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Neil Skuse recommends getting a car service at a good Bristol garage if you plan to enjoy summer motoring in the days ahead

As we all know good maintenance and servicing helps minimize the possibility of a breakdown. The last thing any of us wants is our holiday or summer motoring interrupted by the sudden failure of our car due to poor maintenance.

When your car is due its service, I highly recommend getting it booked in to a good Bristol garage. Many checks and inspections are carried out during the service which can identify minor issues before the sudden failure of a part or component.

Many people ask me the question ‘Do you think my car needs a service? It has only done a few thousand miles since the last service.’

My response is always the same – yes. I would recommend a service because a car that is doing a low mileage can be affected by a lack of use.

The motor car likes to be used, Simple issues like brakes sticking or jamming become apparent, oil can become contaminated with water due to condensation building up in the engine due to short journeys, suspension and steering parts perish through age.

The other side of the coin is that for high mileage drivers, parts are going to wear due to the mileage being done. Many components are going to wear at a quicker rate and need to be checked regularly.

The word service is a vague word. What is a service? You will have cheap and cheerful services which are not to manufacturers’ schedules, and you will have the detailed manufacturers’ schedules.

You will have three ports of call for your car service; a main dealer, a quality independent Bristol garage, or a fast fit operation.

A main dealer will follow the manufacturer service schedules, as will a quality Bristol independent garage, as long as they have invested in the information required to offer manufacturers’ service schedules.

Your fast fit centre will generally offer an interim, full, major service, not specific to the vehicle manufactures schedule.

Be careful to make sure that your car has a manufacturers’ approved service, and original equipment (OE) parts fitted. This is very important to maintain your warranty cover under the manufacturers’ warranty period.

Neil Skuse is Managing Director of Westerleigh Car Centre in Bristol. He has over 20 years’ experience of dealing with car servicing in the city.