Hybrid and electric car servicing

We service hybrid and electric cars alongside everything else in the workshop, from old carburettor utes to the latest hybrid and electric vehicles. Most of what wears out on an electric car is the same as on any other car. Where a job belongs with a high voltage specialist, we’ll say so and arrange it.

Signs your hybrid or electric car needs looking at

• The brakes have started to squeal, or the pedal feels different.
• Tyres are wearing faster than you expected, or wearing unevenly.
• A warning light on the dash you haven’t seen before.
• The air conditioning isn’t as cold, or the cabin takes longer to warm.
• A knock or a clunk over bumps, or the steering doesn’t feel centred.
• The 12 volt battery goes flat, or the car won’t wake up.

What servicing a hybrid or electric car involves

A hybrid or an electric car still has brakes, steering and suspension, tyres and a 12 volt battery, air conditioning and a cabin filter. Those are the parts that wear, and they’re the same parts we work on every day. Servicing follows the manufacturer’s schedule for that model, the same as any other car.

There are differences worth knowing. Regenerative braking does much of the slowing, so the friction brakes get used less and can corrode from lack of work. Electric cars are heavier and quieter, which shows up in tyre wear and in suspension components. Battery packs, inverters and motors are usually liquid cooled, and those circuits are on the schedule too.

High voltage work and specialists

The high voltage side of these cars, the traction battery, the inverter and the drive motor, is specialist work and we treat it that way. All specialised work is performed via an established network of technically accredited specialists who meet our stringent service requirements. You still deal with us, and the quote still comes to you first.

Hybrid and EV logbook servicing

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 the warranty stays intact wherever the car is serviced. That’s the ACCC’s position, not ours, and the extract is on our logbook servicing page. We stamp the logbook and reset the service reminder.

What to tell us when you book

Tell us the make, model and year, and whether it’s a hybrid or fully electric. Say what the car is doing and whether a light has come on. Bring the logbook or your digital service record if you have one. If the work turns out to be on the high voltage side, we’ll tell you that before anything starts.

Questions about hybrid and electric car servicing

Do electric cars need servicing?

Yes. A full electric car has no engine oil to change. Brakes, tyres, suspension, steering, coolant, cabin filters and the 12 volt battery all still need attention, and the manufacturer still sets a schedule.

Will an independent workshop void my hybrid’s warranty?

Not if the work is done by qualified staff, to the manufacturer’s specifications, with genuine or appropriate quality parts. That’s the ACCC’s position, and it applies to hybrids and electric cars the same as anything else. Warranty repairs themselves still go back to the dealer.

Do you work on the high voltage battery?

That’s specialist work. We identify what the car needs and arrange the specialist side through the accredited network we use, so you’re not chasing it yourself.

Why have my electric car’s brakes started squeaking?

It’s common. Regenerative braking means the friction brakes get used less, and discs that sit unused pick up surface corrosion. It’s worth having them checked, because parts that seldom move can seize.