Car Servicing in Teignmouth

Teignmouth sits at the mouth of the River Teign, with a harbour, a seafront, the bridge to Shaldon, steep hills and a lot of summer visitors. A car living near the sea faces sea air, hill climbs and busy seasonal roads, and all of it points towards sensible, regular maintenance.

Automaster is a garage at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and we service petrol and diesel cars for drivers from Teignmouth, Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Milber and Stoke-in-Teignhead. Here is what a service involves and how to get a quote.

What should I look for in a car service near the coast?

Coastal air is damp and salty, which is not kind to metal parts underneath the car. A service gives the chance to have brake components, exhaust fixings and suspension looked at properly rather than finding out when something fails.

Tell us how the car is kept. A car that sits outside near the seafront has a different life from one that lives in a garage.

We also look at wiper blades, lights and washer fluid during a service, since a salty windscreen after a winter drive along the seafront is a safety issue as much as a nuisance.

Interim, full and major services explained

Interim means an oil and filter change with a set of safety checks, a sensible choice between bigger services for high-mileage drivers. Full goes further, typically replacing items such as the air filter and, depending on the engine, spark plugs or a fuel filter. Major adds work that falls due at longer intervals, such as brake fluid or coolant depending on the vehicle.

We do not treat these as fixed lists. Your car's make, age and handbook decide what is done.

How often should I change the oil and filter?

Follow your handbook, which will give a time or mileage limit, whichever comes first. If you spend your days crawling through summer traffic or tackling Teignmouth's hills, that engine oil works hard.

A fresh oil and filter keeps the engine lubricated, helps it shed heat and reduces wear. Leaving it late is a false economy.

Mention it if the car regularly carries heavy loads, because that affects how hard the engine and oil are working.

Is a vehicle health check or pre-purchase inspection worth it?

A health check tells you the condition of the key systems and what is likely to need attention soon, which helps with planning. It suits drivers who have not had the car looked at for a while.

A pre-purchase inspection is for those buying a second-hand car. We check for leaks, worn parts and signs of neglect so you know what you are buying.

Do you service cars from Teignmouth and Shaldon?

Our garage is at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, near Totnes. Drivers from Teignmouth and the Teign estuary area come to us for servicing, maintenance, fault finding and MOT tests, and we are happy to combine a service with an MOT.

Give us the registration, mileage and fuel type when you ask for a quote, plus any symptoms you have noticed.

Fault finding is part of what we do. If a warning light or odd noise has appeared, tell us when you ask for a quote and we will look into it alongside the service.