driving

How Often Do Cars Need Service

BY 1 April 2018 Car Tips

Of course, the technician also bombards me with up-selling recommendations. Air filters, engine flushes, transmission fluid changes, coolant services, and fuel system cleanings, to name a few, all come with hefty price tags and stern warnings to take immediate action. So, how often should you service your vehicle? There are several factors affecting the frequency with which you should service your car. Many people ask, how often should a car be serviced, however the primary trio for consideration for an answer are:

• The amount of miles you drive.
• How well your vehicle has been maintained.
• The surfaces and quality of road you travel on.

As a good rule of thumb, we suggest you have your car serviced every twelve months or 12000 miles, whichever comes first. Heavy car users, who drive many miles a year, should aim to have at least an interim service every six months or 6000 miles.

Will getting your car serviced give it a longer life? As with any long-term investment item, the better you look after your vehicle, the longer it’ll last, and a regular servicing schedule is a big part of that. Vehicle technicians are trained to pick up underlying issues that, if left unchecked, could lead to potential damage and costly repairs down the line. If you start to notice a problem with your car, get it checked out straight away. You will do more damage driving around with something wrong and ultimately it will cost you more and be a greater risk to your safety.

Find a provider you trust for your servicing needs that will give you good advice on how to get the best out of your vehicle. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to get a better picture of what your car needs. Regular servicing and check-ups will help ensure your car holds its value better and lasts longer. Caring for your car saves money. Getting your car serviced each year – and maintaining it between services – is money well spent. Problems are likely to be caught early on when they’re cheaper to fix, and your car will have a better resale value and longer life.

A well-maintained car is also more efficient, so you’ll save money on fuel as well. If you need to claim on a warranty you’ll normally have to show your car’s got a complete service record. What happens if you don’t service your vehicle on time? Many issues can occur if you don’t get your vehicle serviced on schedule. Reduced fuel economy, poor driving feel and even major mechanical failure are all possible if regular maintenance is not carried out. Modern engine oils contain cleaning agents which help keep the inside of the engine in good condition, but the oil slowly deteriorates the longer it is used. Failing to change this oil causes the passageways inside the engine to block up with carbon deposits and increases wear on the internal components of the engine.
Brake fluid is another component that needs to be checked and replaced regularly, as it absorbs moisture from the air, which reduces the performance of the braking system. Most manufacturers recommend flushing the braking system every 2 years, regardless of distance travelled. If your vehicle use falls under the severe service definition in your owner’s manual, maintain your car using the more rigorous schedule. However, if you drive your car under normal conditions, be wary of spending hard-earned money on services your car may not need or benefit from.

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How Long Does a Car Battery in a New Car Last?

BY 1 October 2017 Car Tips

You rely on your car’s battery to start your car every time you turn the key. Whether you are driving to work or just hitting the road for a day of fun, you need to know that your battery is up to the job. Unfortunately, batteries don’t last forever, and even new car batteries will eventually need to be replaced. How long should the battery in your vehicle last? The answer isn’t always straightforward, and in many cases, it isn’t as long as drivers think it should be.

The main function of a car battery is to start your car. Today, most cars have a single maintenance-free 12-volt acid battery. A car battery is rechargeable. It uses its charge to power the vehicle systems while it’s parked and to turn over the engine when you want to start it. Once you start the car, the alternator generates additional electric power to recharge the battery. Over time, a battery loses its capacity or ability to hold charge. One day, a weak battery will not be able to start your car. Often, this happens when the weather gets cold. When the battery is low on charge, a car will need to be boosted to start. To avoid this situation, a battery should be replaced before its capacity drops to a critical level.

A good ballpark figure for car battery life is five years, but there are a number of reasons why you might find yourself replacing your battery much sooner. Depending on the types of journey you tend to take your car on, you could find your battery starting to show signs of age at three years, and become practically unusable after four.

Your car’s battery is used to start the engine when you turn the key. This requires the battery to effectively empty itself in one go, before being slowly charged back up again by the engine. If you constantly make small journeys, the battery will deteriorate faster and need replacing sooner than if you regularly travel longer distances.

Most batteries will have a stamp on them, which tells you the month and year the battery was made so you’ll have an idea of when it needs to be replaced. It’s also recommended to check your car owner’s manual. If you’re lucky in that your car battery does show signs of dying, those may include electrical systems going on and shutting off and the engine cranking low, mechanics say.

While the lead-acid car battery hasn’t changed much in the last 100 years, it’s still a difficult part of the car to check during routine maintenance. Simple battery testers can’t, at this time, muddle through the chemical complexity of what goes on in a battery. Instead, they provide a sort of snapshot of the battery at the time it’s being tested without the context of the battery’s chemical composition before or after the test.

So the rule of thumb is simple for battery replacement: You have approximately four years before the battery will theoretically begin its slide from chemical powerhouse to chemical paperweight. At the four year mark, start watching, and hope your mechanic will detect a problem before it’s too late. But due to the nature of the chemical cocktail inside any battery, it may give out before the four year mark, or maybe it will last for several more years.

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