Servicing · 4 min read
How often should you service your car?
Most cars are built around a service interval of roughly twelve months or a set mileage, whichever comes first. The detail varies by manufacturer, engine and how the car is used.
Time matters as much as mileage
Engine oil degrades whether the car is driven or not. Moisture and combustion by-products build up, and a car doing 3,000 miles a year of short local journeys can end up with oil in worse condition than one doing 12,000 motorway miles.
That's why a twelve-month interval exists alongside the mileage figure. If you drive very little, the calendar is usually what triggers your service.
How your driving changes the answer
Short journeys, heavy traffic, towing, lots of hill work and stop-start town driving all count as harder use. Cars used this way benefit from being looked at more often, particularly for oil condition, brakes and battery health.
If most of your driving is in and around Stockport town centre or the south Manchester corridor, assume the harder end of the scale.
Signs you're overdue
A service light or message on the dash, oil that looks black and thin on the dipstick, a rougher idle, or simply not being able to remember the last time it was done. None of these are emergencies, but they all point the same way.
Bookings
Book your car into the workshop
Tell us your registration and what the car is doing. We'll come back to you to confirm a date.