Car Servicing: Interim vs Full

Like most things in life, a car will not stay pristine for long, and over time the parts that make up a car will start to degrade, malfunction and eventually need replacing. However, you can maintain the health of your car by having it serviced regularly. Which services you choose and how often your car needs them will depend on factors such as mileage and general usage. Therefore, to help you make an informed decision, this article will go over what is involved for the different services and which is best to prolong the life of your car.
Firstly, there are generally three types of service that garages offer, each with progressively more involved checks. These are:

• Changing the oil

Usually, the oil should be changed once the mileage of your car reaches ten thousand, or if you’re not sure consult the car’s manual or a service technician.
Further to changing the oil, a service centre will also check other fluid levels in your car, including for power steering, the windscreen, the brakes and the anti freeze coolant. These checks may also be supplemented by extra inspections, such as on the tyre tread and windscreen wipers, but overall this type of service is limited to specific aspects of your car.

• Interim Service

The advice is that to maintain a healthy car in between full services, you car should have an interim service every six months or when your car reaches six thousand miles. The checks included expand on the aforementioned service to include car maintenance that may be essential between full check-ups. These interim checks are ideal for regular long distance drivers.

The interim service is completed in stages, starting off with the pre-engine check, which involves service engineers looking out for aesthetic damage to the car, preparing for checks in the next stage and testing the automatic brake system (ABS) amongst other things. Next is an inspection under the bonnet, which is to test the power steering and various fluid levels. Now the vehicle can be raised to check components under the car, including the suspension, the tyres and the condition of the brakes. Finally, the car can be tested on the road.

• Full Service

This is the most comprehensive service that involves all the checks, tests and refills described in the previous two services as well as a whole lot more. It is a service that should be carried out on an annual basis or when the car-mileage reaches twelve thousand and is essential for all road users in preventing any mechanical problems and prolonging the life of your car.

Following on from the checks described so far, this full service also includes testing of the wheel alignment and adjustments if necessary, a belt check, the condition of the brake fluid and the cleaning or replacement of any filters or parts.

Overall, the thing to take away from this article is that to keep your car in tip-top condition, a full annual service is essential at the very least, no matter what your circumstances. An interim service can also be important for cars that have a lot of mileage on them and need tweaking between full services.

Tyres Northampton offer a comprehensive vehicle servicing service to ensure your vehicle is in the best possible condition at all times. For more information, get in touch with us today.

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