To service or not to service, that is the question ...

[Keithstv]

David
In addition to the spare wheel, which I also specced on my present car as an option, you should have ticked the Tyre Pressure Monitor (TPM) option. This monitors the rotation of the wheels using the ABS sensors and if it detects a difference in the long term rotation turns on a light on the dashboard to indicate a possible fault with one of the tyres. Both mine and my wifes cars have it and I can vouch for the fact that it does work as we've both had slow punctures caused by nails. I believe now it's a legal requirement on new cars.

Keith

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
You must do an oil change, very low mileage cars rarely reach operating temperature, by products of combustion don't boil off and the oil degrades. A car doing 30,000 miles on a motorway is likely to have less oil contaminants than yours at 3000 miles. The Ford service schedule will also state a time related service.
May I say I've bitter experience of low mileage poorly serviced cars.

[Mark Hennessy]

I don't know about the current service schedules, but for my 2001 Focus (also 1.8, and doing much better than yours by the sound of things - touch wood ), it's 12,500 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. That's pretty unambiguous. What does the handbook say?

I've been searching around since writing that earlier, and am becoming persuaded that the 12,500 miles or 12 months also applies to 2011 models as well - I did ask Terry to check his book, but we've not heard the answer yet. Because, quite simply, that is the answer. Case closed.

Avoiding an annual service is a false economy IMHO. You might assume now that you'll be keeping the car until it is worthless, but you never know what life is going to throw at you, and a large gap in the service history will seriously affect the resale value, as well as eliminating any hope of goodwill from the manufacturer.

Oh, the brake fluid interval for a Ford is 2 years. Your car is 4 years old. If you have a accident because you were unable to stop in time, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the insurance company tried to use that as an excuse to wriggle out of settling - we all know what they're like. Remember also that in general, automatics rely on brakes more than a manual...

As you've just got the car, having someone go over it with a fine tooth-comb while you're still within the warranty from the dealer (it did come with one, right?) is surely a sensible idea?

Just do it. It is a no-brainer. You've got until January to save up for it

Mark

[Yorkie]

David
In addition to the spare wheel, which I also specced on my present car as an option, you should have ticked the Tyre Pressure Monitor (TPM) option. This monitors the rotation of the wheels using the ABS sensors and if it detects a difference in the long term rotation turns on a light on the dashboard to indicate a possible fault with one of the tyres. I believe now it's a legal requirement on new cars.

Keith

That's interesting - I'd wondered how those 'TPMs' worked. 

I usually change my car every three years, which will be due Sept 2016, so some time mid-year I'll start looking. Been highly chuffed with my Skoda Fabia and I looked at this year's model, given that it was 'car of the year' in its class. Prior to the budget (and of course prior to the recent emissions scandal broke), the (alleged) emmisions were so low that it would have been free of road tax, but that's history now.

It seems that the jury is out on whether diesels are cleaner than petrol engines, and hopefully things will settle down over the next year so we can make informed decisions, but meanwhile, several large cities are talking of imposing a 'pollution charge' on diesels coming into the cities.

I await to see if my 2013 1.6L Fabia Diesel is one that will be subject to a recall to furtle about with the software. It won't keep me away at night - 240 miles down from Hull to Puney last Saturday it did 58MPG, and that includes 1.5 Hrs to do the last 15 miles round the north/south circular in this hell-hole called London, where everyone drives as though they're sat on a pineapple. They don't seem to understand that they're not 'stuck in traffic' - they are 'traffic'. Theyre all going nuts together - barking, the lot of 'em.

To my mind, the biggest con is the claim that electric engines are cleaner. True, they don't cause pollution at the point at which they're driven, but they're powered by electricity which comes from power stations, which are mostly powered by non-renewable hydrocarbon fuels - coal, gas, oil so the pollution just occurs in someone else's back yard.

Furthermore, when the 'environmental footprint' of producing elctric cars is taken into account - mining and refining ore to make the batteries, which have maybe a five year life span then have to be re-cycled, then there's the low residual value of the car (who'd buy a five-year old electric car?), so the overall life of the car is shorter etc, etc. 

Hybrids and hydrogen?

Don't think so. More extravagant claims that don't stand close examination.

[Terry]

Thanks to everybody who has contributed, it really looks like an open and shut case!

The service interval is 12,500 miles or 12 months but I couldn't get my head round the need to at least change the oil at one twelfth of the maximum mileage when, as in this case, the time parameter is used. Thanks especially to Trevor for explaining that.

As for Jeffrey's £41 per annum breakdown cover, mine is provided as part of my bank account with Nationwide. This costs £10 per month but pays interest on the first £2,500 of balance which returns, after tax, ~£5 per month, so the actual cost is £60 p.a.

However, this not only provides breakdown assistance and recovery but also medical insurance for both of us and credit card protection.

There is no age restriction with the vehicle cover - no longer a problem but was with the previous 13 year old vehicle - and it includes European cover which is important to us.

The only problem with the breakdown cover when I needed it earlier this year was that the problem occurred in an underground car park - which I pointed out when I reported it. I got a call back apologising for the delay but they were having trouble find anyone locally who could get their tow truck through a 2m height restriction!

The chap who eventually turned up said he'd been told by his company that the vehicle had been down there before but he wasn't convinced that he wasn't going to lose all the flashing lights off the roof! With my eyes glued to his roof he proceeded gingerly down the ramp.

There was no problem at the top and everything looked good at the bottom but it was the centre of the roof that was the potential problem - in fact it did briefly scrape on the roof of the ramp - but otherwise everything was ok ...!

[Terry]

To my mind, the biggest con is the claim that electric engines are cleaner ... which are mostly powered by non-renewable hydrocarbon fuels - coal, gas, oil so the pollution just occurs in someone else's back yard ...

Not quite, David.

Take a look at the National Grid Status

When you've finished admiring the vintage dials, take a look at the top right.

If this pointer comes off its end stop:
   
it's time to batten down the hatches because it is so expensive to use oil for electricity generation it is only ever used in a dire emergency.

However, as we continue to demolish our more efficient coal fired stations without replacing them ...

There is one caveat - the oil powered plant is usually fired up before each winter to prove it still works, so don't panic at a brief burst of extravagance!

It can be very interesting during intensely cold, still periods to look at the peak demand, then note the 'Wind' pointer hovering very close to the zero mark ...