Servicing Your Hybrid and Electric Vehicle

Maintaining an electric vehicle is, surprisingly, a lot simpler than a vehicle with a combustion engine. With fewer parts to look after, maintenance and servicing an electric vehicle is easier and more cost effective – a big plus side for drivers.

However, like any other vehicle, battery powered vehicles experience general wear and tear and will require a look over every so often.

So what maintenance do all-electric vehicles need?

Unlike a combustion engine, there is no oil that needs changing in an electric car or filters to renew. There’s also no cambelt and water pump that need replacing. When you put your vehicle in to be serviced, a technician will use a diagnostic machine to pick up any potential faults that may need to be looked at. This will also pick up any faults with the battery.

All those wires will also need to be checked over by a professional to check for any damage or loose connections. As the cables are well protected, problems are unlikely. But as with any other vehicle, safety related items such as brakes, the suspension and tyres need to be checked regularly.

The use of regenerative braking in an electric vehicle does mean that the friction brakes will require fewer disc and pad changes. Although being a heavier vehicle, the brakes will be working harder than a standard petrol or diesel vehicle.

With fewer parts that need attention and less labour intensive work needing to be done, the costs of servicing an electric vehicle can see huge savings in comparison to a petrol or diesel engine vehicle.

The importance of qualified technicians

As both all-electric and hybrid vehicles require some different checks and inspections in comparison to combustion engines when being serviced, you need to ensure the technician carrying out the work on your vehicle is equipped with the correct skillset and qualifications. New inspections means new skills need to be learned, and if technicians aren't fully confident with what they are dealing with then serious damage could occur mechanically.

There are also the new safety measures to be aware of too. The hundreds of meters of wire cleverly interlinked with one another creates new, and in some cases life threatening risks for both vehicle and technician.

Here at Mercedes-Benz South West, we're dedicated to always providing you the best service. That's why we have fully trained and qualified electric technicians at all our sites throughout the South West who are able to carry out servicing on your electric vehicle with confidence and knowledge.

By servicing your vehicle at Mercedes-Benz South West, you get the reassurance and peace-of-mind that your vehicle is being looked after by a fully trained technician.

What about the maintenance for a hybrid vehicle?

Compared to an electric vehicle, hybrids are a little more complicated as they have both electric and fuel combustion components. Before beginning work on the vehicle, technicians must ensure the high voltage system is discharged, for their safety but also to ensure the engine doesn’t start by itself. If the engine were to start itself, this could cause serious mechanical damage. Hybrids will also need the general safety checks expected when any vehicle is serviced.

Due to the extra diagnostics required and more parts to be looked at, the cost of maintaining a hybrid is likely to be higher than a pure electric vehicle.

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