Hi Ozbargain family,
I got a 2016 Kia carnival, have been using the fixed price services from KIA, but with high inflation, was thinking to find a more economical place to service my car.
Do you have any recommendations? I live in the Adelaide CBD
Thanks in advance
Would you recommend a basic service instead of a logbook service? Planning to keep the car at least 15 more years
What's the fixed price from KIA?
Are you planning on selling the car soon, in future, or driving it into the ground?
If possible I would like to keep it 15 years more.
Would a basic service do or a logbook service?
basic service or logbook service?
Depends on the KMs.
Most logbook services are basic services.
eg.
Year 1 or every 15,000 is a basic service, which is an oil change.
Yr 2, in addition to oil change, change brake fluid and cabin/air filter
Yr 3 = basic service
Yr 4 = Yr 2
Yr 5 = basic service
Yr 6 = major service, all fluids, spark plugs, timing belt, auto transmission flush
Really, if you're keeping the car for 15 years, you can save some money by doing most of the servicing yourself. Just get the mechanic to do the major service.
A 20 year old car with a full log book service vs a 20 year old car without a full log book (but still in good condition) may be worth about $500 more (just prove the major ones have been completed).
I do this with my older car.
Haven't been to TAFE for a mechanic course, but I am a certified YouTube mechanic.
Learn how to DIY it. I have a 2014 Grand Carnival with the 3.5L V6 and it's super easy to do an oil & filter change. If the newer 3.3L V6 in yours is similar, the oil filter is in the engine bay beside the engine, easy-peasy to change.
Especially if you plan on keeping the car long term. Just keep a copy of receipts and a DIY service log on a spreadsheet in case plans change.
If you’re a newby to servicing it’s worth getting a mechanic to check it every couple of oil changes in case there are other issues you don’t recognise. Especially if you dont need annual inspections for roadworthy.
Is oil & filter change enough or would you recommend a yearly logbook service? Im not planning to sell the car till 15 years later
In an older car and oil change is pretty much all I do routinely, then do other stuff as required.
Worth following what's in the service schedule e.g. spark plugs, air filters, transmission fluid and whatever else. For anything that seems too hard bring it to a mechanic. But yeah as @Euphemistic said, worth having a mechanic check over every now and then. Just watch a ton of YouTube videos for oil changes and tips/hints plus get decent tools.
yearly minor service (engine oil + filter change) yeah?
what's your budget ?
mycar (previously kmart auto)
https://www.mycar.com.au/servicing/fixed-price-car-service
https://www.mycar.com.au/servicing/essential-servicing
or, learn to diy from youtube.