The differential on a car is the part that compensates for the outer tyres having to travel further than the inner tyres when a car is turning.

As you can imagine, this is a lot of stress on a vehicle, so the parts are heavy duty and maintained with oil for lubrication. Like all oils, the oil keeping this part of the car performing properly needs to be changed regularly. So, the next time you get your car serviced, ask your mechanic if this is included. If it's not, the vehicle could be in trouble and the service is not complete.

Car services are not all equal. Some are thorough and some are wanting. This stuff is so important in terms of taking care of our cars. It's not just about the car of course - it can be about life and death. So a priority is to make sure your local mechanic service is part of an authorised and regulated system such as a Repco Authorised Service centre, who provide a 65 Point Vehicle Inspection report.

There are some awesome mechanics in Melbourne (not just us!). But there are also mechanics who will do the bare minimum in a service. Just check what they're doing (don't blindly accept their word for it) and make sure that the full 65 Point Vehicle Inspection report is part of a car service. Lives may depend on it.