Alastair Reid Garages
Servicing modern vehicles, especially quality vehicles, is a complex business. The electronics and control mechanisms used to help your car perform correctly, are finely balanced. Whilst part of correct servicing is ensuring that the filters, oil, etc. are replaced with suitable parts, a service also requires specialised electronic analysis.
Alastair Reid Garages are one of the few independent garages in Scotland that have invested in modern equipment that is dedicated to servicing and diagnosing vehicles. Supported by a high standard of training and access to model specific experts, Alastair Reid Garages can deliver a service for your car that is un-paralleled by any independent garage in Perthsire, Tayside or Fife.
Alastair Reid Garages is your local independent specialist and offers 3 levels of service depending on your requirements. Whichever service is right for you then you can be assured that you receive the highest standards of workmanship from our skilled technicians using state-of-the-art test, diagnostic and service equipment.
Your warranty is protected when you get your car serviced with Alastair Reid Garages. Following rules implemented by the European Commission manufacturers have released data to enable independent suppliers such as Alastair Reid Garages to undertake all necessary servicing and repairs. Moreover, the manufacturers must also honour warranties even if servicing is undertaken outside of the dealer network, providing defined standards are met.
The European Commission has adopted competition rules for agreements between vehicle manufacturers and their authorised dealers, repairers and spare parts distributors. These rules will increase competition in the market for repair and maintenance by improving access to technical information needed for the repairs and by making it easier to use alternative spare parts. They will allow the Commission to tackle manufacturers' abuse of warranties when they request that cars are serviced only in authorised garages. The rules will also reduce distribution costs for new cars by eliminating overly restrictive rules.
Condition based servicing
The concept of condition based servicing was first introduced. Condition based servicing on car models is intended to be at the leading edge of service inovations.
Manufacturers employ an array of vehicle sensors to monitor the condition of your vehicle. Many more sensors are employed to monitor the performance of your vehicle. These sensors feed data to the ECU to indicate the present condition of key vehicle components. Servicing is not required until such time as the systems determine that wear or deterioration of items has reached a point where replacement is neccessary. The theory being that each service is uniquely tailored to the individual needs of a particular car at that point in time. Under this system it is possible for different services to be required within a short space of time, depending on vehicle conditions, leading to more frequent garage visits.
Some car owners opt to follow a standard servicing schedule such as those listed below. The full or interim service schedules you see here are industry standard service routines that enable the owner to be assured the vehicle is serviced to a high standard at all times.
Whether you choose to use condition based servicing or standard servicing on your car then Alastair Reid Garages are able to offer you specialised servicing. Further, under the block exemption agreement explained above, any warranty you have is protected
Manufacturers Service Schedule
You may choose to request a manufacturers specified service for your vehicle. This service is different for each model or manufacture. Indeed different years from the same model may have different service schedules. The extent of manufacturers service is too wide to cover in detail here. When you visit Alastair Reid Garages we will be able to advise on the best choice for you and provide a more detailed breakdown of the service specified by the manufacturers. You can choose a manufacturers specified service because;
- you wish to follow the manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule.
- maintain your car’s warranty.
- you wish to ensure continued performance within manufacturers specification
The differences between a standard interim or full service and the manufacturers service can be minimal. Indeed in some cases our service schedule exceeds the manufacturers recommendation. The main reason that it has been made available is to ensure vehicle warranties are maintained.
Why are not all services the same?
In accordance with the wider move to improve competition and remove restrictive practices, the European Parliament took a view that the practice of manufacturers forcing car owners to go to dealerships to get a service to uphold warranty was too restrictive. The result is a law known as the ‘Block Exemption’, that requires all manufacturers make service schedules and car computer information available to all garages and not just main dealers. Additionally they must accept parts that are equivalent to the original equipment, but not necessarily from the same source.
This now ensures that any garage can undertake a service in the same way as a main dealer without impacting warranty or performance. It also guarantees that you have the widest possible choice of service location for your car.
Interim Servicing
When you visit Alastair Reid Garages for an Interim Service, the following is a list of checks and work undertaken
Pre-Service
- Check vehicle history and service report for any customer comments or requests
- Check timing belt replacement interval
- Check vehicle for damage to bodywork, lamps, trim etc.
- Fit protective covers
Vehicle at ground level
- Add Forte oil treatment
- Check handbrake for operation and travel
- Check operation and condition of exterior lights and horn
- Check operation of ABS warning lamp
- Check operation and condition of wipers and washers and adjust as necessary
- Check condition of windscreen and mirrors
- Check seatbelts for condition and operation
- Check operation of suspension dampers
- Visually check brake fluid and top up
- Check and record antifreeze protection level
- Visually check condition of cooling system and top up with coolant as required
- Top up washer bottles with screenwash as required
- Top up power steering fluid as required
- Check auxiliary drive belts [not timing belt]
- Check battery security and top up electrolyte level, where applicable
Vehicle raised
- Remove sump plug / drain engine oil, remove oil filter
- Check all visible brake pipes and hoses for condition and security
- Check all visible fuel lines for condition and security
- Check exhaust system for condition, security and alignment
- Refit sump plug using new washer, fit new oil filter
- Check all visible steering and suspension joints, mountings and gaitors for condition and operation
- Check all wheel bearings for excessive free play, noise and roughness
- Check and record tyre tread depths, check for evidence of misalignment [including spare]
- Check and adjust tyre pressures [including spare]
- Check front brake components for condition, operation and leakage
- Visually check front brake pads if possible
- Visually check rear brake components for condition, operation and leakage
- Visually check rear brake pads/shoes if possible
- Check transmission oil level where level plug fitted
- Check differential oil level where level plug fitted
Vehicle at ground level
- Refill engine oil as requested
- Check and top up engine oil as necessary
- Carry out road test
- After road test, visually check under bonnet and engine for leaks
Additional operations
- Check/clean marks from body or floor
- Enter mileage on job card
Reception
- Ensure that any customer comments and/or requests have been actioned
- Put feedback card in car
- Stamp service record
- Update service/MOT records
Full Service
Pre-service
- Check vehicle history and service report for any customer comments or requests
- Check timing belt replacement interval
- Check vehicle for damage to bodywork, lamps, trim, etc.
- Fit protective covers
Vehicle at ground level
- Add forte oil treatment
- Check handbrake for operation and travel
- Check operation and condition of exterior lights and horn
- Check operation of ABS warning lamp
- Check operation and condition of wipers and washers and adjust as necessary
- Check condition of windscreen and mirrors
- Check seatbelts for condition and operation
- Check operation of suspension dampers
- Visually check brake fluid and top up
- Check and record antifreeze protection level
- Visually check condition of cooling system and top up with coolant as required
- Top up washer bottles with screenwash as required
- Top up power steering fluid as required
- Check auxiliary drive belts [not timing belt]
- Check battery security and top up electrolyte level [where applicable]
Vehicle raised
- Remove sump plug / drain engine oil, remove oil filter
- Check all visible brake pipes and hoses for condition and security
- Check all visible fuel lines for condition and security
- Check exhaust system for condition, security and alignment
- Refit sump plug using new washer, fit new oil filter
- Check all visible steering and suspension joints, mountings and gaitors for condition and operation
- Check all wheel bearings for excessive free play, noise and roughness
- Check and record tyre tread depths, check for evidence of misalignment [including spare]
- Check and adjust tyre pressures [including spare]
- Check front brake components for condition, operation and leakage
- Visually check front brake pads
- Check rear brake components for condition operation and leakage
- Check clean and adjust rear brake shoes/pads
- Check transmission oil level where level plug fitted
- Check differential oil level where level plug fitted
- Grease all greasing points
Vehicle at ground level
- Refill engine oil
- Fit new fuel filter and bleed fuel system [diesel engine only]
- Fit new air filter
- Fit new spark plugs
- Visually check HT leads and ignition coil
- Fit new points and condenser [where applicable]
- Check and top up engine oil as necessary
- Check and adjust dwell angle, ignition timing and idle speed, where applicable
- Tighten wheel nuts /studs
- Carry out road test
- After road test, visual check under bonnet and engine for leaks
Additional operations
- Check clean marks from body or floor
- Enter mileage on job card
Reception
- Ensure that any customer comments and/or requests have been actioned
- Put feedback card in car
- Stamp service record
- Update service/mot reminders
- QC check
Other items to check for additional replacement
- Replace timing belt
- Replace cabin filter
- Replace fuel filter [petrol engine vehicles]
- Drain and replace coolant
- Add forte fuel system treatments
