We know, we know. There are a hundred things you would rather spend your hard-earned money on than some meaningless service.

But a regular service plan actually helps you save in the long run.

Having a professional technician check your car regularly is the best way to stop small problems developing into expensive ones.

Regular servicing can also boost your car’s fuel efficiency and improve its resale value.

It’s a worthwhile investment, but there are still ways that you can keep costs down with servicing. Here’s our top tips.

Use an independent garage

The first rule to saving money is to go independent. Research shows that independent garages are, on average, 18% cheaper than main franchised dealers.

Who Can Fix My Car found that independents were slightly cheaper for MOTs and servicing.

But they also found that if an MOT or service leads to more significant ‘off-the-menu’ work like a cam belt replacement, then franchised dealer costs can spiral.

Franchised dealers are more popular with newer car owners, but you aren’t obligated to get your car serviced with the dealer that you bought it from.

No matter what the dealer says, there’s nothing stopping you using an independent instead.

Separate research also found that independent garages enjoy higher customer satisfaction ratings compared with franchised dealers.

Stick to a maintenance schedule

You can also save on servicing if you stick to a maintenance schedule and only get a service when your car needs it.

While ensuring your car is serviced every year is a good rule of thumb, you should really check the manufacturer’s service schedule for a more accurate outlook.

If your car is newish, it will probably have a built-in servicing reminder system to tell you exactly when it’s time to service your car.

If you don’t have service reminders built into your dashboard, you’ll have to go by what the owner’s manual says.

The recommended service schedule may be slightly different if you drive in ‘severe’ conditions.

This includes if you do primarily short trips (five miles or less), drive in city centre stop and go traffic or regularly tow a trailer.

If you do any of these, you may have to get your car serviced a little more frequently.

Your manual should also tell you when replaceable parts may need changing and how often maintenance tasks like changing the oil should be carried out.

Think about an intermittent service

An intermittent service is a slightly smaller treatment that you can use to save money if you are a certain kind of driver.

Most manufacturers say you should get your car serviced every 12,000 miles. But if you do more than 20,000 miles each year, this could be overkill.

If you drive long miles for work, then an intermittent service will check all of the necessities and wearables for any damage, while leaving some more durable parts alone.

Avoid cowboy service shops (and national chains)

We know that mechanics have a bad reputation. We always try extra hard to please our customers and make sure they don’t feel ripped off.

But we know there are some bad apples out there. And it’s important that you try and avoid them.

When it comes to servicing, one common trick is to identify problems that don’t exist or exaggerate minor problems to get customers to agree to unnecessary repairs.

We’re sorry to say that, in our experience, it’s the big national chains and franchised dealers that are most guilty of this type of behaviour.

Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to check on a garage’s reputation before you visit – just check their online reviews.

Duffy Motors is one of the top reviewed Manchester garages on the Good Garage Scheme. We also have a sparkling set of reviews on Google.

Shop around

If you are looking to get the best price on your car service, you may want to shop around.

Reputable garages will usually be transparent about their pricing and should be able to give you a quote over the phone.

Be warned though, if a price looks too good to be true then it probably is. These bargain basement garages will try to recoup their costs elsewhere.

If you are worried about getting ripped off, then you can clearly spell out what you want the garage to do. Ask them to contact you before they carry out any additional work and ask for a detailed breakdown of all the costs so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.

Most reputable garages will be happy to do all of this for you.

Want to learn more about our servicing. Speak to a member of the team today. Call: 0161 834 4168.

New research reveals that British drivers are overspending about £90 per vehicle on unnecessary repair work and garage up-sells.

A general lack of knowledge about car repairs and servicing contributed to the overspend, which costs nation’s car drivers a collective £3.4 billion annually, according to roadside fixers Green Flag.

Green Flag also revealed the most common unnecessary work and up-sells that some garages charge for.

They found that changing the brake fluid was the number one cause of extra cost. Most car manufacturers recommend changing brake fluid every 2 years or 20,000 miles, but this research suggests that some garages are changing the brake fluid unnecessarily.

The research also says that Brits are paying for anti-freeze, fuel and oil cleaning and new brake pads and disks when brake wear is within safety limits.

The most common unnecessary work

1. Brake fluid change
2. Anti-freeze drain and refill
3. Fuel/oil cleaners
4. Brake pads and discs (when wear is within safety limits)
5. Wiper replacement
6. Battery replacement
7. Tracking (Wheel Alignment)
8. Oil top-ups
9. New tyres (when tread is well within legal limit)
10. Pollen filters

Lee Atkinson of Duffy Motors said: “You hear stories about some garages overcharging. I think things have improved. But you still have to watch out for some operators. The new MOT test hasn’t helped. You can argue that it has made it easier for dodgy garages to cheat customers.

“At Duffy, we always try to agree a fair price before any work takes place. If anything crops up we’ll try our best to speak to the customer before charging for any extras to avoid unexpected bills.

“Drivers can avoid dodgy repair shops by using trustworthy garages. Ask your friends for a recommendation, look at reviews or check on the Good Garage Scheme.”

Read Duffy Motors’ Reviews on the Good Garage Scheme

Green Flag found that many British drivers lack the knowledge that they need to challenge drivers on services and prices. Two-thirds didn’t even know what MOT stood for (Ministry of Transport).

Only one in five men and one in ten women said that they were confident about choosing a rough price they should be paying.

They also found that a third of drivers feel apprehensive about negotiating with garages and 40% of Brits underestimate the cost of car servicing.

The research also found that Manchester was the seventh most expensive UK city to get your car repaired in, with an average spend of £414.46.

Londoners paid the most for car repairs, with bills averaging £507.62 in the capital. Drivers in Nottingham had the cheapest costs, spending an average of £348.84 on repairs.

Duffy Motors is one of the top-reviewed garages in Greater Manchester. The company has a 99%+ feedback score on the Good Garage Scheme based on more than 700 reviews. Call 0161 834 4168 to book your next MOT or service.