Logbook myths that
cost you money
The dealer will void my warranty, cheaper oil is fine, services are all the same: five things we hear weekly that aren't true.
Spend enough years behind a service counter and you hear the same five sentences every week. Most of them come from a dealer's marketing department, not from anything written in a logbook or a law. Here's the version we give customers at the counter.
If you've got a written quote from a dealer that doesn't stack up, bring it in and we'll tell you plainly which items are schedule and which are upsell.
Myth 1: servicing elsewhere voids your warranty
It doesn't. Australian Consumer Law gives you the right to choose your repairer. The manufacturer can only refuse a warranty claim if the service was done wrong or wrong-spec parts caused the failure, and that's a big difference from 'you must use us'. We follow the factory schedule line by line and log it, which is exactly what the law requires.
Myth 2: oil is oil
Modern engines spec their oil: viscosity and approval matter. The wrong oil in a turbo engine or a wet-belt Ford can shorten its life meaningfully. We stock the factory-approved spec, not whatever was on special.
Myth 3: a cheap service is the same service
A $199 'service' is usually an oil change and a glance. A real logbook service is the schedule: plugs, filters, fluids and the inspection items the factory lists for that kilometre reading. Compare the item lists, not the headline price.
Myth 4: the service light reset means it's done
Anyone can clear the light. What counts is whether the scheduled items were actually done and logged. Ask for the itemised sheet. If a shop can't show what was replaced, assume it wasn't.
Myth 5: skip it, nothing feels wrong
Brake fluid absorbs water for two years before you feel it. Coolant additives deplete. Timing belts age by time, not just kilometres. The schedule exists because these things fail quietly, then expensively.
Related
Logbook quick answers
Still not sure whether your dealer quote is schedule or upsell? Send it through the contact page and we'll tell you straight.
Book open, questions answered
Send your rego and kilometres. We'll confirm what's actually due and quote it in writing. Prefer to talk it through? Ring +61 2 9724 0853 and ask what the schedule says for your car, every quote leaves in writing.