4 Things to Note Before You Send Your Car In for Servicing

When the time comes, every driver will have to bring their car in to the shop for servicing so that their vehicle stays in tip-top condition. Here’s four important things to note before you send your car in, including when and where to send it.

1. When to Send Your Car for Servicing

When you purchase a car, you would also have the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which is the right to ownership of a vehicle and driving it in Singapore for 10 years. Driving a car around for so long is definitely going to cause some wear and tear, and the only way to keep this from occurring too often is to send your car for regular servicing. So, how often should you send it in?

In Singapore, you should send your car for servicing every 6 months or at every 10,000km mileage interval, whichever of the two comes first. Keep in mind that this is just for routine servicing.

There are times when a certain part of your car may break down and you’d have to send your car to the workshop for immediate servicing. Also, if you, touch wood, get into an accident and your car needs fixing, you’d have to send it in straightaway. These are exceptions when you can’t wait for the 6-month or 10,000km mark.

You’ll also have to take note of the age of your car. The older it is, the more likely it is to have more failing parts and require major servicing. Always be aware of your car and look out for signs of breaking down, such as weird noises or unusual vibrations.

2. Where You Should Service Your Car At
With so many Singaporeans owning cars, there’s bound to be many car service centres in the country, right? The answer is yes, there are! There are plenty of workshops scattered throughout the country, in the four main regions – North, South, East and West. This is really convenient for drivers as they don’t have to go out of their way to find a shop to service their car at.

It’s probably really easy to find a good workshop near your house, or somewhere that is at least more convenient than travelling halfway across the country. Here’s a list of service centres categorized in various ways for easy finding.

3. Branded Cars May Require Specific Service Centres

Following up from the previous pointer about where to service your cars at, you should also keep a lookout for service centres that specialise in your car brand and/or model. For example, Borneo Motors specializes in Toyota. Why is that? Borneo Motors is the authorized dealer for Toyota, as well as for Lexus and Hino.

That brings us to the topic of authorized dealers. Using the above example, owners of Toyota and Lexus cars are eligible to receive reliable car service from Borneo Motors. Usually, authorized dealers tend to have more transparent pricing and are generally more trusted. They also have car parts specifically made for the car brand(s) that they specialize in Singapore.

However, plenty of independent car service centres provide just as reliable services for your vehicle, and they’re much cheaper as well. But be cautious as they may have hidden fees, such as labour costs.

Also, when you purchase a car, chances are that you will receive warranty for a certain car part, such as the tyres. Some car brands require you to service your vehicle at authorised brand-specific service centres, while others don’t mind if you go to an independent shop. Be sure to check with your car manufacturer so you don’t end up spending more than you should.

4. Car Service Packages and Costs
Everyone knows owning a car in Singapore isn’t cheap. Stack the repair and maintenance fees on top of that and you’ll have a hole in your pocket. That is, if you skip the 6-monthly servicing. While not mandatory, sending your car in for checking every 6 months or 10,000km mileage interval will reap amazing benefits in the future, such as your car not breaking down randomly in the middle of the road. Typically, a routine car service can cost about S$100 or more, usually depending on mileage.

Plenty of car service centres offer their services in ‘packages’, which are a bunch of services bundled into one for a lump sum. It tends to be cheaper, and may offer extra benefits, depending on the service centre that you visit.

A well-known brand, Nissan, offers four service packages for passenger vehicles. Some services included in these packages are oil change service and checking of brake fluid level. Their service packages also entitle you to complimentary engine cleaning, an exterior car wash, and even vacuuming your car’s interior.
Other popular brands, such as Shell, offer two service packages revolving around their motor oil. There’s also independent service centres that offer promotions and service packages. An example is Technic Autocare, a workshop located in Singapore, that has packages from S$78! This is already one of the cheaper ones around.

Overall, car servicing should be a habit picked up by drivers to keep their cars in the best shape possible throughout their years of being on the roads. Despite being expensive, it really does pay off in the long run. It also helps if you ever decide to sell your car in the future; after all, nobody wants to buy a car that’s about 90% broken.

Also, remember to keep an eye out for car service packages or promotions from authorized dealers or from service centres that you frequent to get good deals!

For those who would like to know more about basic car maintenance, the Automobile Association (AA) of Singapore is organising a clinic on the 28th of November 2019 to help drivers understand their vehicles better. More information can be found on their website