Questions about servicing, pink slips and repairs

Do I need to book?

Ring us and we’ll find you a time. Same-day service is available and most jobs are finished the day they come in. Drop-offs start at 7:30am, and if you need the car back that afternoon, say so when you ring. If your rego is due we can schedule the eSafety check as part of a service, so the car only comes in once.

Will I know the price before you start?

Always. We will only proceed after you understand and agree to our quote. If we open something up and the job turns out to be bigger, that’s another call and another quote before we carry on. When you pick the car up you get detailed, itemised billing that explains every job we did and every part we used.

What if you find something else while the car’s in?

We stop and ring you. You get told what we found, what it takes to put right and what that comes to, and nothing else happens until you say yes. If it can safely wait until the next service, we’ll tell you that too.

Do you work on my car?

Almost certainly. All makes and models, from old carburettor utes to the latest hybrid and electric vehicles. All specialised work is performed via an established network of technically accredited specialists who meet our stringent service requirements, so if part of a job goes out, you still deal with us.

How often should I service my car?

Your logbook sets the interval, usually a number of months or a number of kilometres, whichever comes first. Short trips and stop-start traffic are harder on oil than the odometer suggests, so the months matter as much as the distance. A car that has sat for a long stretch still needs the oil changed, because oil ages whether the car moves or not. If the book has gone missing, ring us with the make, model, year and kilometres and we’ll work out what it’s due for.

Will servicing here void my new car warranty?

No, as long as the work is done to the standard the manufacturer sets, and that’s the ACCC’s position. A dealer is entitled to insist that servicing is carried out by qualified staff, to the manufacturer’s specifications, using genuine or appropriate quality parts. Meet those conditions and your warranty stays intact wherever you have the car serviced. If something goes wrong that the warranty itself covers, that goes back to the dealer and should be repaired free of charge.

We service to the manufacturer’s specifications, stamp the book and reset the reminder. The ACCC extract is on our logbook servicing page.

What does “manufacturer’s specifications” mean?

It means the schedule and the standards the carmaker wrote for your car: which parts get replaced at what point, which grade of oil goes in, what has to be checked and what the settings should be. Every model has its own list, so the work on a small hatch and the work on a diesel wagon look quite different. Service the car to that list and the conditions a dealer is entitled to insist on are met.

What does a pink slip cost?

$52 for a light vehicle. Transport for NSW sets that as a maximum fee, so it's a ceiling and a station can charge less. The fee covers the inspection itself; anything the vehicle needs in order to pass is quoted separately. Motorcycles and trailers have their own capped fees, listed on the pink slips page.

Can I wait while you do the pink slip?

Ring and ask when you book, because it depends on what's already on the hoist. If the vehicle passes, the result goes straight to Transport for NSW and you can renew. If it doesn’t, you get a report of what needs doing and we quote it before anything is touched.

What does the check engine light mean?

It means the car’s computer has logged a fault and stored a code against it. It can be something small, like a loose fuel cap or a tired sensor, or something worth stopping for. A steady light is worth booking in for. A flashing one usually points to a misfire, which can damage the exhaust if you keep driving, so pull over and ring. Reading the stored code narrows down where to look, and the fault is traced from there.

Where exactly is the entrance?

The address is 208 Parramatta Road, but there’s no driveway on Parramatta Road. Heading east, turn left into Mathieson Street ten metres before the traffic lights at Pyrmont Bridge Road. The Annandale Hotel is on your left before the turn, and RPA is about a kilometre further east. Directions, photos of the corner and a map are on find us.

When are you open?

Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5pm. If you’re dropping a car in late in the day, ring first so we know to expect you.