Which service should I choose?

[RAL46]

Hello guys, so when I first bought my car in 2014 it was fully serviced by the garage dealer. The next 2 years its had a interim service at ETS and a service at the local garage, I read the owners book and it says your car should get a full service after 2 years of the previous full service. Shall I go for the full service or interim?

[isetta]

if it was me i would be thinking: what's the cost, how many miles do i do, is it diesel or petrol, how far do i ever travel from home. 

now i know people who service cars will shoot me down, but a service is:

an oil change, an oil filter change

a prod around underneath to make sure nothing's falling off

an opportunity to find more work to quote for - 'your brake pads are quite low sir, i should get them done now sir before you crash - do you have children - think about their satety.......'

OK, it's a bit tongue in cheek and there is slightly more

 looking at the list of tasks in the interim service and the list of tasks they do in the full service might help you decide. 

[iantt]

depends whats been done on previous services, fords service schedules are a pain as each one(1st, 2nd ,3rd 4th ) have different operations to carry out.

like 1st is basic oil and filter, pollen filter, wheels stay on ,check over etc, 2nd simular to first but wheels off and closer brake inspection, 3rd is the one where air filter , spark plugs or fuel filter if diesel and you would call a major servive but wheels dont come off. then 4th its simular to 2nd but rear drums come off to inspect shoes as appropriate.

so in conclusion ford dont do a interim or full service as such therefore they should be done each year as appropriate to age or mileage. 

if you not sure whats been done on previous services , i would either have a ford motorcraft  full service with free breakdown cover , or a proper full service at independant garage.(oil filter,air filter pollen filter, spark plug and full brake inspection with drums off as applicable) 

[biff55]

not to mention ........

brake fluid change every 2 years

aircon re gas every 3 years

replacement keyfob batteries every 3 years

lubricate locks / door hinges / bonnet catch every year.

 lots to keep on top of :-)

 and the pollen filter never gets done lol , its the biggest short cut in the servicing trade , they must think were right mugs  ;-D

[Bobr]

18 minutes ago, biff55 said:

replacement keyfob batteries every 3 years

This is a real rip off.   It is dead easy to change the battery and you can see instructions on Youtube.   The battery cost less that £1 and they charge in excess of a tenner for a two minute job.

[DieselPig]

Get the full Ford service, I do and you get 1 year free AA cover bargain!

[biff55]

19 hours ago, Bobr said:

This is a real rip off.   It is dead easy to change the battery and you can see instructions on Youtube.   The battery cost less that £1 and they charge in excess of a tenner for a two minute job.

true , but many car owners forget all about doing it  which is why some car brands include it in their service schedules which isnt unreasonable in itself. 

[isetta]

10 hours ago, DieselPig said:

Get the full Ford service, I do and you get 1 year free AA cover bargain!

AA - is that only road side assistance and towing to a nearby garage? 

bearing in mind how many cars can not be fixed at the roadside these days if I breakdown 100 miles from home after the garages have closed and the AA can't fix it I want them to take me home. Obviously if you don't ever travel more than a few miles from home the basic AA cover might be fine.

I know it's everyone's choice what they choose to pay for (eg. AA Relay cover, or whatever they call it now - the one where they will take you home with your car). I just don't want anyone reading this to assume that the ford service AA cover is 'full' cover, because I don't think it is 

[iantt]

Ford service Assistance

UK and European Roadside Assistance is offered with Ford Scheduled service and Ford Motorcraft  service at selected dealers, valid from the date of service for 12 months, or until the next service is due, whichever comes first. If you do break down you’ll get:

• Friendly, skilled roadside help in the UK and Europe
• Assistance if you break down at home
• Alternative transport, replacement vehicle or overnight accommodation if your car can’t be repaired on the spot
• Recovery including caravans and trailers
• Ford Roadside Assistance is available 24 hours a day, all year round with just one phone call.

How does it work?

If your vehicle breaks down, simply call us and we’ll get someone out to you as fast as we can. If we’re unable to fix the problem there and then, we can help you in other ways such as providing a replacement vehicle, organising costs for alternative travel to your destination or even covering hotel accommodation for you and your passengers. If you break down in Europe and we’re unable to fix your vehicle, we can arrange for it to be sent to one UK address (for example: home, work, or a Ford dealer). Ford Service Assistance is available 24 hours a day, all year round, with just one phone call, wherever you are in Europe*.

[isetta]

OK, I stand corrected, it does mention recovery. The previous post said it is AA. Does that mean  Ford service Assistance use the AA to provide this service in the UK?