Understanding Full Car Service | Chapelhouse Insights
What is a full car service?
A full service is a comprehensive assessment of the standard of your car's health and how well it is performing. Think of it as taking your car to a doctor for its yearly check-up to measure the previous year's wear and tear.
Should I book a full car service?
Drivers are advised to have their car fully serviced annually. Although it isn't a legal requirement, the regular servicing of your vehicle is highly encouraged.
Skipping on servicing your car could lead to faults going undetected over time and getting much worse. This will leave you facing a major service and much costlier repairs down the line.
Manufacturers also recommend the servicing of their cars each year so that they're kept in line with the car maker's warranty plan. Not having your car maintained the manufacturer's authorised standard could lead to any warranty claim being invalid and therefore leaving you out of pocket should anything go wrong.
Having a full service history will also improve the value of your vehicle when the time comes to change it. You'll receive a stamp after every service as proof in the car's service book, so it pays to keep this safe.
A full service and MOT shouldn't be confused too. An MOT test is a legal requirement on your vehicle and you could receive a hefty fine if caught on the road without your car MOT tested.
What does a full car service include?
A full car service includes up to 80 individual checks on all different aspects of the vehicle to determine its roadworthiness. Some of these checks will be similar that it would get during an interim service but will be more thorough. For example, the air filter will simply be inspected during an interim service, but you will get a brand-new replacement when having a full service.
Full service checks include:
- Air filter replaced
- Coolant system
- Engine and gearbox
- Starter motor
- Wheel checks
- Throttle
- Engine cooling fan
- Door hinges, catches and locks
- Front and rear brakes
- ABS and brake pads
- Gearbox oil topped up
- All fluid levels topped up
- Battery
- Clutch
- Air conditioning
- Steering and suspension
- Exhaust
- Tyres
- Handbrake
- Front & rear windscreen wipers and washers
- Seatbelts
How long does a full car service take?
A full service usually takes around three hours to be completed. This can sometimes vary, depending on the number of faults that could be found and flagged for repair. If you book your car in for a service in a morning slot, you should almost always be able to drive it away again the same day. However, you may have to return it at a later date if any further maintenance or repairs needs to be carried out.
