Car Servicing

BMW buyers don't have the option of a capped-price servicing plan, but the company does offer owners a different way of ensuring the costs are kept under control when it comes to maintenance.

Nissan offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models.According to the Japanese brand, as of January 1, 2025, Nissan Flat Price Service gives you the confidence of knowing that your vehicle is being serviced by "Nissan-trained technicians using only Nissan Genuine Parts".Nissan's capped-price servicing program covers its new vehicles for a total of five years, no matter if it's a Juke small SUV, Navara ute or V8 petrol Patrol 4WD. The costs change depending on the model, with electric vehicles typically the most affordable to own and run.The service intervals are dictated by model, too. The worst Nissans to own from a maintenance perspective are the Z sports car and Qashqai e-Power, X-Trail, Pathfinder and Patrol SUVs, with servicing needed every 12 months or 10,000km. The best are the Juke, Leaf EV and Navara, with maintenance every 12 months or 20,000km - very tradie-friendly, then. Check out the table below for your model's specific service intervals.Nissan is leading from the front, offering a 10-year/300,000-kilometre warranty. MG and Mitsubishi also offer decade-long terms, with the latter's also conditional on the vehicle being serviced at an authorised dealership.Additionally, Nissan includes a one-year roadside assist plan at the time of purchase.See the table below for the average cost per service for each model in the Nissan range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of them.

There are few more frustrating feelings than coming out in the morning to find the battery in your car has gone flat.

What oil is best for my car?

Every time I take my 2017 Mazda CX-3 for a service, it comes back with higher fuel consumption. At the moment, the consumption is 7.9 litres per 100km. I'm spending a lot of money putting petrol in the tank.

At the last service of my 2019 Subaru XV, the dealership advised "front lower control arm bushes are split will need to be replaced". Subaru has so far refused to do repairs under warranty which expires at the end of March 2024. The car was bought new in March 2019. It had done (at the time of service) 45,778km. It has never been off road. It has never towed anything and doesn't have a tow bar. Subaru is claiming normal wear and tear and driving style are responsible and therefore not a warranty matter. They refuse to say what driving style would do the damage.

Is the number three cylinder blowing in my 2017 Ford Ranger Wildtrak covered under warranty?

The outside temperature gauge in my 2015 Holden Captiva was showing high numbers, then the air-con stopped working. Was this because of the weather conditions?

I bought my Opel Astra new as a demo model and while it is a beautiful little car, I've had every one of the issues I now realise the model is infamous for! I've spent a fortune fixing most but currently have a serious oil leak, presumably from the turbo - probably another $1500-plus to fix. My question: Is there a point with these cars where I can assume issues are fixed and keep it, or should I cut my losses?

Where can I go for a verified Lexus service centre other than the Lexus dealership?