Servicing Your Car Could Save Money

Thursday, 19. November 2009

I recently warned about the dangers of not having your car serviced on time from the point of view of safety. We have now had further warnings from manufacturers and leasing companies about the importance of having your car serviced on time. The manufacturers are referring to the potential loss of warranty cover if the car is not serviced ‘as per manufacturers’ recommendations’. The chances of an engine or gearbox breaking in a modern car during the warranty period is pretty remote but with so much sensitive and expensive equipment fitted on cars these days, to lose the warranty cover through a late or missed service, could work out to be very expensive. From the leasing company point of view they are concerned about the timely servicing of the car but from the lessee’s point of view a late or missed service could work out very expensive when it comes to sell the car at auction. There is a marked difference between the price that can be achieved when the auctioneer can claim that the car has a full service history to what will be achieved if they can’t. As a result you will be stung with an end of contract charge that will probably be more than the cost of the service. So make every effort to have your car serviced on time, shop around and get the best deal whilst keeping the car safe, your warranty in place and avoid end of lease charges. By Graham Hill