Why You Should Always Service Your Car On Schedule

Five reasons why you should never skip or delay a car's scheduled logbook service

At times, car servicing can feel like an inconvenience. From fitting appointments into your busy schedule to managing without your vehicle and facing unexpected repair bills, it’s easy to see why many drivers might put off routine maintenance. However, neglecting timely service can lead to much bigger issues down the road. Here’s why staying on top of your car's scheduled servicing is essential.

You could damage your car

At face value, scheduled servicing is about dealing with a car's consumables (i.e. parts, components and substances with a lifespan). Surely, then, stretching things out is only risking stuff you'd be replacing anyway? But running a consumable into the ground can cause more damage than you think.

Take your oil and filters. If they're not changed on schedule, your engine could be running without proper lubrication, which could damage its delicate internals or lead to failure. The same goes for just about every other consumable in a car, from the coolant to brake pads.

It could cost more in the long run

The cost of regular car maintenance – however much it might be smart at the time – typically hurts a lot less than paying for more serious repairs, not to mention the cost of towing fees, missed work and the other expenses of having a car break down. And because servicing a car is also about keeping its various parts and systems properly adjusted – from ensuring the engine is in tune to keeping the wheels aligned – you'll be minimising the cost of everything from fuel to tyres.

The importance of regular car maintenance reaches resale value too because used-car buyers will always pay more for a car that's been routinely serviced than one with holes in its record.

You could shorten your car's life

Cars aren't built to last forever but they are designed to reach a ripe age with routine attention and mechanical replenishment. Continually neglecting this attention eventually makes a car uneconomical to own due to the cost of repairs exceeding its value, potentially forcing it off the road before its time.

You could compromise your safety

Neglecting to service a car puts the integrity and performance of its myriad systems at risk. Going back to brake pads, if they're not changed on time the braking system won't be performing at its peak. In an emergency scenario, that could make a big difference. Along with checking brakes, a typical service brushes over your car's other vital safety features, from checks of seatbelts, airbags and other passive-safety devices to calibrations of advanced driver-assist technology such as emergency brake assist.

You could hurt the environment

No matter how you cut it, cars aren't good for the planet but one of many scheduled car service advantages is at least minimising the damage, from ensuring the engine is always running at peak efficiency (thereby minimising its fuel use and your carbon footprint) to stopping oils, coolant and other undesirables leaking into the environment.