to think that if you only drive 4/5 thousand miles per year that you only need to service your car every 2 years?

[JeremyVineyard]

At least that's what I'm doing now that I WFH virtually full time.
Anyone else doing this?

YABU = Cars must be serviced every year!
YANBU = A service every two years is fine if you're only driving 5k per year.

I service my car when it tells me. I think even if you don’t use it much the oil still needs changing to keep it running smoothly.

We service the car when it's done 12k miles which for us has usually been every 2 years.

I do oil and filter changes each year in a mini service big service every two I only used to drive 2/3000 miles a year no idea how much I've driven this year 😅 but definitely booking in a bigger service

I guess it depends...

If you're planning to keep the car, you could skip the services because it's unlikely to be a problem before you sell it. But... When you sell the car, it would have been worth more with a full service history. I wouldn't consider buying a car that didn't have one.

If you're planning on keeping it until it dies, then you could service it alternate years - but it might not last as long, so that could be self-defeating.

I just get mine serviced every year.

I would at least get the oil and oil filter changed every year even if everything else was every 2 years.

Lower mileage cars can need more attention

No. Mostly because my car will be worth a lot more with a full service history; but also because low mileage cars can actually suffer more issues… so the service helps keep an eye.

It’s good for it to be checked over every year. MOT only checks bare minimum. My service spotted cracked tyres which passed the MOT

When I test drove my car, the salesman told me it needed servicing "every year or 12 calendar months" - yes, those exact words.. I asked if the number of miles mattered and he realised what he'd said

Mine's had 18 months or so between the last few as I wasn't driving as far. As long as you're keeping on top of oil/water/tyre checks etc I think it's probably ok.

I'd think a car that wasn't used much would potentially have issues with parts not working properly because of lack of use, so no I would have a yearly service. I wouldn't buy a car without a yearly service history.

Maybe if wfh is not going to end, you ought to think about getting rid of the car. A few taxis and hire cars for holidays would probably be cheaper.

I'm not worried about selling it as I will usually keep cars until they are on their last legs.

I suppose maybe every 18 months is a reasonable compromise.

You are absolutely wrong. There are so many other things to take into account. For a start petrol or diesel. A diesel should absolutely be serviced every 12 months regardless of mileage. A petrol can go a bit longer. It depends if the oil filter is paper or cartridge. A paper filter breaks down over time and can cause serious engine issues so yearly for paper filters is important.

I do not understand why people do not realise that regular services are vital to keeping a car running smoothly.

We service our diesel cars twice a year sometimes.

I have 18 years of trade experience incase you were wondering.

It’s recommended every 12 months or 12000 miles which ever comes first, so if your only doing 5000 miles a year then it should be done once a year

Nope, I'd still recommend it every year.

You can probably get away with only changing the oil and oil/air filters every couple of years, but you could do with someone checking and filling the coolant, brake fluid, etc? You should also have breakdown coverage as not having a service may mean that the battery degrades without you realising it meaning you could find it won't start, probably at the worst time such as if you stall on a roundabout!! Certainly don't go more than 2 years without a full service including oil change and full checks.

We've always had our cars religiously serviced to schedule, we let the garage dictate what needs doing and what doesn't. We currently have a nearly new Volvo with ultra low mileage, and the Volvo dealership has been excellent in "tailoring" the annual services appropriate to the mileage yet still complying with warranty etc.

We also have a very old car (18 years!) which we take to a local private garage and the garage owner does the same for us - he bases it on the official service schedule, but will suggest leaving things and making a note to do it at the next service so that nothing gets forgotten. (We had it serviced to schedule at the dealership for the first 10 years but they closed down and we didn't want to have to travel nearly an hour to the next nearest dealer, hence trying the local private garage who've been brilliant).

@KellySeveride

I do not understand why people do not realise that regular services are vital to keeping a car running smoothly.

They're usually the ones who decry any car over 3 years as being unreliable etc as justification for always having lease cars replaced every 3 years. Regular servicing is essential for keeping a car on the road for it's proper lifespan which is an average of 14 years the last statistics I saw!

My sister is one of them. She literally never services her cars. She buys old, never services them, but then constantly moans with the amount of times they let her down in a morning, breaks down, fails MOTs etc. She just doesn't "get" the idea that servicing helps stop them breaking down and makes them last longer!

How on earth do you come to the conclusion that not changing the oil degrades the battery?

That’s the strangest thing I’ve read in a very long time!

It's a petrol car fyi

Thats the sort of mileage we do.
Annual mot
serviced every 2 years
The garage uses long life oil which lasts 2 years
Spark plugs changed on mileage not time
pollen filter every 4 years
as for resale value, sure if its under warranty and few years old but at 6-7 years part-ex makes no difference to value at all unless say a high value sports car

I alternate each year between an interim service and a full service. Probably do about 8000 miles a year, sometimes less considering we predominantly wfh.

It's "strange" because it's not what I said nor what I meant!

It depends, short journeys are terrible for cars and therefore I’d service it per the manufacturer’s recommendation. However if you drive longer distances (30 minutes plus) infrequently, you’d probably get away with servicing only every two years.