Car Maintenance – The Importance of High Quality Car Servicing

The quality of car servicing and maintenance plays a vital role in the safety of every car and van on the roads on North London. But what can go wrong if short cuts are made during your car’s service or maintenance work? Here we have a look at the safety issues with poor quality car maintenance and servicing.

Brakes - Pads and Callipers

It stands to reason that the brakes and brake callipers are checked during the car service to ensure they are in good condition and working effectively. In order to make these checks accurately, all four wheels need to be taken off and the parts inspected closely. It has happened that some unscrupulous London garages have not removed the wheels but simply had a look through the gaps in the wheel’s design to see, or by relying on the reports made on the previous MOT. Naturally, this could place the driver at risk of using an unsafe car or van on busy London roads.  

Filters and Fluids

A good quality car service should also include the checking and changing, where necessary, of the various fluids and filters:

Oil

It is very important for the smooth running of the engine to have clean oil and oil filters. If the engine oil and filters are not changed regularly it can dramatically reduce the effectiveness of the oil on the inner workings of the engine resulting in serious damage and wear to the engine itself. Therefore, it is important to ensure the London garage servicing your car or van takes this into consideration when carrying out their work.

Fuel

The fuel filter simply catches any of the debris that can build up in the fuel tank before it is used in the engine. This debris, if allowed to pass through an unchanged filter, can then damage the fuel pumps and injectors which carry a significantly higher price to replace. A handy tip to help lengthen the life of the fuel filter, is to not run the car or van on an empty tank. Keeping the fuel levels at around half a tank helps to keep much of the debris away from the filter as it’s not using the dregs of the tank. 

Gearbox

Like the engine itself, the gearbox also requires clean oil to work effectively. Unlike the engine oil, the gearbox oil will not require changing every year which means it can be easily forgotten during a standard service. Speak with the garage to ensure the notes are made as to when the oil change is needed so it is not overlooked. 

Belts and Pumps

The engine’s cambelt, if not properly synchronised, has the potential to completely wreck the engine. At this point, the engine will probably need to have a complete replacement. Naturally, this is an extremely expensive scenario and should be avoided. The cambelt will need to be checked during a good quality car service and replaced if necessary. It is also worth noting that, if you replace the cambelt, then the water pump and tensioners will require changing as they can seize up resulting in a damaged new cambelt. A good quality garage in London will help advise you on the cambelt condition and the work required before anything is started. 

As can be seen from the examples above, if during the regular maintenance service these elements are missed, it can result in a very expensive repair bill. Here at our Garage in North London our car service packages mean you can be assured your car or van will be thoroughly checked and no corners will be cut. If you would like to discuss your next scheduled car service, please give one our team a call and they will be happy to help you.