Maintenance works may need to be carried out before resuming long journeys

AS restrictions begin to lift and the distance you can travel begins to increase, many will be bringing their cars onto the road for the first time in months.

And although most will have kept their engines ticking over, made sure the car remained in working order while it stood in the garage, there will may still be some maintenance works to be carried out before resuming those long journeys.

Generally our attitude to cars is that if it’s running then there’s nothing wrong and no reason to have it serviced. However, whatever you spend servicing your car, it will always amount to a saving in the long run. As with so many things in life, prevention is better than cure.

For those who don’t know when their car needs to be serviced, there are some answers. Many cars will actually tell you — flashing up a notice in the dashboard that a service is imminent.

For the rest, it’s still pretty simple and comes back to the oldest advice in motoring: read the manual. Every car’s owner’s manual will tell you when a service is needed, so simply look it up in the index and check the mileage. Of course, there’s an even easier way to tell.

Simply look at the calendar. If it’s been a year since your car was last in the garage, get it booked in — even for low mileage drivers this is a good idea, and really only those covering exceptionally high mileages will need to have their car in more frequently than that. .

As for price, that will vary enormously depending on the car you drive and where you bring it. A main, franchised dealer will be more expensive than a small back-street operation, and a premium-badge dealer more so again, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid one and go for the other.

The age-old advice of shopping around is still good advice to follow, and while a main dealer will be more expensive, there can be fringe benefits such as having them collect and drop back your car, or at the very least a complimentary taxi to work and back.

Generally, while a car is under warranty, it’s best to keep it serviced with a main dealer for that brand. Once out of warranty, it could well be time to start looking for a good independent garage, but be sure to ask around and find out which are the best ones in your area.

And, most importantly, exercise caution and make sure that you’re getting the service you need. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask questions, and don’t take back the car until you’re happy with what’s been done.