What Service Should I Have At 4 Years And 16,500 Miles?

[NorthSussex]

My Focus is due an MOT at the end of July, I want to bring the service in line with the MOT date, so the service will be done 2 months early. The car is 2008 58 plate 1.8 petrol; the last service was done at 14,000 miles, which is stamped in the book as an annual service. The car is now at 16,000 miles; by the time that the MOT is due and I also have it serviced it will be less than 2,500 miles since it's last service.

The reason the car has such low mileage is that it was a Motability car and then it sat on the dealers forecourt for several months.

Should I have a: - Major Service, Interim Service or an Annual service?

Thanks for any advice.

[jeebowhite]

because its technically due to be three years old (even if it is a few months away) would probably need to go with the major service.

Unfortunately the dealers stick by the book "three years or mileage" and if it means that your car hasnt even had a minor service or two before its major, more money for them!

[NorthSussex]

because its technically due to be three years old (even if it is a few months away) would probably need to go with the major service.

Unfortunately the dealers stick by the book "three years or mileage" and if it means that your car hasnt even had a minor service or two before its major, more money for them!

The car is coming up to 4 years old not 3, and this will be it's 4th service. The 2nd service in 2010 had the brake fluid changed. Thanks for your reply and I would guess you're right and a Major service would be recommended by a garage, but before I arrange a service I would like forum members advice just to make sure they are not just on the make.

[catch]

Stormin,

by the book the three year service is the major service [oil,filter,plugs,air filter] So year four is an oil and filter change. But the reality most likely is, being a mobility motor being sold onto the trade end year three, no service would have been done. Best you could hope for is the third year "annual service" was an oil and filter change may be by the selling dealer. Was the third service same dealer stamp as years one and two?

If you want peace of mind, have the major service done this time around. That said, plugs are due year three 37,500 mile service. So your original plugs will have done less than half of that workload. What I'm saying is, if it's running right and your returning the mpg it normally does ....why change them? Same goes for the air filter that's down for changing every 37,500 miles also. Again it's only handled less than half that workload.

I'm like you, due to me and the wife's new fitness regime we will only do 4K per annum in the car. Cut out 90 percent of those 1 to 2 mile journeys, walk it or take a bus. Lost three and a half stone of blubber since last August :D

So I take a more open minded approach to servicing. Take the service I had done last, it was 18 months since the last one but had only covered 6,300 miles in that time. I took a spark plug out inspected it, brown in colour [ indicating perfect ignition] so they stay to work another 18 months. Air filter took it out it was fine, waved the airline at it and back in it went.

Both the above components, if not fit for purpose would be reflected in starting issues, declining mpg figures etc. No such problems so why renew them?

They were change when I bought the car from a Ford Main Dealer. At time of last service it was 30 months on from that dealer service, and has done 11,783 miles in that time. Good for 37,500 so again why change them.

Now even though it had been 18 months since the last oil and filter change, the car is inspected every 12 months by my mechanic when he does it's annual MOT. So no safety issue there.

Mind you as it's going onto an 18 month service schedule, I always use a decent oil, last service it was Castrol Magnatec Fully Synthetic.

Some people will argue, what about service history for selling? Look in my instance the car will be 7 years old in October. I'm running it at least another 2 years, if I have the cam belt done around that time, then it will be another set of new tyres and I'll run it another three years. So PX wise it's overall condition is what matters at that age and the miles on the clock. That will be in my case circa 53k in two years time and 65k if I run it another 3 years after that..

[NorthSussex]

Stormin,

by the book the three year service is the major service [oil,filter,plugs,air filter] So year four is an oil and filter change. But the reality most likely is, being a mobility motor being sold onto the trade end year three, no service would have been done. Best you could hope for is the third year "annual service" was an oil and filter change may be by the selling dealer. Was the third service same dealer stamp as years one and two?

If you want peace of mind, have the major service done this time around. That said, plugs are due year three 37,500 mile service. So your original plugs will have done less than half of that workload. What I'm saying is, if it's running right and your returning the mpg it normally does ....why change them? Same goes for the air filter that's down for changing every 37,500 miles also. Again it's only handled less than half that workload.

I'm like you, due to me and the wife's new fitness regime we will only do 4K per annum in the car. Cut out 90 percent of those 1 to 2 mile journeys, walk it or take a bus. Lost three and a half stone of blubber since last August :D

So I take a more open minded approach to servicing. Take the service I had done last, it was 18 months since the last one but had only covered 6,300 miles in that time. I took a spark plug out inspected it, brown in colour [ indicating perfect ignition] so they stay to work another 18 months. Air filter took it out it was fine, waved the airline at it and back in it went.

Both the above components, if not fit for purpose would be reflected in starting issues, declining mpg figures etc. No such problems so why renew them?

They were change when I bought the car from a Ford Main Dealer. At time of last service it was 30 months on from that dealer service, and has done 11,783 miles in that time. Good for 37,500 so again why change them.

Now even though it had been 18 months since the last oil and filter change, the car is inspected every 12 months by my mechanic when he does it's annual MOT. So no safety issue there.

Mind you as it's going onto an 18 month service schedule, I always use a decent oil, last service it was Castrol Magnatec Fully Synthetic.

Some people will argue, what about service history for selling? Look in my instance the car will be 7 years old in October. I'm running it at least another 2 years, if I have the cam belt done around that time, then it will be another set of new tyres and I'll run it another three years. So PX wise it's overall condition is what matters at that age and the miles on the clock. That will be in my case circa 53k in two years time and 65k if I run it another 3 years after that..

Cheers Catch for all that info, as you suggest, the 3rd service was a annual service by the selling dealer so just the oil and filter change I guess.

In a couple of weeks when I have picked the brains of forum members, I will get some quotes on the service my local independent garages recommend, including the used Ford specialist I got the car from as they did the last service 10 months ago, It will be interesting to see what they recommend as the age and mileage are way out of step. I will post up the outcome when it's sorted.

PS.

Congrats on the blubber loss. :D

[jeebowhite]

Sorry Stormin, I did read it as four, I seem to have then done my usual of taking one thing, thinking of something else, and then accepting that to be the reality :P lol

Never the less, always best to check with the dealer what service they did. My Cee'd was due a "service" the numpty dealer did nothing more than an oil and filter change, and left the rest of the service incomplete, they then signed my book off as completing a "full service". Todays educational value - dont trust that just because its been said to have been done, that it actually has.

You might find that your third service was replace oil and filter only, in which case you may benefit from the full major service, at the expense of getting it done a year sooner (4 and 6 rather than 3 and 6 years). Of course it will all add up to cost and what you want to spend and when.

Catch, its good to see you poppping back on again, part of me was wondering if we had lost you to call of duty on a more permenant basis :P but congratulations on the "loss" that you have "gained" :)

[NorthSussex]

Thanks for the replies. Having phoned independent and main dealers with a lot more knowledge with the help of you all, they all had different advice on the type of service that was needed, all prices were within £20 of each other but what they did on the service varied even though they were quoting for a full service and interim service.

I have decided to have a full service as laid down by Ford, as I am not sure how much was done on the last service which was done by the dealer I bought the car from. I am returning to my local independent garage that used to service my previous Ford, the full service quote was the cheapest and they did the Ford recommended service including brake fluid change and engine flush. Cost. Full service, £211, MOT £50.

[.Ryan]

Do you have a list of what is involved in the full service? I'm slowly but surely piling up the parts to do a full service this or next week!

[NorthSussex]

Do you have a list of what is involved in the full service? I'm slowly but surely piling up the parts to do a full service this or next week!

Fill in your car's details here, this will tell you. http://www.etis.ford.com/fordservice/serviceScheduleForm.do

[.Ryan]

Thanks mate :)