Getting Your Car Serviced: What to Expect

Being a new car owner is a lot of fun, but it also means inheriting new responsibilities. One of those new obligations is making sure you stay on top of car maintenance. By doing so you will not only be ensuring a longer life for your vehicle, but you can also avoid many expensive repairs.

 

This means regularly taking your car in to be serviced. Chances are, if this is your first time owning a car, you haven’t experienced this process before. To help you prepare, and prevent you from getting caught off-guard, check out our breakdown below!

 

Get to Know Your Car

 

First thing’s first: you have to figure out when you should be servicing your car in the first place. Check the manufacturer’s manual to see what is advised in terms of how often you should be getting it serviced. There’s always the chance that you will need to get something done before your scheduled maintenance, so just make sure to keep track of it in your maintenance log, which you should also bring with you.

 

Other things you will need to look at before handing over your vehicle’s keys is its current mileage, and it’s VIN (vehicle identification number). You will present this when meeting with the service advisor and in turn cut down on the chances of you getting flustered in addition to saving you time!

 

Choose a Service Center You Trust

 

A good service center won’t overcharge you or try to upsell you on unnecessary services; they will be straightforward and focus on servicing your vehicle. So, when you start calling around to get a quote, in addition to choosing somewhere with fair prices, decide whether or not they seem trustworthy. When you call to get a quote on the maintenance, write down all the information you are given and get the name of the person you are speaking with for future reference.

One thing you should know is that there are two types of car service: interim and full service. Interim takes places about every six months or 6,000 miles (whichever comes first), while full services occur once a year. Depending on the previous maintenance that has been performed on your vehicle, the services you need to get done will vary. When you call to get a quote, mention this prior maintenance so that they can give you a more realistic price and help you pick the package that best suits your needs. Finally, when you get to your appointment, tell the service administrator your plan. Coming in with all of this information is sure to give you peace of mind.

 

The Waiting Game

 

Grab the essentials from your car and head on inside. Depending on how much tuning your car needs, you could be sitting in the waiting room for a while. Don’t forget to bring something to help keep you busy!

 

Although you might want to get out of there the second they return your keys, take a minute to ask the technician if they saw any excessive wear and tear. They can then tell you if your brake pads are wearing down too quickly or advise you to look out for something in the future. A well-kept vehicle is more likely to have a clean engine, which will lead to a better MPG rate, help you maintain your manufacturer’s warranty, and retain more value. While you may be thinking about the money you are spending at the moment, it will ultimately be saving you much more in the long run.

 

Hopefully this article has shown you that with the right amount of preparation, getting your car serviced is nothing to worry over. As you can see, choosing a service center that you can trust will treat you right and provide you with quality work is of the utmost importance.

We here at Nutley Auto Kia are dedicated to providing you with a great experience and excellent results. Call or visit us today to schedule your next service!

 

Sources:

• What Gets Checked During a Car Service?: http://bit.ly/2ixpyqU
• Maintenance Basics: http://edmu.in/2vcmvu2
• Know Your Car’s Maintenance Schedule to Keep Service Costs Down: https://nerd.me/2iU6ijK
• How to Have Your Car Serviced: http://bit.ly/2gbLTto

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