find out more about servicing at EMG, and find your nearest branch today to get booked in.