Interim service
The six-month or 6,000-mile one. Oil, filter and a proper look round.
An interim service is the shorter of the two. Oil and oil filter, then a systematic check of everything that wears — brakes, tyres, steering, suspension, lights, levels, belts and hoses.
The oil is the point of it. Engine oil does not just lubricate; it carries heat away and holds combustion soot in suspension. Past its interval it stops doing both, and the damage that follows is expensive in a way an oil change is not.
How you know you need it
- Six months or around 6,000 miles since the last service
- The service light has come on
- Lots of short journeys, which is harder on oil than motorway miles
- You want the history kept up without the cost of a full service
What we actually do
- 1 Oil drained warm and the filter replaced — never topped up and called a change
- 2 Oil to the specification your engine actually requires, not a generic grade
- 3 All fluid levels checked and topped: coolant, brake fluid, screenwash, power steering
- 4 Brakes, tyres, steering, suspension, exhaust and lights inspected
- 5 Service book stamped and anything found written down for you
Questions about this job
Will this affect my manufacturer warranty?
No. Since the EU Block Exemption rules, a warranty cannot be voided for being serviced outside the dealer network, as long as the right parts and specifications are used. They are.
Interim or full — which do I need?
Interim at six months or 6,000 miles, full at twelve months or 12,000. Many people alternate them. Tell us the mileage and we will say which is due.
What if you find something?
We tell you what it is, what it costs and how urgent it is — and we do not do it without you saying yes.
Interim service — in Westhampton
118 Mill Lane, Westhampton, Westshire, WX1 4AB. Open seven days, Sunday included.