GEM's Top 5 extra tasks your car needs at service time

Every car has a servicing schedule, which details all of the maintenance operations that it requires to be safe and reliable. Yet, this is designed not just by engineers but also by marketers and accountants, who are seeking to keep costs down for fleets and any service plans that dealers upsell.

As the average car on British roads is getting older, consider that a garage is not ripping you off, by recommending work that is not in the service schedule. Here are our top five tasks that you should consider:

1. What are the advantages of an oil flush

Most garages concur that official oil change intervals are too long, which results in excessive engine wear. As any lingering old oil will shorten the life of new oil, a flush additive is a good idea to remove as much contamination from the engine as possible. In most cases, it is also wise to reduce the official oil change interval, possibly by as much as half. Ask your garage for advice, pertinent to your make and model, especially if your car has a timing belt that runs in oil.

2. Why are transmission oil changes necessary

Most transmission failures are hastened by elderly oil. The problem is that most carmakers claim that their gearboxes, differentials, et al, are lubricated for life and that no set oil change interval is provided in the service schedule. Much depends on their definition of 'life' - one manufacturer told us that it defines 'life' as seven years - or fewer if the vehicle is used for towing duties.

Therefore, a transmission oil change is a good way of prolonging your car's life. Again, ask your garage for its counsel.

3. Is fuel injector cleaning recommended?

Modern petrol and diesel fuel systems operate at very high pressures and the fuel injectors are built to very fine tolerances that are thinner than a human hair. The problem is that any contamination on the fuel injectors will affect the spray pattern and, therefore, the fuel atomisation. This will result in increased fuel consumption, higher emissions and poor engine running.

While removing the injectors and cleaning them with specialised equipment tends to be necessary only when there is a fault, dosing a quality fuel injector cleaning additive into the petrol/diesel tank periodically is good preventative maintenance. Yet, follow any instructions carefully.

4. Should timing belts be changed earlier?

Renewing timing belts and their associated parts tends to be neither easy, nor inexpensive. However, most engines are virtually destroyed, should the timing gear let go. As many timing belts are failing before their replacement interval, ask your garage for advice about whether you should have it done earlier than the maker recommends, especially if you drive mainly in urban areas.

Timing chains present another problem. They should last the life of the engine but many of them are failing and ruining the engine. They are also not easy to replace. Unlike timing belts, they tend to make a rattling noise occasionally to indicate that all is not well. Query your technician about whether your timing chain drive is prone to failure and, if so, should you consider having it replaced, before it causes expensive engine damage.

5. Is Intake cleaning worthwhile?

Most modern petrol and diesel engines are direct injection and possess exhaust gas recirculation. This means that the intake becomes choked with oily deposits over time. This situation strangles the engine, making it gasp for air. Clever engine management adjusts the fuelling to compensate but it will reach a stage where it can

do no more and an engine management warning light will illuminate. Even so, the engine will perform less efficiently well before this stage is reached.

Intake cleaning, therefore, is a good idea. For routine maintenance, spray aerosols are available but the instructions should be followed carefully. Where the intake is clogged, physical removal and cleaning may be necessary. Again, ask your technician for recommendations.

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