Service items - over and above the regular?

[pauljdh]

Ive just had a lovely service at Holdcroft, paid extra for a fuel filter (ouch!) but then started thinking that theres lots of things that should in theory be replaced but never seem to feature as service items.

specifically I'm thinking of

• Gearbox oil
• Brake Fluid
• Radiator fluid
• Air conditioning gas
• (are there others?)

I've checked my last three services over 3 years I owned the car and none of these have been changed or have been raised by the technicians as needing doing. I guess most of them could just be repleneshed rather than changed, but as be brake fluid is hydroscopic, gearbox oil will break down and refrigerant gas leaks out eventually I thought they would have been addressed.

Perhaps I need to read my service book a bit more, but just wondered what fellow owners thought?

Car is a 2.2cdti tourer, manual 6-speed.

Cheers

 

[freddofrog]

Car is a 2.2cdti tourer, manual 6-speed.

what year is the car and how many miles has it done ?

 

[pauljdh]

Thanks - its a 2006 with a healthy 152K on the clock

 

[GSD2013]

I always thought with any vehicle, you have a periodic service schedule, e.g. minor and major services. The difference being oil and filters at minor and coolant, brake fluid, transmission oil, oil and filters, sparkplugs (if relevant) etc at major service. And at each service, fluid levels are checked, along with air-con, although these may not be replenished/changed until major service.

That has always been the schedule I have agreed with garages in the past for every vehicle I have owned, petrol or diesel.

This has also been confirmed recently by Brindley Honda in Cannock, I signed up to the service plan, monthly payment, and they said based on the previous services with them (prior to purchase), the car is due a major service at the next service date.

I think that Haynes also state in the general maintenance chapter of their workshop manuals for most vehicles, things like coolant, brake, gear fluids are changed every xxxx miles or two years IIRC. Could be wrong.

But would seem to make sense as fluids age with time and use. (Just think about rubber cambelts - they can go due to age as much as wear (mileage))