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Servicing for my Fiesta


chrisjw
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My Fiesta Zetec S has 13.500 miles on the clock & I bought it 2 weeks ago. It's had one previous owner & looking at the service book, it had it's first one at 4.290miles on the 12/3/15 & the second one at 13.389 miles on the 23/3/16, both by a Ford main dealer.  As you may notice, it did very little mileage between it's last service & the date I bought it.  I believe I'm right in saying, that the service intervals for this car are either every 12.500 miles or every 12 months, which ever comes first.  Going by this, the car was last serviced 13 months ago.  Although the mileage doesn't really warrant it needing a service, do you think it advisable to have one, going by the date of the last one.  

 

Chris.

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Get it done.  Certain items degrade nicely with time as well as mileage.  A lotn of the service is visual inspection of safety critical items, so you want someone with half a braincell to eyeball the brakes and steering while it's in the air.

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1 hour ago, Jethro_Tull said:

Get it done.  Certain items degrade nicely with time as well as mileage.  A lotn of the service is visual inspection of safety critical items, so you want someone with half a braincell to eyeball the brakes and steering while it's in the air.

Hi Greald.  

Yes, I was thinking the same thing.  I like to look after my cars & want the service book to show that.  I have started another thread, asking for recommendations on trustworthy Ford servicing garages near to where I live.  I've only been here a couple of months, so don't know the area that well yet.  There is a big Ford main dealership just up the road, but after googling reviews, they didn't fair very well.

 

Chris.

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i bet you a pound to a penny the first 2 services were little more than oil changes

now at 3 years old your car is approaching the age were replacement spark plugs , air filter , pollen cabin filter , fuel filter , brake fluid and key fob batteries are all advisable regardless of mileage

year 3 is not the year to skip in the service program ;-)

 

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partly depends how long you want to keep it.  for example if you were going to keep it 10 years and do loads of miles then the residual value at the end of that will not be affected by whether or not you service it now. 

spark plugs are more use related than age.

air filter , pollen cabin filter , fuel filter  are more use related than age. 

brake fluid will age even without use but I doubt that the Ford service schedule would want it changing as early as three years (but I have not checked)

key fob batteries - you don't need to pay someone to do that for you.

Going by the dates I assume it recently had a MOT test so it will have had a visual on safety critical.

I am not telling you what to do, I am just making some points for you to consider.

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1 hour ago, isetta said:

partly depends how long you want to keep it.  for example if you were going to keep it 10 years and do loads of miles then the residual value at the end of that will not be affected by whether or not you service it now. 

spark plugs are more use related than age.

air filter , pollen cabin filter , fuel filter  are more use related than age. 

brake fluid will age even without use but I doubt that the Ford service schedule would want it changing as early as three years (but I have not checked)

key fob batteries - you don't need to pay someone to do that for you.

Going by the dates I assume it recently had a MOT test so it will have had a visual on safety critical.

I am not telling you what to do, I am just making some points for you to consider.

Hi

 

I do very little mileage (4.000 per annum) & I tend to keep my cars for long periods (My last Ford was an Orion Ghia Mk2 1.6I, which I bought new in 1987 & kept for 25 years). I have always done the service basics on my cars myself, but due to bad health, I can no longer do it & apart from that, cars have got too complicated & difficult to work on nowadays. As you stated, things like key fob batteries I can do myself, but I want to ensure that the car is running smoothly, which is why I want the service book to reflect that. It has a full years MOT on it.  It just concerned me that although it's done little mileage since it's last service, it's been 13 months since it was done. All I want, is to keep the car up to standard & hopefully, not get ripped off in the process.

 

Chris.

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22 hours ago, isetta said:

 

air filter , pollen cabin filter , fuel filter  are more use related than age. 

 

i  respectfully disagree , all those filters are paper based and will degrade with age even if the car isnt used heavily.

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Such low mileage it should be on the arduous duty cycle.  Annual services should alternate between intermediate and major, with no minor.  This is because materials degrade with time as much as mileage, the oil rarely gets hot for long enough to burn off condensation, which is in turn hard on filters, brakes will be more prone to corrosion and will wear quicker by mileage because the filmmof corrosion is abrasive, insufficient air flow for air filter to dry out, exhaust more likely to corrode from inside out due to acidic condensates, bushes are moving parts are more likely to take on a set and become asymmetric with time, etc etc.

 

Very low mileage cars require diligent care and servicing, but rarely get it because people wrongly equate low mileage with requiring low maintenance.  Hence low mileage motors of more than a couple of years old should be very carefully inspected prior to purchase.

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1 hour ago, Jethro_Tull said:

Such low mileage it should be on the arduous duty cycle.  Annual services should alternate between intermediate and major, with no minor.  This is because materials degrade with time as much as mileage, the oil rarely gets hot for long enough to burn off condensation, which is in turn hard on filters, brakes will be more prone to corrosion and will wear quicker by mileage because the filmmof corrosion is abrasive, insufficient air flow for air filter to dry out, exhaust more likely to corrode from inside out due to acidic condensates, bushes are moving parts are more likely to take on a set and become asymmetric with time, etc etc.

 

Very low mileage cars require diligent care and servicing, but rarely get it because people wrongly equate low mileage with requiring low maintenance.  Hence low mileage motors of more than a couple of years old should be very carefully inspected prior to purchase.

All that makes sense Gerald........I've only just moved to my new home, so haven't found an actual Ford approved garage nearby......There is a Ford dealership that has service facilities, but the reviews I've read about them are far from flattering....I always took my last car to a family run business, whom I trust to not rip me off & they always did a good job...  Would it affect anything value wise if I took it to them to be checked over & serviced, or Is it necessary to take it a Ford approved garage to get the Ford stamp in the service book (at least for maybe this one service to make sure all is in order) ?

 

Chris.

Edited by chrisjw
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A good independent will see you right.  The only thing to consider is that a dealer will automatically download any ECU updates on to the car, whereas an Indy can't.

 

However, there's a small risk.  If your engine melts 1 day outside of warranty you won't qualify for a goodwill payment if you go outside the official dealer network.  A small risk, but worth weighing up.

Who'd have thought car servicing could be such a headache!

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1 hour ago, Jethro_Tull said:

A good independent will see you right.  The only thing to consider is that a dealer will automatically download any ECU updates on to the car, whereas an Indy can't.

 

However, there's a small risk.  If your engine melts 1 day outside of warranty you won't qualify for a goodwill payment if you go outside the official dealer network.  A small risk, but worth weighing up.

Who'd have thought car servicing could be such a headache!

I suppose, in that case, I need to find a Ford approved garage, so that the service book is kept correctly. All I have to do now is find one. Do Ford approved garages stamp the book with the Ford emblem?

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The Ford logo will most likely be in their stamp.

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although I suspect it won't affect what you intend to do servicing wise, you have not said whether the low mileage is many short journeys (where it won't get up to normal operating temperature)  or a few long journeys (where it will). Nor where the car will be kept, in a decent dry garage without excessive condensation or elsewhere.

These things affect to what degree the points in the above messages apply.

 

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2 hours ago, isetta said:

although I suspect it won't affect what you intend to do servicing wise, you have not said whether the low mileage is many short journeys (where it won't get up to normal operating temperature)  or a few long journeys (where it will). Nor where the car will be kept, in a decent dry garage without excessive condensation or elsewhere.

These things affect to what degree the points in the above messages apply.

 

The majority of my journeys are fairly short, although once a week I drive over to Essex & I will also give it a motorway run once a week to keep everything unblocked or whatever. The car is kept on a private driveway, not in a garage, unfortunately.  It's just been given a good waxing, finished off with Autoglym detailer & it will always be well protected bodywise.  I have always looked after my motors & will, most certainly, be carrying on the tradition with this one.  Even the garage will be informed when it goes in for a service, that there is not a mark on it & that it will be inspected before payment...It's the way I roll

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43 minutes ago, chrisjw said:

The majority of my journeys are fairly short, although once a week I drive over to Essex & I will also give it a motorway run once a week to keep everything unblocked or whatever. The car is kept on a private driveway, not in a garage, unfortunately.  It's just been given a good waxing, finished off with Autoglym detailer & it will always be well protected bodywise.  I have always looked after my motors & will, most certainly, be carrying on the tradition with this one.  Even the garage will be informed when it goes in for a service, that there is not a mark on it & that it will be inspected before payment...It's the way I roll

Main Dealer servicing goes on a central database so they can check recalls etc, as well as a stamp in the book - if your anywhere near Thurrock in Essex I always used RT Rates in Greys, in all the years I used them never had any problems with them,

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1 hour ago, Tiexen said:

Main Dealer servicing goes on a central database so they can check recalls etc, as well as a stamp in the book - if your anywhere near Thurrock in Essex I always used RT Rates in Greys, in all the years I used them never had any problems with them,

Unfortunately, I'm near Edgware NW9.  There is a big Ford main dealer just up the road, but their reviews are a bit hit & miss ( https://www.trustford.co.uk/locations/1850/edgware/ )

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So, I can't find another Ford approved garage near to me, so I will bite the bullet & take it to TrustFord (the above link), which is just up the road from me.  At least it will give me peace of mind that the car has been checked over & serviced (Interim) for now.

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Just hope you don't have an electronics/computer prob. IME they are clueless.

The diagnostics says it's X so they change it, oh sorry, it's now Y so they change it etc etc etc.

canbus = license to print money and to crucify my local garage who i've used for 52 years. He now has less of a clue than dealer ecu monkeys, who are also pretty much clueless.

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I have only done 2k since last service and got to get the 12 month service on Monday and its the big one,they say plugs but does the big service

include air filter and pollen filter as they only said plugs/petrol filter etc.

 

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1 hour ago, jace1969 said:

I have only done 2k since last service and got to get the 12 month service on Monday and its the big one,they say plugs but does the big service

include air filter and pollen filter as they only said plugs/petrol filter etc.

 

which big service are you refering to? see your profile is 2011 fiesta so im assuming its the 6yr  service? 

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12 hours ago, iantt said:

which big service are you refering to? see your profile is 2011 fiesta so im assuming its the 6yr  service? 

My car has done 26k and said last one was a small service so this time its the big one,around £240.

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ford servicing specify oil filter, air filter, pollen filter and plugs.

 

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7 hours ago, iantt said:

ford servicing specify oil filter, air filter, pollen filter and plugs.

 

All done and sorted but they wanted £110 for front pads to be done,no way so priced up and can get the same job done for £30 less.

Also parts £65 and labour £142.24p,what a joke

What are these parts.....element assey - A........£23.36p 

                                       filter assey- O..............£6.58p

No pollen filter as was not done a lot of miles ago but does state plugs at £4.08p each.

They did say petrol filter when i rang.

Is a full service what Motorcraft call a Major one and i cant find a full service breakdown on what they do,think i have been ripped off.

I wont Edit the above but just rang them and don't think ford again for service,no fuel filter (owners request) and same goes for polen

filter,the above is air filter and oil filter so if that's the case its £23 for a air filter

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there is no fuel filter on your car.

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