Car servicing and maintenance involves a regular series of checks that are aimed at keeping your car in shape and at optimal performance. If you regularly service your car, you are less likely to be hit by hefty repair and maintenance bills in the future. For new cars that are still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, it is necessary to have the car serviced regularly in order to keep the warranty valid. Older cars also require regular servicing to avoid major issues that could have been detected during a routine servicing or maintenance visit to your dealership. The following tips are essential in ensuring your car is at its best at all times.

Know your car's service manual

Every car comes with a service manual that indicates the servicing needs of the specific car. Knowing your car's service manual and following it is essential in maintaining your car in good shape. Service manuals indicate the period after which the car is to be serviced, how often maintenance checks should be carried out and the period after which replaceable car parts should be changed. There are three main types of car servicing:

• Oil and filter service. During this service, the car's oil is changed together with the oil filter. Essential car fluids such as brake fluid, power steering fluid and anti-freeze coolant are also checked to ensure that they are within the required level. During this service, the car's tyres can also be checked and replaced if worn out.
• Interim car service. This involves checking of the car's shock absorbers, brakes and steering system in addition to the oil and filter service. 
• Full car service. This is a comprehensive service that is done once a year. It involves all the services carried out during the oil and filter service and interim service. In addition to this, the car's spark plugs, fuel filters and bearings are checked. The full service ensures that the car is checked all round and any repairs and replacements required are carried out.

Visit a main dealer for servicing

There are many main dealers that carry out car servicing for the car models that they sell. Car manufacturers work hard to maintain their reputation in the market; therefore, they require their main dealers to invest heavily in training and familiarization with the latest technology. For this reason, main dealers are likely to offer better car service and maintenance services. You can also be able to get upgrades for your car at a main dealer's store. While most car owners prefer to have their cars serviced where they bought them, you can have the services done by any dealer that sells new cars in your model.

Understand car servicing costs

Car servicing and maintenance costs vary from one dealer to another; therefore, it is wise to look around for one with friendly rates.  If your car is still under warranty, you can take advantage of fixed price car servicing packages offered by manufacturers. In such cases, you have your car fully serviced for a regular fixed cost which can be monthly or annual. It is possible to pay upfront for future servicing needs. Watch out for car servicing offers and free health checks offered by main dealers. These are a good way of ensuring your car is regularly maintained at a low cost.