How do you service your car?

[RobertBurden]

Is it difficult to service your own car. I mean it's so bloody expensive at a garage.

I have a 1994 pegeot 306.

Thanks for any help, Rob

[sammd]

Not if you know what you're doing. Or if you're good at following instructions, have lots of time and don't mind getting covered in oil! The garage i use only adds a �30 labour charge (�70 total) plus i get a stamp in my service history.

[derekpara]

Most things can be done by a reasonably competent person and are quite simple eg, topping up washer fluid, brake and coolant levels, tyre pressures etc. To change your oil and filter you will need to get under with collection bowl, spanner, filter removal tool, rags etc. Most of the other things are checks, Tyre condition, operation of lights, horn, wipers. Some autocentres will do a free brake and steering check for you. Get yourself a good manual and see how you get on.

[jake-the-peg]

You probably should start with one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1844251802/qid=1147114913/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1_1/026-9535811-6409265

Haynes manuals will give you the details of what to service at what intervals along with photographic step by step guides of how to do it. They also give you an indication of how easy or difficult it is to do.

At the very least it'll let you decide how comfortable you feel about doing the job.

A fully stamped service book won't amount to a heap of beans on a 12 year old 306 and with longer warmer weather now why not roll up your sleves and start finding your way about.

You'll skin your knuckes a few times curse it a lot but there's real satisfaction to be had when you first start saving money on garages

[tali122]

<PRE>a car of your age if its running fine then leave it as it is </PRE>

[jake-the-peg]

I wouldn't take the above advice about leave it as it is, especially with regard to things like brake pads!

[ianess]

"If it ain't broke don't fix it" is not good advice.
Preventative maintenance is good advice, especially where safety is concerned.
Shop or ask around for a good local mechanic who'll do a good job a damn sight cheaper than a dealership.
Lots of places will do an oil and filter change for you in a matter of minutes.

[jake-the-peg]

That's true - I'm completely capable of changing an oil filter but it's almost invariably messy and cheap to get done elsewhere - so that at least I let others do!

[sammd]

A mechanic told me the most important thing is changing the oil. Changing things like the air filter isn't as important on a yearly basis.

[tali122]

i need to emphazise the word FINE in my earlier post