#tipthursday 3 tips to get your vehicle summer-ready

Our 3 top tips for summer vehicle care

As summer approaches and (fingers crossed) warmer, sunnier weather is on the way, it’s a great time to make sure your vehicle is good to go to make the most of it. Here are our top 3 tips that’ll help keep your vehicle in top condition for summer driving,

  • Book an air-con check/ service. AC services help to keep your air conditioning system working at its best. Over time the system won’t blow as cold air as it should, getting it serviced will help keep it efficient and maintained. A must for any staycation or travel plans during the warm summer months.
  • Book a FREE vehicle health check. A vehicle health check gives our mechanics the chance to give your car a really good overall inspection up on the ramp, and most importantly, all the safety components. Booking before any road trips or staycations will mean we can make sure your vehicle is safe for long drives.
  • Make sure your service schedule is up to date. By keeping up with your service schedule, you are effectively prolonging your vehicle’s lifespan, efficiency, economy and re-sell value. Making driving a lot more comfortable and lessening the likelihood of breakdowns or parts failing.

If you have any questions about how we can help get your vehicle summer-ready, just get in touch.

#tipthursday Book your service with Maitland Motors

Why you should keep up with your vehicle’s service schedule with Maitland Motors

Booking in for a service may feel like an expense that’s just not worth the time or money, however as we say here at Maitland Motors, prevention is always better than cure. By keeping up with your service schedule, you are effectively prolonging your vehicle’s lifespan, efficiency, economy and re-sell value.

Skipping on services can affect how well the vehicle performs, resulting in very costly repairs. We had a 5-year-old car in the workshop that had never been serviced. Upon inspection, below is the condition we found the oil sump in; completely congealed with oil. The repair for this is an expensive one; a whole new engine. At service, the old oil would have been drained out, and replaced with new oil alongside a Forte engine flush that would have removed a lot of contaminants within the oil filtration system. The oil has congealed like this due to dirt, contaminants and carbon build-up.

The oil sump of a 5-year-old vehicle, is completely congealed with oil.

Not forgetting all our services include OE quality and highly reputable parts from Mann Filters and Miller Oils. Also, we take the time to check over the rest of the vehicle for any possible safety issues/ concerns so, you are fully aware of the current condition of your vehicle.

#tipthursday Maitland Motors
New Mann oil filter ready to replace the old one for a Ford Fiesta

For more info on the Importance of Servicing your Vehicle, check this previous post on our blog.

To book your service with Maitland Motors please just call the office or email us.

#tipthursday Book a Free Battery Health Check

This time of year the extremely cold and changeable weather can really affect your vehicle, especially its battery. You may even find yourself with a non-starter overnight just because the weather has taken a turn for the worse. 42% of all car breakdowns are caused by a failing battery, (battery failure is possible at any time of year,) if charging power is drained. Batteries naturally lose their charging capacity over time so, making sure your battery is in good condition is essential to keep your vehicle running effectively and efficiently.

Here at Maitland Motors, we check all batteries as part of our Free Vehicle Helth Check, Pre MOTs and Interim & Full Services.

We are proud to only fit industry-leading Varta batteries, who you can rely on all year round, being produced to OE spec, with 9 out of 10 manufacture’s fitting them.

If your battery is starting to let you down, book in for a Free Battery Health Check where we can use our up to date equipment to test and diagnose your battery issues.

Should I service my car?

Here at Maitland Motors, we understand that sometimes you have to priorities where and when you spend your money. Often, the family vehicle is near the bottom of those priorities; a birthday, new school shoes or an unexpected bill often needs paying first. However, keeping your vehicle maintained is a proactive way to prevent unexpected garage bills and can help the funds you do spend go further.


Following your manufacturer’s service schedule is an easy and effective way to get the most from your vehicle. (You’ll find this in your vehicle’s manual or your dash might pop up with a reminder.)

Why should I service my car?
Regular servicing ensures that essential parts (brakes, suspension, etc) are running efficiently and to your needs and requirements. The more miles you drive, the more you should expect parts to deteriorate due to wear and tear. It can also give our technicians the chance to spot and nip potential problems in the bud before they develop into an expensive, lengthy repair that otherwise could have been avoided. Regular servicing also helps the vehicle maintain its value price if you decide to resale.


My car passed its MOT, does it still need a service?
Your MOT is a legal requirement set out by the DVLA that checks the roadworthiness of a vehicle. To pass, it only needs to meet the minimum road safety and environmental standards. Some MOT checks will overlap with a service, however, not everything is checked such as testing the condition of your oil and filters. The main difference is your MOT ensures your car is safe at the time of testing, services are a maintenance measure to help prolong its lifespan, improve efficiency and lower economic costs.


Meaning if you want to save money in the long run, we would always recommend servicing your vehicle. Like we say here in the workshop, prevention is always better than cure. Especially, when it comes to cars!!
To help spread the cost of your service we also offer Payment Assist where you can spread the cost of your bill over 4 monthly payments, fee and interest-free. (Please ask for more details.)


To book a service here at Maitland Motors drop us an email or call our office. We always use OE quality parts on all services such as Millers Oil and Mann Filters. Your vehicle is also given a Free Health Check as standard, breaking down our findings & costs involved.

#tipthursday Follow Our Basic Vehicle Maintenance Schedule

Follow our basic vehicle maintenance to help get the best from your car.

Here at Maitland Motors, we believe that maintaining your car is the most effective way to get the most from it. Following our basic maintenance schedule will help keep your car performing at its best and more importantly, safe on the roads.

Your Basic Car Maintenance Schedule by Maitland Motors

Full Service – 6 months prior MOT (This will depend on when you last had a full service, it may just need an interim. We can check beforehand and advise on the appropriate service required.)

Free Vehicle Health Check – 3 months prior to MOT

Pre-MOT 1 month before MOT

MOT (sign up for our reminder text service)

We recommend following this as a minimum depending on your mileage and how you drive. Most car manuals will have details of your make/model’s service schedule as per the manufacturer’s recommendations.

If you have any questions or would like to book in for a Service, Free Vehicle Health Check, Pre-MOT or MOT then call us in the office, email us or leave a comment below.

The importance of servicing your vehicle

The benefits of servicing your car regularly from Maitland Motors.

Servicing your car can seem like an unnecessary expense sometimes, it passed its MOT, and it’s fine… However, here at Maitland Motors we always say prevention is better than cure and sticking to your service schedule as much as possible will really benefit you and your car in the long run.

What happens if you don’t service your car?

Over time preventable repairs will sooner or later be needed if the bare minimum you do is MOT your vehicle. Many of which may cost you more than servicing and general maintenance would have in the first place.

Congealed oil in an oil sump.

We recently had a 5-year-old car in the workshop that hadn’t been serviced in a while. Upon inspection, this is the condition we found the oil sump, completely congealed with oil. The repair for this is an expensive one; a whole new engine. At service, the old oil would have been drained out, and replaced with new oil and an engine flush would have removed a lot of contaminants within the oil filtration system. The oil has congealed like this due to dirt, contaminants and carbon build-up.

Benefits of Regular Services

  • Helps your car run effectively and efficiently, saving on fuel and maintenance costs.
  • Prolongs the lifespan of your car.
  • Prevention of parts failing and further, more costly repairs.
  • Helps keep you safe and legal on the roads.
  • Less likely to break down saving on the costs of recovery & repairs.
  • A well maintained and cared for car will hold more of its value if you ever decide to sell.

What’s the difference between an Interim and Full Service?

We mostly carry out 2 types of services; an Interim Service and a Full Service. Depending on mileage/ age/ budget/time since the last service, an Interim Service may be all your car needs to keep it ticking over. If it’s been a while, or your car hits a particular mileage/ age, then it may be time for a Full Service. Your owner’s manual will have a service schedule designed to get the most out of your own particular make/model of car. Also, most modern vehicles will remind you it’s time for a service with a service dashboard warning light.

Interim Service from Maitland Motors
All oil and filters we use at services are OE spec and won’t affect any warranties.
Full Service from Maitland Motors
We also have a limited pickup and drop off service, ask for more details. T&Cs apply.

Estimated prices for your particular make and model of vehicle are available upon request as each and every car is so different (amount of oil required, parts needed, etc, can all affect price), we don’t advertise fixed prices. If you have any questions about servicing or would like to book your car in, call the office, email us or leave a comment below.

When should you visit Maitland Motors?

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times here at Maitland Motors – “Prevention is always better than cure, especially when it comes to cars”. A few ways to ensure your car is running effectively, legally and more importantly safely is by keeping up to date with your car’s service schedule, getting any knocks, bangs or squeaks checked and being MOT ready.

Yearly Service. Your service schedule can be found in your own car’s manual where it will detail exactly when your make & model should be looked at, this is often age/ mileage dependant. Some times your car will require a full service, but the next visit it may just need an oil and filter change. By following this, it will help keep your car running to manufacture’s spec, prolong the many different parts of your car (meaning less repairs, less often), and nip any potential unknown issues in the bud. We’ve also put together a basic yearly schedule when you ideally should see us.

Your Basic Car Maintenance Schedule
Basic Yearly Maintenance from Maitland Motors

Get Noises Checked as soon as they start. Most of our common repairs that come from noises being checked are drop-links, track rod ends and ball joints. Nipping them in the bud stops the repair developing into far more serious issues, which will be more expensive to repair. Squeals could also mean your brakes are needing checked. If your car is making new and unusual noises, it may be a good chance to book in for a FREE Vehicle Health Check at the same time and get your car as a whole looked over.

Get MOT ready. (Especially if your car was given a Lockdown extension as it could be 18 months since your car last saw a technician.) Booking in prior to your MOT means we can spot and repair any potential MOT fails. Saving you time, money and being without your car for any retests.

To help take some of the stress away from car care and maintenance, we also offer a (limited) Pick Up and Collect Service from your home or place of work and Payment Assist where you can split your bill fee and interest free for any unexpected repairs (very handy at this time of year). Ask for more details when booking.

If you have any questions or would like to book in for a Service, Health Check or Pre-MOT then please email us or call the office. Ross and the team are always happy to help.