The Importance of Keeping Up With Your Car Service Plan

Getting a vehicle as a recent graduate is a significant milestone that comes with many benefits. However, as beneficial as owning your pair of wheels is for your new career and personal life, it is a costly investment that requires proper care for you to use for a long time.

As you know, a vehicle depreciates the minute it drives out of the showroom. So, you must take care of your vehicle to ensure that you don't experience any issues while using it. This applies to brand new vehicles as well, not just second-hand cars.

This article goes into detail on why servicing your car is essential and the benefits you can reap.

Ensures safety on the road

As a driver, you always want to feel safe when you and your loved ones are on the road. And, while what happens on the road isn't entirely up to you, you can help increase your safety. According to this article, in South Africa, there are approximately 1 million road accidents reported each year. Over 40 people are fatally injured per day, and 20 are left with a permanent disability.

These are alarming numbers that show the importance of car maintenance and ensuring your vehicle is fit for the road. Although there are several reasons for car accidents beyond your control, car neglect is one of them – one you can do something about.

Faulty brake systems, low levels of fluid or issues with your steering wheel are things that can be repaired to ensure your vehicle is in optimal condition when driving, helping you have a little bit of peace of mind knowing that you aren't harming your life or anyone else's on the road.

Keeps your vehicle in good condition

For most South Africans, there is some form of credit used to purchase a vehicle, and in your case, as a recent graduate, you may have applied for graduate finance to purchase your vehicle. This all means that you are paying a monthly instalment for the vehicle you are driving.

With cars being so expensive, you want to keep your vehicle in good condition and ensure that you can use it for a long time to get your money's worth.

To do that, you need to keep up with your maintenance and service plan. Keeping up with services will help your mechanic pick up on any issues well in advance and fix them before they become an issue.

Saves you money

As a recent graduate earning an entry-level salary, you want to make sure you can always save money. Doing regular maintenance on your vehicle can help you save money in the long run.

When your vehicle goes through regular maintenance and a car servicing checklist to see that everything is running smoothly, you can pick up on minor issues before becoming bigger and turning into a more costly expense in the future.

So, while you may see keeping up with your maintenance as an inconvenience, you should spend less now than more in the future.

Improves fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency has become one of the most important factors when purchasing a vehicle, which is understandable. Fuel efficiency helps you save money on fuel which is always fluctuating in South Africa. When you regularly take your vehicle for maintenance, you can ensure better fuel efficiency.

If your vehicle has been using more fuel than it usually did, it may be time to look for why your fuel economy has suffered. To prevent this from happening and spending more money on fuel than you anticipated when purchasing a fuel-efficient vehicle, make sure you keep up with services.

Better resale value

You won't want to keep your first vehicle forever; there will be a time when you want to purchase a bigger or fancier car. Most people purchasing a new car will either sell or trade-in their old vehicle to help pay for the vehicle they want. This is an effective way to cut the cost of the vehicle and the additional financing you will need.

To get the best deal on your current car, you need to have a good resale value, and the only way to do that is to show that your vehicle is in good condition. Your service history can affect your car's value, but when you keep up with your services, you create a maintenance record to use to your advantage when you plan on selling or trading in your vehicle.

This way, you can prove that you have been taking care of your car and it is in optimal condition and therefore worthy of a better resale value. Taking care of your car now can help you in the future.

Reduce pollution

Climate change is becoming increasingly apparent, and it is up to people to do their bit to ensure that they are protecting the environment. Vehicles are one of the major causes of global warming as they emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Improperly serviced vehicles can have an even harsher impact on the environment and produce harmful emissions that contribute to pollution, smog and other issues that can harm the environment.

No inconvenience

One reason people purchase a vehicle is that they no longer want to be inconvenienced by public transportation or ask friends and family to take them somewhere. If you don't keep up with your service plan, you won't know that your car has any issues until it's too late and doesn't start in the morning.

Whether you are a doctor who needs to rush to the hospital when on-call or an architect who needs to go to the outskirts of the city that barely has public transport, you can find yourself in a situation that inconveniences you, to be on the safe side and ensure you are prepared at all times, make sure you keep up with your maintenance services.

In conclusion

Your car is your investment in yourself. It helps make your life easier, and you should take care of it. Taking care of your vehicle isn't only beneficial to keep your vehicle in good condition, but it is also to ensure you aren't inconvenienced, save money, and are safe at all times when you are on the road.

So, be mindful and always ensure you keep up with your maintenance plan. While we understand that life gets busy and you can often forget to go, especially when your vehicle doesn't have any issues, be aware of the implications that can affect you and your vehicle in the future and don't make it a habit.

We hope these tips give you a better understanding of the importance of car maintenance and the benefits it can bring you.

Tell us your story

Would you like to write for nichemarket just like Kyle has? Find out how to submit a guest post and when you're ready, you can contact us.

Are you looking to promote your business?

South African automotive businesses can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. 

Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions. If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles.

• How to create a nichemarketer profile
• How to create a nichemarket business listing

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have time to spare why not check out these related posts and dive deeper down the rabbit hole that is vehicle management.

• The Most Frequently Stolen or Hijacked Cars In South Africa
• Get Instant Quotes & Sell Your Car Online In South Africa
• How Much Does A Personalised Number Plate Cost In South Africa
• How To Save Money To Buy Your Dream Car
• 7 Documents You Need When Selling A Car
• 3 Best Road Trips In South Africa
• 7 Ways To Choose The Best Car Roof Rack
• 5 Car Preparation Tips for a Long Road Trip

Tags: Car Service, Car Maintenance , Guest Post