What Happens If I Dont Service My Car
- Posted by:
- Admin
- Tags:
- Posted date:
- 11-05-2022
We look at What happens if I don't service my car? Find out why it is important to arrange a regular service for your vehicle.
Why is it important to service a car?
Regular servicing for your car is crucial to maintaining good performance and keeping your car safe to take out on the roads. When you take your car to a servicing centre, the technicians and mechanics will carry out a health check and assess all areas of your vehicle for signs of wear and damage.
These thorough checks are vital to keeping your car healthy and running efficiently. Not to mention preventing your car from breaking down and costing you a small fortune.
What are the benefits of servicing a car?
There are some clear and discernable benefits to taking your car for a regular service. The first of these is making use of the expertise of the mechanics.
They can spot the smallest of issues during their checks, helping you avoid more expensive repairs down the road, ultimately saving you money in the long run.
Additionally, the specialist care that your car and its components receive during a scheduled service interval will help it to last far longer.
The vital parts of your car will be kept in good condition or regularly serviced and replaced, ensuring your car stays roadworthy for years after your manufacturer warranty runs out.
Ensuring your keep up with the service intervals that the manufacturer recommends for new cars in the short term is the best way to help them hold onto their value when they become older cars.
While you may not be planning to sell your new car straight away, this is the best way to hold onto your vehicle's value when you do come to sell.
Regular maintenance and a full service history will encourage potential buyers to make a purchase, whether privately or through a second-hand dealership.
What would happen if I didn't get my vehicle serviced?
The main aim of a regular service schedule for vehicles is to ensure your car remains safe to drive. Therefore, without these checks being carried out, you run the risk of something going wrong.
General wear and tear can quickly grow to become major damage if left unchecked, and without a trained mechanic to remedy the issue, you'll be left with a hefty repair bill. Either this or your car will gradually lose performance until it becomes undrivable - and who wants that?
Signs your car needs a service.
Besides following the manufacturer's recommendations about when to take your car for a service, there are some clear signs to look out for that might tell you it's time for an interim service:
If ever there was a sign to tell you to take your car in for a service, a blaring dashboard light is it. They're fairly easy to spot, right there next to your speedometer and rev counter.
When you notice it saying "SERVICE" or flashing a spanner icon at you, it may be time to book your car in with your favourite service centre for a once over.
In more modern cars, you may even have a service schedule reminder, or dedicated service light, telling you how long you have before your next service is due, just to make it that much easier.
A very obvious sign that something isn't right with your vehicle is noticing strange noises coming from under your bonnet. Squeeks, clicks, hisses and ticks are all trying to tell you something has gone wrong.
If it sounds particularly scary, you should pull over when safe to do so and ring a mechanic as soon as you can. If it doesn't sound particularly urgent, you can pay closer attention to the sound to see what the issue might be:
- Figure out where the noise is coming from (when the car is idling, running etc.)
- Notice what the noise sounds like (clicking, rattling, hissing etc.)
- Figure where the noise might be coming from (in the engine, underneath the car etc.)
- Being able to describe what is happening once you take your car for a service will help them remedy the issue much faster.
One common example of this might be hissing when your car engine is turning over. This suggests your car is overheating, which is a real problem and should be seen by a professional mechanic as quickly as possible.
Dripping liquid or puddles aren't always the sign of a serious issue here in the UK - it could always be the rain.
However, if you're sure it's coming from your car, it may take some investigating. Condensation can form in your air conditioning system during the Summer or from your exhaust in the Winter, which isn't a worry.
Most drivers can work out where a potential leak may be coming from. If you notice your car leaking a coloured liquid, this is a sign of a more serious problem. Brownish fluids are the most dangerous ones to be leaking. These could be engine oil, steering fluid, transmission fluid, or, if you're really unlucky, brake fluid.
When your car is leaking vital fluids like this, do not attempt to drive it. Not even to the service centre. Call your mechanic and have them come to assess your vehicle where it is.
If your car struggles to generate enough power or stalls frequently, it may be time to let the mechanics give it a look. Given that they are complicated machines, there are several reasons why your car may be giving you trouble like this. However, it can sometimes be a fairly simple fix.
Most of the time, it may just be loose or faulty spark plugs, which most garages will be able to replace. However, we don't recommend trying to fix the issue yourself unless you know what you're doing. If you start messing around with your engine, you could wind up making it a whole lot worse.
Therefore, it is always best to leave it to the professionals. They can tell if something more serious prevents you from driving properly, such as a faulty fuel injection system that strangles your engine from getting enough oxygen. Clogged catalytic converters are also how your engine's airflow can be disrupted.
This is obviously a serious problem that requires professional attention. Your brakes are the most important system in your car, and when they fail, it can lead to catastrophic accidents.
Failing to take your car for regular services can make your braking system less effective as your brake pads wear down and your brake fluid runs low. A good sign that your brakes are on the downturn is having to apply more pressure to brake than is usual.
Smoke is another clear sign of a significant issue with your car. There are many reasons you may have smoke billowing out from under your bonnet or exhaust, but if it's clearly coming from a fire, you should immediately:
- Stop your car and turn the engine off.
- Pop the bonnet release catch, but not open the bonnet by hand
- Get any passengers out of the car
- Call 999 and request the fire service
- Warn oncoming traffic that you have stopped if safe to do so
However, if the smoke doesn't seem to be that urgent a problem, you have time to try and diagnose the issue. There are a few things to look out for if you notice your car smoking:
- When does the smoke appear to start? (When you first start the car? When accelerating?)
- What colour is the smoke?
- Is your car overheating?
- Where is the smoke coming from? (Under your bonnet or from the exhaust?)
Again, any information you can provide the mechanics when they arrive will help determine what's wrong with your car. Smoke can signify an issue with several things, from your fuel valves and pistons to cooling systems, head gasket or electrical wiring.
Vibrations or juddering is another issue that can be kept at bay by taking your car for regular services. Unusual movement in your car is never a good thing, and there are many reasons why it may be happening.
For example, juddering when pulling away could be a sign of oil leaking onto your clutch plate, the friction material is worn, or there is a problem with your pressure plate.
If your car judders at low revs, there may be hidden engine damage or damage to the engine housing, and the engine itself could be loose.
What type of service do I need?
The type of service your vehicle will need depends on how long it has been since your last service and how many miles you've clocked up.
You should typically have your car regularly serviced after every 10,000-12,000 miles. We recommend you take your car for a major service if it has been a while.
Alternatively, if you have kept up with your service schedule, covering the basics will usually do the trick and keep your car running smoothly without trouble. When you service your car, they usually undergo an oil change, rotating your tyres and brake pad replacements, among other checks and replacements.
Are you looking for Jaguar servicing in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire? Contact our Jaguar specialist today.
We offer a complete range of Jaguar servicing for Peterborough and the surrounding areas including: Huntingdon, Stamford, Kettering, Northampton, Crowland, Market Deeping and Grantham.