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This is a bit of a long story so the summary is - how hard is it to service your own car and find out the list of things that need doing...
I've been doing various jobs on my car (1996 Audi A4 2.6 V6) and my wife's car (Renault Grand Espace 2004 3.5 V6) to save money. This began when the handbrake started acting up on the Espace and Renault wanted over £800 for a new computer.
I got a second hand one from a breaker and with the help of information from Dialogys and a Renault CLIP was able to fit this, cancel the fault code and sort the problem out for less than £200.
After that I did brake pads, discs on both cars and a brake caliper on the Audi. Just before Christmas the alternator and mass air flow sensor went on the Espace and again, rather than pay Renault £1000+ I got an OEM alternator and did the work myself for around £300. Most recently the Audi needed new front suspension arms and an exhaust repair which I was able to do.
However, when either car needs a service I've always taken it to a garage. When they were new we went to a main dealer, and then later to an independent.
This is because I've never really been sure what is needed for a service. I know I could change oil, plugs, filters, etc but I had always assumed there was more to it and best to get a garage to do it properly for safety.
However, when I was picking up the MAF from the Renault parts dept, the guy I was chatting with assumed I did the routine servicing of the car as well and I started to think if I could.
Most people who ask similar questions are recommeded to buy a Haynes manual, but Haynes don't do a manual for either of the cars. The Dialogsys is brilliant as it has step by step diagrams of how to do various jobs and all the torques, etc. But it doesn't tell you what jobs need doing for a routine service.
From previous services there are checklists for both cars that list lots of things, but when you look at them in detail, most of it is stuff you do anyway like check wiper blades, washer fluid, etc.
I was thinking to just change the oil and air/oil filters, check the pads for wear as the service and use the MOT as the "safety" inspection for things that I am not sure how to judge myself e.g. brake line condition, ball joints etc.
Does that sound reasonable, or do you think the MOT doesn't check as much as a garage would check on a service ?
I've been doing various jobs on my car (1996 Audi A4 2.6 V6) and my wife's car (Renault Grand Espace 2004 3.5 V6) to save money. This began when the handbrake started acting up on the Espace and Renault wanted over £800 for a new computer.
I got a second hand one from a breaker and with the help of information from Dialogys and a Renault CLIP was able to fit this, cancel the fault code and sort the problem out for less than £200.
After that I did brake pads, discs on both cars and a brake caliper on the Audi. Just before Christmas the alternator and mass air flow sensor went on the Espace and again, rather than pay Renault £1000+ I got an OEM alternator and did the work myself for around £300. Most recently the Audi needed new front suspension arms and an exhaust repair which I was able to do.
However, when either car needs a service I've always taken it to a garage. When they were new we went to a main dealer, and then later to an independent.
This is because I've never really been sure what is needed for a service. I know I could change oil, plugs, filters, etc but I had always assumed there was more to it and best to get a garage to do it properly for safety.
However, when I was picking up the MAF from the Renault parts dept, the guy I was chatting with assumed I did the routine servicing of the car as well and I started to think if I could.
Most people who ask similar questions are recommeded to buy a Haynes manual, but Haynes don't do a manual for either of the cars. The Dialogsys is brilliant as it has step by step diagrams of how to do various jobs and all the torques, etc. But it doesn't tell you what jobs need doing for a routine service.
From previous services there are checklists for both cars that list lots of things, but when you look at them in detail, most of it is stuff you do anyway like check wiper blades, washer fluid, etc.
I was thinking to just change the oil and air/oil filters, check the pads for wear as the service and use the MOT as the "safety" inspection for things that I am not sure how to judge myself e.g. brake line condition, ball joints etc.
Does that sound reasonable, or do you think the MOT doesn't check as much as a garage would check on a service ?