General what does 'Servicing' involve?

[PUNTO-DUDE]

ok, so I'm the first to admit I know nothing about cars other than how to drive 'em, but I'm keen to learn.

what exactly is involved in a typical service? I have an R-Reg Punto 60 with 51k on the clock, no service history but it looks clean under the hood and it's just gone through the MOT a month ago with nothing but brake-disks replaced.

what I'm saying is that a service history is pretty pointless on this car so if I can save a few quid by servicing the phing myself, I'm game.

:slayer:

 

[beau]

i would do-

oil
oil filter
air filter
spark plugs
flush out coolant put new in
ht leads
injector cleaner with some good petrol

oh and timing belt if its not been done.

 

[PUNTO-DUDE]

hmm, think I need to start small... how about an oil change - it that difficult?

:slayer:

 

[T14086]

You can get 40 point services which cover the above plus suspension / steering / brake checks etc for £70 or £90 with MOT test,includes all parts....cheap as chips

 

[Diamond21]

Air filter you can do yourself spark plugs and oil filter you need tools to do yourself how many miles is on your clock?

 

[Goldie Punto]

Depends on whats due at that age or mileage.

Air filter
Oil
Oil filter
(engine flush)
Fuel filter
(injector cleaner)
Spark plugs

Brake fluid, coolant every two years.

Servicing also involves checking over brakes, suspension, tyres, tension of belts, coolant, fluid levels etc etc...

Also will involve certain parts that are not needed at every service i.e, timing belt.

 

[faster4_tec]

Servicing also involves checking over brakes, suspension, tyres, tension of belts, coolant, fluid levels etc etc...

only includes that at a reputable garage, that aren't gonna screw you over like most mainline dealerships they skip allkinds of things.

latest thing with our most modern car (a saab), is that its a/c drier outlet pipe (where all that water its dried out of the air is drained everytime its used, so like non stop flow!) should be cleaned out from top to bottom.
guess what, in 4years of saab dealership servicing, NEVER ONCE BEEN DONE, NOW THE CARPETS ARE WET!!!!! and there are warning lamps flashing

 

[PUNTO-DUDE]

to answer a few of the questions above, the car is R-Reg (1o or 12 years old?) and has 51000 miles on the clock.

it's just had brake fluid as some part went last week that controls the brake/clutch fluid - I had no fluid and the clutch wouldn't operate. cost me £120 (think I got screwed though, they said it was gonna be £45 when I first went in, hmm!!!)

You can get 40 point services which cover the above plus suspension / steering / brake checks etc for £70 or £90 with MOT test,includes all parts....cheap as chips

where can you get this done? - is this somewhere local to you or is this commonplace countrywide? I must admit that I got quoted £150 for a service (yikes!)

I've no idea when the car was last serviced (no service history) which means it's probably been a couple of years at best. Probably an idea to get it done before xmas.

:slayer:

 

[Diamond21]

At 51k and no service history abit dodgy i would be worried about the cam belt i would get your cam belt and tensioner replaced if you have no history its probly got the orginal belt still init for a 16v its 40k miles 50k miles for the 8v...

 

[DanGil]

If you take your car to a fiat dealer or any dealer for that matter it usually involves them doing nothing whatsoever.

 

[T14086]

If you take your car to a fiat dealer or any dealer for that matter it usually involves them doing nothing whatsoever.

Yes Dan thats correct Fiat dealers dont service your car if you take it to them how right you are.....

So the fact i'm getting up at 6.45am on sat morning,getting to work at 7.30,getting everything ready for the morning customers(service sheets etc),then listening to customers/test drives with them & diagnosing their problems,do a couple of services,close up garage at 12.00,then do the paperwork...get home at(hopefully)2.00pm(7.00pm weekdays).Then come on FF for majority of rest of day helping(hopefully)others.......yeah us techs really do f*ck all

IDIOT! (think before you speak)

 

[PUNTO-DUDE]

At 51k and no service history abit dodgy i would be worried about the cam belt i would get your cam belt and tensioner replaced if you have no history its probly got the orginal belt still init for a 16v its 40k miles 50k miles for the 8v...

I'm sure it's had a service at some point, it's just that there was no service history that came with the car - it was a p/ex at a garage and they sold it off cheap (got rid of it quick to free up space).

So what is the significance of the cam belt/tensioner and how do I tell if it needs replaced.

Sorry for all the questions but I'm a (guitar amp) tech and I naturally 'fix' things - I NEED to know (heh).

:slayer:

 

[T14086]

What can I do about my Marshall VS100R as it 'hums' like mad

 

[PUNTO-DUDE]

What can I do about my Marshall VS100R as it 'hums' like mad

ack! - tranny amps (run to the hills)

has it always hummed bad (i.e. design quirk) or does it have a fault?

:slayer:

 

[DanGil]

Yes Dan thats correct Fiat dealers dont service your car if you take it to them how right you are.....

So the fact i'm getting up at 6.45am on sat morning,getting to work at 7.30,getting everything ready for the morning customers(service sheets etc),then listening to customers/test drives with them & diagnosing their problems,do a couple of services,close up garage at 12.00,then do the paperwork...get home at(hopefully)2.00pm(7.00pm weekdays).Then come on FF for majority of rest of day helping(hopefully)others.......yeah us techs really do f*ck all

IDIOT! (think before you speak)

I did'nt speak I wrote, think before you reply, IDIOT.

Only reason I said that was because when my hgt went in for a service at fiat they did'nt change the oil as I had marked the filter with tipex (mate at works suggestion) beforehand, same when my mums fiesta went into fords they did'nt bother, which is why I do it myself now, you must be an exception.

 

[Diamond21]

I'm sure it's had a service at some point, it's just that there was no service history that came with the car - it was a p/ex at a garage and they sold it off cheap (got rid of it quick to free up space).

So what is the significance of the cam belt/tensioner and how do I tell if it needs replaced.

Sorry for all the questions but I'm a (guitar amp) tech and I naturally 'fix' things - I NEED to know (heh).

:slayer:

Depends on what valve it is if its an 8v its a (safe engine) so if the belt snaps your engines ok if its a 16v and the cam belt snaps your valves pistons will twist inside the engine leavin you to replace those to be honest be cheaper buyin an other engine as i know of you cant tell if it has been changed or needs changed every (5 years) or (16v every 40k miles/every 50k miles for an 8v)

 

[beau]

well his got a 60, so if he doesnt do it and it breaks it doesnt matter, put a new one on (and tensioner) and away you go, my punto's timing belt broke before at 49k, put a new one on and off you go (old owner not me )

buy some tools for the service, remember you can keep them for a very long time! and use em on other cars too.

its really is easy to do oil, filter, air filter, spark plugs, leads, and the other stuff i presume lol

 

[PUNTO-DUDE]

thanks for the reply - last thing I need is HAVING to get some work done on the car that doesn't NEED to be done. I only paid £680 for the thing, it's just a run-around for work purposes.

:slayer:

 

[T14086]

ack! - tranny amps (run to the hills)

has it always hummed bad (i.e. design quirk) or does it have a fault?

:slayer:

At low volume (1 or 2) its very noticeable,higher its ok cause your rapidly going deaf anyway :slayer:

Seem to remember something about having to resolder tracks on PCB? Got sovtek valves in it.

 

[beau]

well get it serviced now then before i causes more problems in the future if its cheap run around, if you dont do stuff to it, it will just be more expensive in the long run