Skipping your car service? Think about the risks

A vehicle is a valuable investment that makes your life easier – getting you to work so you can earn a salary, taking you to visit much-loved family members and friends and helping you transport heavy items from A to B. It makes sense to look after it and protect it just as you would any other item of value.
“Just like you get routine check-ups for good personal health, your vehicle benefits much from regular care and maintenance,” points out Barend Smit, Marketing Director of MotorHappy, a supplier of motor management solutions and car insurance options. “Skipping a car service and poor vehicle maintenance poses real consequences to both the vehicle and its driver.”
Any vehicle, whether it’s a personal car, van, or truck, will start to perform poorly once you fail to schedule a routine maintenance for it. Missing a car service will shorten the lifespan of your car. It will become unreliable and could develops a range of problems that significantly reduces the resale price of that vehicle. A car with a good service history maintains a high value when selling it. The second-hand market has become very competitive and the buyer will be more attracted to a regularly checked car.
“However, more important than resale price is the safety risk it poses to the driver and the passenger,” says Smit. “When a vehicle is poorly maintained or a service is skipped, it poses a safety risk to the vehicle, driver, passengers, and other road users. If you miss a service, you might not be aware that your vehicle has pressure issues, tyre instabilities, frayed belts, brake failures or other serious problems.”
Statistics released by the Road Traffic Management Corporation reveal that brake failure and worn tyres are two major contributors to the number of accidents on South Africa’s roads. Regular servicing and vehicle maintenance ensure that both of these, as well as other essential vehicle operational systems, are assessed regularly.
Smit adds that without your scheduled check-up and resulting conversation with your mechanic or workshop, you might be unaware of recall notices for the model, make, and year of your vehicle. This can be dangerous because if a manufacturer issues a vehicle recall to replace electrical components or other parts, there is a severe threat to the driver safety.
If your car is still under warranty, missing a car service can have serious financial implications. “If you skip a car service, you could most likely invalidate your warranty, which means you’re not covered if any major replacements are covered. Additionally, if you have an accident caused by a functional issue that should have been addressed when your vehicle was serviced, for example brake failure, your insurance company could refuse to pay out,” explains Smit.
You might save a couple of thousand Rands by missing a service, but the risks simply aren’t worth it.