Frequently asked questions

As a rough guide, most cars want a service every 10,000 to 15,000 kilometres or once a year, whichever comes first, but always check what your manufacturer recommends. If you do lots of short trips, tow, or drive on dusty rural roads, more frequent servicing pays off. Regular servicing is the cheapest way to catch small issues before they turn into big repair bills.

A Warrant of Fitness is a safety inspection that checks your car is legal and safe to be on the road, covering things like brakes, tyres, lights, steering and the body. A service is preventative maintenance, like changing the oil and filters and checking wear items, to keep the car running well and reliably. A car can pass a WOF and still be overdue for a service, so they are two separate things.

Cars first registered on or after 1 January 2000 need a WOF every twelve months. Older vehicles registered before that date need one every six months. A WOF lasts the full period only if nothing changes, and you are responsible for keeping the car in a safe, warrantable condition the whole time, not just on inspection day.

No, you are free to get the repairs done wherever you like, you are not locked into the place that inspected it. That said, having us do both is usually quicker and simpler, because we already know exactly what failed and why. Once the faults are fixed, the car needs to be rechecked to confirm it now meets the standard.

A cambelt, or timing belt, keeps the top and bottom of your engine turning in sync. If it snaps while you are driving, the valves and pistons can collide, and on many engines that means serious internal damage and a very expensive repair. Cambelts are a wear item with a set replacement interval, often around 100,000 kilometres or so, so it is one you do not want to skip or push out.

A warning light is the car telling you something needs looking at, and it is worth getting checked sooner rather than later. The check engine light can mean anything from a loose fuel cap to a sensor or emissions fault, so we plug in and read the fault codes to find out exactly what it is. A brake warning light especially should not be ignored, because brakes are not something to take chances with.

Common signs are squealing or grinding noises, a soft or spongy pedal, the car pulling to one side when you brake, or it taking longer to stop. Some cars also have a dashboard warning for brake wear. If you notice any of these, get them checked promptly, because worn pads left too long can damage the discs and turn a cheap job into an expensive one.

Most modern cars want an oil and filter change every 10,000 to 15,000 kilometres or once a year, though some are sooner, so check your handbook. The grade of oil matters a lot, because engines are designed for a specific specification, and using the wrong oil can affect performance and wear. We use the correct oil for your engine as part of a service, so you do not have to worry about getting it right.