Do you have to get your car serviced?
If you regularly get your car serviced and keep your vehicle in good condition, you may be wondering whether the services are actually worth it. After all, if your car is relatively new and you haven’t had any problems with it in the past, do you really need a service to tell you that everything’s still fine?
Below, we explain what can happen if you fall behind with regular vehicle servicing, as well as how long you can put off a service for when life gets in the way.
What happens if you don’t service your car?
One of the most important actions carried out as part of a car service is replacing the engine oil and the oil filter. If this doesn’t happen, the engine can become clogged as the oil continues to pick up dirt and debris from the engine components. In time, this leads to the engine overheating and failing – with potentially catastrophic consequences for you and other people on the road.
A service also functions similarly to a health check for a human. During a service, mechanics will look at different parts of the vehicle, assessing their condition and operation. After the service is complete, your mechanic will let you know the additional costs to replace or repair any faulty parts. They may even be able to fix them that same day. A service isn’t a substitute for your car’s annual MOT – nor vice versa – but both help to prolong the life of your vehicle and keep you and others safe on the road.
Therefore, failing to have your car serviced regularly can result in problems not being spotted. This often means they get worse as you continue to drive without fixing whatever’s wrong. This can cause more serious damage to your vehicle the longer you leave it, which can mean costly repairs. Plus, your car may fail its MOT as a result of an issue that could have been avoided with regular servicing. If this happens, you’ll be unable to use your car for work or personal trips until the problem has been resolved and a subsequent MOT passed.
But servicing isn’t just about noticing problems and rectifying them – mechanics also perform routine maintenance tasks that you’d otherwise have to do yourself. For example, a service will check your brake fluid and top up or replace it if needed. The cambelt is another component checked on during a vehicle service – mechanics will check the renewal date and get a cambelt replacement booked in if necessary. Skipping a service could mean your worn cambelt stays under the radar. If it fails while you’re driving, a faulty cambelt can cause disastrous damage to your vehicle, potentially resulting in an accident.
Plus, skipping the odd service might not seem like a big deal to you if your car is working well, but it can have an impact much further down the line. If you decide to sell your vehicle, having a full service history can be very helpful to prove to potential buyers that the car has no recurring issues, is in good condition and has been well looked after. On the flip side, only having a partial service history, with services missed or skipped in between, can dent buyers’ confidence and result in lower offers.
Is it illegal to not service your car?
Legal obligation is one area where the MOT differs from regular servicing. While there are strict laws about getting your MOT done on time, services aren’t bound by these rules. There is no legal requirement to get another service done within a certain period of time, or to have one done at all. However, this isn’t to say that failing to have your car serviced can’t impact you in a legal sense.
If you are involved in a road traffic collision after having failed to keep up with regular vehicle maintenance, you may be held partially or wholly liable for the damage to the other vehicle and your own. Your car insurance may also be invalidated if you fail to take reasonable care of your vehicle, which can open you up to charges relating to driving without valid insurance. This can result in penalty points on your licence, disqualification, and fines.
How long can you delay a car service?
We all have those times in our lives where things crop up unexpectedly and you find yourself running out of time or money to get everything done as originally planned. As we’ve mentioned, you don’t have to have your service done before a specific due date, but it’s generally recommended to at least have one every year. If you drive a lot, you may also have services at six-month intervals, or every 6,000 miles. So how long is too long to delay your service by?
It all depends on how much you drive your car. For example, delaying a service by less than a 1,000 miles or a few weeks isn’t likely to be too much of a problem. However, skipping the recommended service entirely could have a greater impact on your vehicle’s condition. Where possible, it’s always best to get your vehicle serviced as regularly as possible to ensure your car is in good working order. If you’re short on time or money, the very least you should do is have your oil and filter changed to help prevent engine overheating and failure. updated
UPDATED
