How Much Is a Car Service?
The short answer
A full car service costs £160 in labour with SV Autos, an interim service £100 and a major service £240, plus a £20 call-out and the parts your car needs. We come to your home or work across Soham, Ely, Newmarket and Cambridge, so the car never leaves your driveway.
Servicing is where prices get murky, because a service isn't one fixed thing. Interim, full and major are just names for how much gets done. Here is exactly what each one covers and what it costs in labour, so you can see what you're paying for rather than picking a tier blind.
What it costs
| Job | Labour | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Interim service | £100 | Oil, oil filter and air filter, plus a safety check. Sensible between full services or if you cover high mileage. |
| Full service | £160 | Everything in the interim, plus a cabin filter, a coolant flush and a fuller check over the car's systems. |
| Major service | £240 | Our most thorough. Adds the fuel filter, a brake fluid change and a brake inspection. |
| Oil and filter change only | £80 | Correct-spec oil and a new oil filter, with the old oil taken away and recycled. Not a service, but the job most people actually need between them. |
| 30-point health check | £80 | Not a service. We check 10 areas and score each out of 3, so you know what needs doing before you spend anything. |
Labour only. The £20 call-out and the parts (oil, filters, coolant) are on top and quoted for your car, because a Fiesta and a 2.0 diesel estate don't take the same oil or the same amount of it.
How our pricing works
Labour
The prices above. Fixed for the job, not charged by the hour, so a job running long is our problem rather than yours.
£20 call-out
One flat fee to come to you, anywhere in our area. No mileage charges and no surcharge for being further out.
Parts
Quoted for your exact car. They vary too much between makes and models to publish honestly, so we price them properly rather than guessing.
You get the three added together, in writing, before any work starts. If the job changes once we are looking at the car, you hear it from us first.
What changes the price
Any price that starts with "from" needs explaining, or it is just a hook. Here is what actually moves the number for your car.
- How much oil your engine takes
- This is the single biggest swing. A small petrol might take under four litres; a big diesel can take eight or more, and the grade matters as much as the volume.
- Which filters your car uses
- Oil, air, cabin and fuel filters all differ by model. Some cabin filters are a two-minute job, some mean taking the glovebox out.
- If we find something else
- A service is also an inspection. If we spot a worn pad or a perished hose we tell you, price it separately, and leave the decision to you.
- Service history
- If the car has been neglected, an interim may not be the right starting point. We'd rather say so than take the smaller booking.
Your questions
What is included in a full car service?
With us: an oil change with the correct grade for your engine, a new oil filter, a new air filter, a new cabin filter, a coolant flush, and a check across the brakes, tyres, lights, suspension, steering, battery, belts and fluid levels. You get told what is fine, what is wearing and what needs doing now.
How often should a car be serviced?
The honest answer is to check your handbook, because manufacturers differ and your car's schedule beats any rule of thumb. As a general guide most cars want a full service every 12 months or around 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, with an interim in between if you cover high mileage.
Is a full service worth it over an interim?
If the car is due one, yes. The extra covers the cabin filter and coolant, and a longer look at the things that fail expensively when ignored. If you had a full service recently and just need the oil doing, an interim or a straight oil and filter change is the cheaper, more honest option, and we'll say so.
Does a mobile service stamp my service book?
Yes. We record the work and stamp the book or update the digital record, same as a garage would. It counts as a documented service for warranty and resale purposes as long as the manufacturer's schedule is followed and the correct parts are used, which is what we do.
How long can a car go without a service?
Longer than is good for it. Nothing dramatic happens the day you pass the interval, but old oil stops protecting the engine, a blocked air filter costs you fuel, and small problems that a service would have caught get expensive. If it has been a while, the health check is a cheaper way to find out where you stand than guessing.
Can you service my car at work?
Yes, and plenty of people do exactly that. As long as we can park safely beside the car we can do a service in a work car park while you're inside. It's the same price as doing it at home.
Prices on this page are labour from £80, plus the £20 call-out and parts. Confirmed with James and current at the time of writing.
Tell us what your car's doing
A clear price agreed before anything is booked. No obligation, no pressure.
We reply within 48 hours, and if it's urgent it's quicker to ring or send a WhatsApp. There's a flat £20 call-out and then a clear price for the work, agreed before anything starts. Nothing to pay up front, no cancellation fee, and you settle up once the work is done, by card, cash or bank transfer.