just got car serviced today, got some questions!!!

**philip_pc** · 08-05-2008 11:21 PM

just got the car serviced today to get it ready for rego and i have a question ive been wanting to ask for a while.

everytime i get the car service, when i get it back it seems alot more responsive and when i give it the gas it accelerates alot better.
i had a look at the invoice and it seems like the work done was:
- visual inspection of undercarriage and exhaust
- lubes joints as necessary
- tire change (once in a while)
- engine oil change
- engine oil filter
- wheels removed, brakes rotated and checked

i notice that the handbrake is alot harder to pull. but besides all this im just curious to know which step is the actual one that makes the car more responsive? cause i change my own engine oil and filter/spark plugs/air filter.
only had to take it to shops to get the rego done, and when i change them i dont feel the responsiveness you get when you take it to the mechanics. do they do something that they dont put on the invoice purposly cause they dont want you to know????

**shadou** · 09-05-2008 03:38 AM

Maybe it's just you or they gave it a good flogging on the test drive, dunno but I can tell you that mechs (previously been one myself) do not do anything otherwise stated on the job card you receive and signed before work is to be carried out on the vehicle, that said some of it ain't even done.

**whtteg** · 09-05-2008 08:39 AM

how do you drive your car normally and how often do you get it serviced?
ive had cars including my del that when i bought them they had been driven very gently and needed a pit of a push to get rid of the garbage that had built up in the motor, and long times between services can make the car seem a bit sluggish until a service is done.

**philip_pc** · 09-05-2008 11:12 AM

i drive the same way before and after the service. usually i do the service like oil , filter, sparks, air filter myself. i only take it to the mechanic if i really need to. maybe once max twice a year

**whtteg** · 09-05-2008 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by philip_pc

i drive the same way before and after the service. usually i do the service like oil , filter, sparks, air filter myself. i only take it to the mechanic if i really need to. maybe once max twice a year

i mean do you give it a bit to clear out the cobwebs so to speak every now and then or is it all granny driving? do you do many k's between services? could possibly be the oil and plugs the mechanic uses that may be a little more high performance than what you usually use?

**kayot1k** · 09-05-2008 12:25 PM

the answer is simple, it feels faster because its lighter.
you just emptied your wallet.

**EuroAccord13** · 09-05-2008 12:36 PM

They cleaned the air filter element, new engine oil...
Maybe an electronic tune up as well...
All these can lead to slightly better performance, not as much as the feel on your butt dyno but yes, better performance. You might also find that your fuel consumption will improve slightly as well.

**baeshin** · 09-05-2008 03:34 PM

maybe they cleaned the throttle body.. as for the handbrake, they would of adjusted it to make it tighter

**shadou** · 09-05-2008 04:32 PM

.... ummmm we are talking about mechanics working on your car right?
Unless it's stated a mech won't remove your throttle body and clean it unless approved or is required which then in turn goes onto the billing.
They more than likely gave it a nice hard drive after the service was finished, we don't all do out of our ways to give every single car the best service we can, having 10 jobs a day it's a case of SSDD

**EG30** · 10-05-2008 02:56 AM

with new oil and tyres pumped up to rec pressure you would feel the car go a bit better, and if the fuel filter, spark plugs, air filter have been replaced that would make a diffference too.

**panda[cRx]** · 10-05-2008 04:36 AM

sometimes it's just in your head.

otherwise things like cleaning air filter, change of oil + filter etc can obviously help. some workshops use fuel additives too

as shadou says a 'hard drive' can clean carbon buildups and improve performance (i've seen cars barely being able to idle return to 100% after a simple 'hard drive'

)

**philip_pc** · 10-05-2008 06:22 PM

i see, so you reckon it was most likely a good flogging....
yes fuel consumption has improved. as for the oil, i gave him the honda feo i had left over from my last diy service. i do my own services every 5000Km, but when i start to notice the fuel economy isnt as great as it use to be i take it in for a service. no no not granny driving hahahahahahahaha.
well since its a CXI i dont have a tech so i dont really know how high its revving, but it does get pretty loud sometimes.......sometimes its granny driving, if im coming home from work at like 11pm or something, but other then that the usual daily driving is in place. friend has a GLI civic(which has a tach) and based from sitting in his car a ROUGH GUESS ok (dont yell at me for this), from the feels of the acceleration id say normal driving is about 2-3.5k rpm, occasionally 4krpm???