Why Regular Servicing Matters

From 1 November 2026, many cars move from an annual Warrant of Fitness to one every two years. For a lot of drivers, that will feel like one less job to remember.

The catch is that your car does not wear any slower. Brake pads, tyres, wiper blades and bulbs keep wearing at the same rate they always have. The only thing that changes is how often someone else checks them for you.

That is where a regular service comes in.

A service already covers most of what a WOF checks

A routine service is about much more than an oil change. As well as replacing the oil and filter, a service with us includes:

• Inspecting brake condition and topping up brake fluid
• Checking all lights
• Checking tyre pressures
• Checking wiper blade condition and topping up washer fluid
• Inspecting CV and steering boots
• Checking power steering fluid, drive belt condition and engine mounts
• Checking the cooling system and antifreeze
• Testing the battery and checking the terminals
• Checking air and cabin filters, spark plugs and the fuel filter date
• Checking the air conditioning is working

Put that next to the list of what a WOF checks, which covers brakes, tyres, lights, steering and suspension, seatbelts, exhaust, fuel system, structure, and glazing and visibility, and a lot of it lines up. There are some warrant items that are not part of a standard service, such as a formal check of every seatbelt. But your car is in the workshop with experienced eyes on it, and if we notice something along the way, we will tell you.

So if you service your car every year, it is still being looked over every year, even when the warrant is only due every two.

Why the gap matters

Under the old rules, an annual warrant acted as a safety net. Even if a car was not being serviced, someone was checking the brakes and tyres at least once a year.

With a two-yearly warrant and no service in between, a car can go two years and tens of thousands of kilometres without anyone looking it over. A lot can happen in that time:

• Brake pads that were fine at the last warrant can wear through to the metal
• Tyres that passed with a few millimetres to spare can drop below the legal 1.5mm
• A small oil leak or a perishing hose can turn into a bigger repair
• A battery that tested weak can fail on a cold morning

And the rule has not changed: your car must be warrantable every time it is on the road, not just on inspection day. If it is not, the fines now start at $350.

A service is not just an oil change

We get asked fairly often whether we can just do an oil change. Our answer is that we do not, and here is why.

An oil change replaces the oil and oil filter. A service is someone with experience looking over the whole vehicle and telling you what they see: what is fine, what is wearing, and what needs doing before it becomes a problem. Plugging in a scan tool or draining the oil is the easy part. Knowing what the result means for your car, and what to do about it, is what you are actually paying for.

With two years between warrants, that whole-vehicle look matters a lot more.

How often should you service?

We recommend a service every 10,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Your vehicle's own service schedule is also a good guide.

If your car has moved to a two-yearly warrant, a simple rhythm is:

• Year one: service
• Year two: service and WOF together, in one visit

That way your car is checked every year, you only make one trip in the warrant year, and if the WOF picks something up, it is already in the workshop.

If you drive a lot of kilometres, tow, or do a lot of short trips around town, your car may need servicing more often. Ask us and we will tell you what makes sense for how you use it.

What you get from a service, in plain terms

When we find something, we do not hand you a long list with one total at the bottom. We sort it into what needs doing now, what can be planned for the next few months, and what we will just keep an eye on. You decide the pace, with the facts in front of you.

Frequently asked questions

• If my car is on a two-yearly WOF, do I still need a yearly service? We would recommend it. A service covers most of what a warrant checks, so it is the simplest way to make sure nothing wears out unnoticed between inspections.
• Does a service replace a WOF? No. A WOF is a legal requirement and only an inspection at an approved testing station counts. A service is maintenance. They do different jobs, and they work well together.
• Can I just get an oil change? No. We only do a full service, because the value is in the whole-vehicle check, not the oil itself.
• Can I book a service and WOF together? Yes, and in a warrant year we recommend it. One visit, one drop-off.

Book your Car Service Addington
Matipo Garage is an MTA-approved mechanical workshop located at 16-18 Lowe Street, Addington, looking after Christchurch drivers for over 90 years. Open Monday to Thursday 7.30am to 5.30pm, Friday until 5pm.

Call 03 348 5358 or book online.

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