Simon Pavey
Website Marketing Manager
Time-consuming, costly, and difficult to organise, servicing your fleet vehicles can feel overwhelming. For fleet managers, finding the best rates and a service quality you can trust while battling for booking slots that suit your fleet's schedule takes time away from other important tasks on your to-do list.
Servicing your fleet vehicles regularly is key to keeping your drivers and business safe from the repercussions of poorly kept vehicles. Though it’s an essential practice for fleets of every size and shape, is it necessary for managing service schedules, bookings, and paperwork to be such an arduous hurdle? We’ll examine what makes vehicle servicing such a large and expensive task, and how tools like Vehicle Maintenance can help carry the load.
There is difference between servicing a car and car maintenance and it’s important to know how they differ! A car service is a regular check done by professionals to make sure your vehicle is working properly. This service may include oil changes, checking brake fluid, inspecting the air conditioning, replacing spark plugs, and other tasks.
Car maintenance is mainly about preventing problems. It focuses on taking action early to avoid issues that could lead to bigger problems later. It includes routine checks that car owners can do themselves and simple tasks such as checking the oil levels and tyre pressure. You can follow our detailed vehicle maintenance checklist to make sure nothing gets overlooked.
There are typically three types of car service: interim, full, and major. Below are the details for each type.
This is the most basic car service and requires the least amount of work. It is mainly for drivers who cover about 20,000 miles each year and should have an interim service every six months.
An interim service typically includes an oil change and a new oil filter, along with basic checks of the car’s parts. During this service, the mechanics check the car's drive belts, brakes, and suspension for problems. They also top up important fluids like coolant and power steering fluid if needed.
A full car service is recommended every 12,000 miles or 12 months. If you’re unsure how often to book different types of servicing, our car maintenance calendar breaks down the intervals clearly.
This service is more thorough than an interim service. It includes changing the oil and oil filter, as well as checking the vehicle in more detail. This may involve looking for wear in parts like wheel bearings. Other tasks can include changing the air filter, checking the air conditioning system and battery, and testing the brakes carefully.
A major service is the most thorough option and is recommended every 24,000 miles or every 24 months. This service includes a detailed inspection and may involve replacing several parts, such as the air conditioning gas, brake fluid, power steering fluid, cabin filter, and spark plugs. It also includes an oil and filter change, which is part of the interim check.
Vehicles need to be serviced regularly, and when you have a growing fleet to keep road-safe and maintained, the costs can quickly add up. Private garages and chain garages can offer servicing at large variable rates, and when your fleet is on the move, finding a well-located and affordable location is a major win for keeping on top of regular maintenance.
While proper vehicle maintenance might feel like an unnecessary cost when you have a whole fleet of cars to keep on top of, it’s important to know that it can actually make your life less expensive in the long run by reducing additional fuel expenses. It does this in three ways:
If you combine servicing and maintenance with smart driving, such as maintaining a steady speed, avoiding rapid acceleration and braking, and minimising idling time, you can further reduce your fleet’s fuel consumption. It also doesn’t hurt to remove unnecessary weight from your vehicles, as every extra 25kg can reduce fuel efficiency, too.
For fleet managers looking to get ahead of the curve and make savings where they count, Vehicle Maintenance is a tool worth adding to their arsenal. Contact us via our quick enquiry form to learn more about how Vehicle Maintenance could streamline your fleet servicing.
Whatever your fleet looks like, organising a vehicle service can involve many moving parts. Organising bookings and knowing which vehicles need servicing gets tougher the bigger your fleet grows. Paperwork can quickly stack up when you’re managing a fleet, even if it no longer requires physical paper. Beyond servicing, keeping on top of regular vehicle checks and defect reporting ensures that you’re catching issues early and staying compliant.
Vehicle Maintenance is a Motia app designed to help alleviate all the challenges we’ve discussed by compiling bookings and paperwork in one location, and offering you access to pre-negotiated rates at both independent and franchise garages across the country. With deals to be found on vehicle servicing, maintenance, repairs, glass and tyre work, and more, you can quickly see the savings rack up while the admin stays quick, simple, and organised.
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