Garage Equipment Servicing: What a Good Contract Covers

Most garages arrange lift servicing the way they arrange most things: someone comes out when it stops working. That is manageable until the day a lift goes down mid-week with three vehicles booked into that bay.

A servicing arrangement is worth having, but the value is entirely in the detail. This guide covers what a good one covers, and the gaps worth checking before you sign.

Servicing and examination are not the same purchase

The distinction matters commercially as well as legally:

• Servicing keeps the equipment working. It follows the manufacturer's schedule, sits under PUWER, and involves adjustment, lubrication and replacing wear parts.
• Thorough examination assesses condition and reports defects. It sits under LOLER, must be carried out by a competent person independent of routine maintenance, and involves no repair work.

Some suppliers offer both. That is convenient, but the two functions must be genuinely separated — the person maintaining the lift should not be the person examining it. Ask directly how they separate them. Our LOLER guide covers the examination side.

What a good agreement covers

• Scheduled visits at defined intervals, to the manufacturer's schedule, booked in advance rather than arranged each time.
• A defined scope of work per visit, so you know what is actually being done — not just "service".
• Consumables included, or priced clearly. Hydraulic fluid, filters, lubricants and pads.
• A written report after every visit, suitable for your records.
• Response times for breakdowns, stated in hours or working days, not "as soon as possible".
• Labour rates for work outside the agreement, agreed in advance.
• Parts availability for your specific models, with lead times.
• Coverage of all your lifting equipment — including jacking beams and motorcycle lifts, which are often forgotten.

The questions worth asking

1. What exactly is done at each visit, item by item?
2. What is included in the price and what is charged separately?
3. What is the response time for a lift that is out of service?
4. Do you hold parts for my models, or order them in?
5. Who carries out thorough examination, and how is that kept independent of your servicing?
6. What happens if a defect is found — do you quote, or proceed?
7. Are your engineers accredited, and for which equipment?
8. What records do I receive, and in what format?
9. What is the notice period and how does the price change at renewal?

What it should cost you to think about

Compare an agreement against what reactive repair actually costs, which is more than the invoices:

• Downtime. A bay out of action costs whatever that bay turns over.
• Emergency call-out premiums against planned-visit rates.
• Consequential failures. Wear that would have been caught at a service becomes a component failure.
• Findings at examination that could have been dealt with as maintenance.
• Shortened equipment life, which is the largest cost and the least visible.

A lift that reaches twenty years instead of twelve has paid for a lot of servicing.

What stays your responsibility

No agreement removes your duties as the operator:

• Daily and weekly user checks by your own team.
• Keeping the bay clear and the equipment clean.
• Taking equipment out of use when a fault appears, rather than working around it.
• Arranging thorough examination at the required intervals.
• Acting on reported defects within the stated timescale.
• Keeping the records.

Our guide to lift care and maintenance covers the checks that stay with you.

When an agreement is not the answer

If you have one lift, a good relationship with a local engineer and a model that is well supported for parts, a call-off arrangement at agreed rates may serve you better than a contract. The case for a formal agreement strengthens with the number of lifts, the cost of downtime, and how far you are from a service engineer.

Where equipment is old enough that findings are recurring, no servicing arrangement will fix the underlying position — see our guide to 5 signs you need a new garage lift.

Frequently asked questions

Is a servicing contract the same as LOLER inspection?

No. Servicing keeps equipment working under PUWER. Thorough examination assesses condition under LOLER and must be carried out by someone independent of routine maintenance.

Can the same company service and examine my lift?

Only if the two functions are genuinely separated, because the competent person should not be responsible for maintaining the same equipment. Ask how they keep them apart.

How often should a vehicle lift be serviced?

To the manufacturer's schedule, alongside the daily and weekly checks your own team carries out.

What should be included in a servicing agreement?

Scheduled visits with a defined scope, consumables either included or clearly priced, a written report each visit, stated breakdown response times, agreed rates for additional work, and coverage of all your lifting equipment.

Is a servicing contract worth it for one lift?

Not always. With a single well-supported lift and a reliable local engineer, agreed call-off rates may suit you better. The case strengthens with more lifts and higher downtime costs.

Supply, installation and support

We supply and install two-post, four-post and scissor lifts across the UK, to the manufacturer's instructions and BS 7980, with the documentation you need to start your records correctly. See our services, request a quote, or get in touch and we will reply within one working day.