What are the necessary service checks that are most often overlooked? Many readers.
The full list of necessary service checks is “everything”. That does not mean the car should be dismantled or comprehensively and strenuously tested. Check means check, and that means look at, listen to, smell, touch... everything.
Some things every day, some at every refuel, some at every service, and some at long-term intervals ranging from quarterly to annual to even tri-annual.
The items most likely to be ignored are those most difficult to get at and least likely to be noticed. There are others that most mechanics do not consider important (especially items with long-term life expectancy, like transmission oils and the timing belt).
Qualified mechanics should be able to assess quite quickly (in minutes) and accurately the parts that are as they should be, parts that warrant closer inspection, and parts that need attention.
Experience not only develops proficiency; it also nurtures a sixth sense. And they should conduct all the regular service actions with engineering nous and discipline, and preferably the right tools.
Surprise, surprise! Most workshops do not deliver anything like that level of diligence. Or technical rigour.
There are six levels of checking.
The driver: The most basic should be done by drivers themselves...all the time. Look, listen, smell, feel. Anything different from normal warrants a look-see.
Under-bonnet: The next level is a “precautionary” under-bonnet check when refueling – the levels and condition of engine oil, radiator coolant, brake fluid, clutch fluid (or automatic gear dipstick), power steering fluid, fanbelt condition and tension, windscreen washer reservoir, battery terminals and clamps (and fluid level/charge indicators) – even if there is no indication that anything is wrong.
Plus, a “diagnostic” or “remedial” check of anything else that might have given cause for concern on the way to the pumps. A non-tech amateur is not helpless in these respects; a seasoned motorist can do the job with more insight in less time.
Lube station: Level three is a “pit-stop” service to change the oil and grease, and perhaps some other item known to be, or spotted as, needing attention. This will commonly involve the under-bonnet checklist and change of oil and perhaps fuel filters.
Full service: Level four is a full service. That is a pit-stop service, and under-bonnet check, and a more thorough look at... everything! Steering (symmetry, lack of “play”) brake pads/discs (integrity, cleanliness, level and evenness of wear), brake pipes and master and slave cylinders (leaks, supporting clips) electrics (condition of wiring and function of instruments), headlamps (integrity, function, adjustment) tyres (pressure, lack of casing damage, degree and any tell-tale shape of wear), wheel bearings (lack of play or odd sound), shock-absorbers (leaks, hardness, rebound rhythm, bushes, mountings) springs (ditto and bump stops, U-bolts), engine and body mountings, all fluids - including the gearbox and differential(s) – linkages, ball joints, grease boots, door and window operations, locks, exhaust (integrity, hangers, bushes, tailpipe inner colour), bodywork (looseness, rattles, cracks, rust),
Safari bolt-check: The fifth level is a full service plus what is called a bolt-check (a pre-safari measure). This presumes the car will be going on a long, arduous and perhaps remote safari, where problems will be profoundly unwanted and remedies could be difficult or involve a lot of lost time and additional cost.
The checklist is the same as for a full service, but the checking is more hands-on thorough – especially on safety critical items and the security of all bolts (including the split pins in castellated nuts!). A similarly specific job sheet might be a “pre-inspection” service.
Blueprinting: The sixth level is by far the most extreme, where all these aspects are not just looked at and assessed – they are stress-tested and, if needed, dismantled and restored or replaced.
This is “blueprinting” for “good as new” restoration...what you might have seen on several TV programmes; and – if there is much to be done - a process that potentially costs more than the price of the car when it was new.
Kenya workshops are by no means unique in their range of mechanical competencies - from incompetent to ingenious, from novice to veteran, and with a majority middle ground of fair knowledge through training, apprenticeship and experience, but glaringly little awareness of what they still do not know (like the academic foundations of physics, chemistry, electricity and engineering).
These basics are especially important when trying to understand the cause of a fault (which is why so many mechanics focus on the repair, not the reason for it).
What many are well above-average good at is fudge fixing because repairs in this market are above-average necessary, and a proper fix is often unavailable or unaffordable.
With so many different types and levels and standards of service of so many components in the mix, a specific “overlooked” item is tricky to identify.
I always try to stay with my car while it is being serviced. And the item I most often have to intervene on - right from the start - is one of the most universal tasks: Draining the old oil.
This should always be the very first task – because when the car drives through the workshop gate its oil is hot and all the detritus in it is churned up and in suspension within in the oil. So, when the oil cap is opened and the drain plug is removed – promptly – the old oil flows out faster and with more force, and it carries almost all the dirt with it.
If the draining is delayed, the oil cools down and becomes more viscous, some of the dirt settles as sticky sediment, and the outflow is slower and weaker.
Even when the last drop has dripped out, the inside of the sump retains a lot more dirt...waiting to join (and spoil) the clean new oil that is then poured in.
Whatever service interval you intend before the next change, your brand-new oil has been immediately degraded. A special flushing oil is not usually necessary, but it is an option if, for whatever reason, residue is severe.
Also, not all mechanics are aware that greasing does not only mean putting new grease in – it should also mean getting all (!) the old grease out.
And although gearbox and differential oils very rarely have to be changed, they do need to be checked (for level and condition), their inspection plugs should be opened with the correct spanner (preferably not a hammer and chisel), and their washer should be checked and cleaned and carefully reseated and correctly torqued.
