How do I know when my car needs a service ?

[DustyLee123]

Stupid question I know, it used to be after so many miles. But my car is flashing up that the oil needs changing, so do I put it in for that or a service ?
I don’t know if you service after so many months now, or so many miles.

Everyone i know does a service once a year, usually at same time as MOT. This gives it a full service history for when you want to sell car in the future

I service mine every year at my local reliable garage. Don't ignore the light, book it in smartish. And continue annually

You can top up the oil yourself, have you checked it with the dipstick? You will need to buy the correct type for your car, castrol have a thing on their website where you put your car reg in and it tells you what to use.

Another vote for a service before the yearly MOT. I'd do a service every six months if I could afford it but then I have an old car.

But a good rule of thumb is to have it serviced every 10000 miles, if it is a newer car and the oil light is on chances are you've gone way past that. If it's older you may have to top up between services.

Just put it in for an oil change and not a full service.
I’m presuming the car is new as you are asking now. Modern cars tell you when you need an oil change or service depending on driving style etc and many cars have the longer life oil too.
The oil is the most important thing to keep the car running well.

I don't tie mine to MOT dates because I do a lot more than 10k miles a year

It’s a newer car.
I don’t do 10,000 miles a year, so will book it in now and do it annually.
Thanks all, I just didn’t want to look like a right tit at the garage !

If the oil light is on, you need to check the oil & fill it up.

You should get an indication on newer models of when a service is due.

Otherwise, your garage should have put a sticker on your windscreen to tell you at what mileage or date your next service is due.

But it will be annually at least, but can be sooner. Different things are done at each service depending on which it is.

Some cars do not have a dipstick but definitely get it attended to. New cars often will flash when service due. My car 13years old does.

Look at the hand book that came with the car, if you don’t have one then Google for one. Most can be found online now. If the light is flashing for an oil change then at least get that done and they’ll most likely do a filter change.too. And the pollen filters probably need changing too. Important to keep up the service history up to date as it could affect any warranty if you don’t.
Some cars need a full service every year, others it’s a F/S every two years with a half service in between. Depends on the car. But general rule is yearly.

Did you not get details of the service history when you bought it?

My Ford Fiesta is 7 years old with very low mileage, I have the cheaper Ford Essential service for older cars each year with my MOT plus any recommended extras like brake fluid changes.

Has it been serviced before OP?
For a good few years now, garages have put a sticker in the user manual/service book/inside of the glovebox as a reminder.

Is it a Ford ? Ours has just started reminding us to have the oil changed soon.

If the car is more than 3 years old it needs an MOT every year and the information of when the last MOT was done is online, see below. Did you get any service history with the car when you bought it?

I book my car in for a service at the same time the MOT is due because I don't do more than 10,000 miles either. Set a reminder in your phone's calendar to repeat yearly to get it booked in and do it early so you are not without the MOT otherwise legally you cannot drive the car unless it is to a prebooked MOT appointment. If the MOT runs out on the 15th don't book it in for the 15th but instead book it in earlier, this is allowed.

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

EerilyDecorated Today 07:39

You can top up the oil yourself, have you checked it with the dipstick?

Beaten to it, but many modern cars don't have them. With our Volvo, you need to press buttons on the indicator stalks in a set order.

OP, do you have a service manual in the glove compartment? In any case, oil needs changing at least annually, even if you don't do a lot of miles.

Sounds like the service oil change light not oil level light - which is more serious.

Often there are two mileage counters, one for Service, one for oil change- dependent on how you drive.

If your doing low mileage don't get a long life oil change, go for the standard yearly or 10k one, long service is ok for cars that spend a lot of time on the motorway.

You need to find out the service schedule for your car. Most cars need at least an annual oil change, but then what else needs doing varies. I have most experience with VAG cars which generally have annual oil change (but I seem to remember some of the time they can go longer if using £££ longlife oil, and the car will tell you when it thinks it needs doing).

Then a full service every 2 years, then other bits added on every 3/4/5 years, so you kind of rotate different jobs and have something different done every year.

But if you have a Honda, Citreon etc, it could be completely different. It should say in the book, but a lot of time it might now be on the computer. If you have a good garage (not necessarily the main dealer, a good independent is fine) they will be able to consult a list/programme to see what type of service Brand X, Age Y needs and do that.

For middle age/older cars, my garage always does the MOT before the service, so if it's expensive/bad news then you haven't paid for a service when the car might be scrapped or you might not be able to afford the service as well as the things that need doing to keep the car on the road.

It’s not the oil level indicator, it’s an oil service indicator.

Yes we had company cars for many years, its a guide, so long as its done within 1 or 2k, its fine, our lease companies never cared and neither did the dealers, the main thing is the level (or more accurately oil pressure) light thats vital.

The long life oil is exactly the same as the standard life oil, its down to how the car is driven, as to what mileage the oil service is done at.

It totally depends on the car, you need to check the manual, that will give you all the detail. Many cars now are on 2 year/x miles intervals, some are on 1 year/x miles and some are on condition based servicing which will tell you when individual components need servicing. In a nutshell, without knowing the make, model and year no-one can give you an answer. All my high performance stuff gets a 6 month oil change regardless, even though it may only have done 1-2k miles BUT they get the absolute living shit kicked out of them.

We have the June MOT service then DH gets another done in November ready for winter.

What car is it? They all have different intervals set by the manufacturer and usually you get a light ding on your dash telling you it's time.

I have a slightly older car (2015) and do it every 10k which is usually 6 months but the manufacturer intervals at 2 years / 18.5k.

Sorry, I actually read the OP this time 🤦🏼‍♀️ yes, that's telling you it needs a service. I wouldn't go with manufacturer but a local or chain.

The book that came with your car should give you the info you need. It’s also likely your car came with a service log for the garage to stamp. The service log should tell you when each service is required, i.e. time based or mileage based.