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When buying a new car one thing that rarely is thought of is the
ongoing maintenance of the chosen vehicle. Especially a luxury car. That is understandable of
course as the purchase of a new car is a rare occurrence! Most people
don't ever buy new at all. Instead, they buy a used car every time the
need arises.
The fortunate thing is that most new vehicles these
days have service schedules that are further apart. Some cars, like any
BMW, have variable service intervals depending on driving habits. This
results in less reasons to book a service.
While this is advantageous, the risk is your engine may be working hard
with dirty engine oil swishing around. This may not be an issue if the
driver only has the car for two or three years. It may become an issue
in the long run.
The ideal situation is that every few months or
5000km the oil should be checked. In saying this, we are not only
inspecting the cleanliness of the oil. The engine oil level is also
critical. While under the bonnet, check the coolant level in the
(usually a green liquid).
For those who are intent on owning the
car for over 3 years, which is at a stage where most manufacturer
warranty usually ends, ensuring that the vehicle is well maintained
during the early years is important.
A suggestion is to go to your
service department negotiate a price to change your car’s engine oil
and filter, while checking other vital fluids, in between the
recommended services. For instance if your vehicle has a manufacturer
recommended interval of 15000km/12mths between services, it would be
wise to change the oil and filter at 7500km or at least every 6 months.
Although not mandatory, it certainly adds peace of mind if you decide
to not trade your car.
In
doing this you will ensure the longevity of the cars vital components,
and less risk of costly repairs when the vehicle is out of new car
warranty.
Adding to that, in usual cases it will be of benefit when you want a trade in valuation.
So the name of the game is to look after your car to ensure trouble free motoring!
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