Would you still get an annual service done on your car if only doing 1500 miles per year?

[electro_boy]

My Mum has asked if she should bother to get a service done on her 3 year old VW Polo with auto gearbox.  It was serviced this time last year and since then the car has done 1500 miles so she is thinking there is little point.

I'm inclined to say for the sake of £200 and peace of mind get it done.  Will the oils and consumables happily last another year and perform well?

Normally I prefer to go above and beyond what's recommended because I use my cars hard but this is a very lightly used car so I'm on the fence a little bit.  

Wondering what you lot think .... 

[mg4lotus]

For me, I would want to keep the full service history so definitely give the car a service and get a stamp in the book and keep up the residual price of the car.

The choice then would be whether to get the oil and filter changed (and other checks) at a garage or do it myself. For a VW Polo I would do it myself. (I have my own stamp for the book).

For the Evora I think it is of more value to get it serviced at my Lotus dealer.

[MPx]

In general oil and filter change every year is a minimum for me - the only times I've missed on one of the cars is a couple of years SORN and one year with 35 miles covered.  If its a low milage car then really I'm looking at time not milage changes and (eg) things like belts on the Esprit are 4 years and Elan 5 years whether they've been anywhere or not.  However, I do keep my cars for many many years and like them working well.  If you (or your Mum) are into swapping out every 2 or 4 years then it really doesn't matter much and doesn't appear to impact values - just maybe how hard to sell, but WBAC etc dont really care.

[Rambo]

I would suggest going by the book until the warranty period is over for obviius reasons. Once that expires a simple oil and filter service should suffice annually or even longer if you use good quality oil

I always change brake fluid and coolant every 2 years too

[NedaSay]

That is a case of a car running too little. Things can get clogged up in there... the risk of early rust/corrosion is real too.

I would run to the service if anything because cars need to run and need to be driven, even if the polo is garaged. And even if it is a polo.

[electro_boy]

Thanks guys for the feedback.   I'm going to recommend she does the service.  It will give peace of mind and keep the car in good condition.   She tends to keep cars for many years 10+ years so makes sense to look after it properly.

The journeys she does are also lots of small journeys 5-10miles and from what I've been reading this is not good for the car and its oil and fluids so better to get some fresh stuff in there so its performing at its best.

[r3nault]

Firstly, agree with others - yes to service and oil change.

If it’s a direct injection engine, the lack of longer journeys (30min+) will be an issue. There’s a video about it by engineering explained, but essentially wear on cylinder walls above and beyond the usual suspects when oil doesn’t get to temperature. So at least every few trips needs to be a bit longer!

[NedaSay]

20 minutes ago, electro_boy said:

Thanks guys for the feedback.   I'm going to recommend she does the service.  It will give peace of mind and keep the car in good condition.   She tends to keep cars for many years 10+ years so makes sense to look after it properly.

The journeys she does are also lots of small journeys 5-10miles and from what I've been reading this is not good for the car and its oil and fluids so better to get some fresh stuff in there so its performing at its best.

5 to 10 miles... The engine barely has time to get really warm, neither would the catalytic converter... have her change all the fluids they are not circulating enough. Make sure the cobwebs are not attaching to the brake lines either and the exhaust pipe is clear of excessive corrosion.

[Escape]

As above, oil change minimum each year, regardless of mileage (unless stored, then I'd change the oil before the first use).

However, as we're talking about a VW Polo I have some interesting experiences.

My ex bought a new Polo a few years ago, and when she called for a service at the official dealer after the first year she was refused because the book says every 2 years and she hadn't covered enough miles yet! Needless to say I did an oil and filter change myself.

Another friend with a similar Polo, bought nearly new from a different official dealer, did get her service done. But not really. She got a hefty bill for checking the brakes and topping up the washer fluid, but was also told the oil and filter did not need to be replaced yet. She then also had the service done in the Workshop.

So I wouldn't trust a main dealer (VW or other), but would instead visit a local independent (if you don't fancy getting greasy yourself). At 1500miles he might recommend changing just the oil but leaving the filter, which I think is fair enough but not that much of a saving to be worthwhile.

Filip 

[windymiller]

alot of manufacturers now seem to quote whooping milleage between oil changes tho 😑

[TdM]

That's because they only need to keep them alive for warranty plus a bit. Once it's out of warranty if things start to fall apart it doesn't really matter to them.

From my experience, people tend these days to treat 'normal' cars as totally disposable. run them as cheaply as possible and patch them up until they are about 10 years old and state that 'it's too expensive to fix, I'll get a new one'.

I always service everything I own to book or beyond depending on usage. If you look after the car it'll just keep going and it's cheaper than replacing it all the time.