Classic Car Servicing in Farnborough
Full and interim servicing tailored to your vehicle's age, make, and specification.
A classic car service isn't a case of plugging in a diagnostic computer and reading off a checklist. Cars from the 1950s through to the 1990s were built to different tolerances, with different materials and different assumptions about how they'd be maintained — and servicing them properly means understanding those differences, not working around them.
Cavalry Classics is based in Farnborough and services classics across Hampshire and Surrey, covering British sports cars, European classics, and American and Japanese classics of the same era. Whatever's in the garage, we service it the way it was meant to be looked after — with the right parts, the right fluids, and the patience the job actually needs.
Full Service vs. Interim Service
A full service is the comprehensive annual check most classics need — engine, ignition, fuel system, brakes, suspension, electrics, and a full underside inspection, matched to the car's age and how it's used. An interim service is a shorter visit focused on the items that need more frequent attention: oil and filter, fluid levels, brakes, and a general condition check. It suits cars that do higher seasonal mileage, or sit between full services on a car covering real distance.
What a Service Actually Involves
Depending on the tier, a service with us typically covers:
- Oil and filter change, using the correct grade for the engine and its clearances
- Ignition system check — points, condenser, distributor cap and rotor arm, timing, on cars still running contact-breaker ignition
- Carburettor tuning, mixture and balance adjustment on multi-carb setups
- Cooling system inspection, and a flush where the coolant condition calls for it
- Brake and clutch fluid condition, with a moisture test on higher-tier services
- Belts, hoses, and rubber components assessed for age-related perishing, not just wear
- Grease points — suspension, steering, propshaft — many modern services skip these entirely because modern cars don't have them
- A full underside inspection, and a written report of what we found
What's Excluded
Major repairs, welding, machining, seized components, and specialist parts sourcing sit outside the standard service price and are quoted separately once we know what's involved — classics vary too much for a fixed price to mean anything otherwise. We'll always tell you before we start anything that falls outside the original quote.
Pricing
We run three servicing tiers — Classic Essentials, Preservation Service, and Intensive — starting from £395 + VAT, matched to how the car is used and what condition it's in. See the full breakdown on our servicing packages and pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a full and an interim service?
A full service covers everything a car of its age and mileage needs in one visit. An interim service is a shorter, more frequent check — useful for cars used sparingly, or between full services on cars covering higher mileage.
Will you use original-spec parts and fluids?
Where it matters, yes. Many classics need specific oil grades, correct-type brake and clutch fluid, or period-appropriate ignition components to run and wear as intended. We'll always explain the reasoning rather than defaulting to whatever's easiest.
How much does a classic car service cost?
Our servicing packages start from £395 + VAT, with three tiers depending on how the car is used and what condition it's in. See our servicing packages page for the full breakdown.