What does a Rolls-Royce service include?
Servicing a Rolls-Royce starts from the programme the manufacturer laid down for that model and year. A 1972 Silver Shadow and a recent Cullinan share neither fluids nor checks: the first is still adjusted by hand, the second is read first with a diagnostic tool.
The car is road-tested from cold and then hot, because it is on the move that a humming wheel bearing, a hesitant gearbox or a suspension that bottoms out gives itself away. It is then lifted and inspected, and everything we find is set out in an estimate itemised line by line. Nothing is added without your approval. The method we apply to every make is described on our servicing and maintenance page.
- Engine oil and filters, coolant, automatic gearbox fluid
- High-pressure hydraulic system on the Silver Shadow and its derivatives
- Air suspension on recent models: compressor, air springs, lines
- Brakes, running gear, bushes and alignment
- Battery, charging and stored fault codes
Silver Shadow, Corniche, Silver Spirit: the 6.75-litre V8
From the 1959 Silver Cloud II to the last Silver Spur, Rolls-Royce cars used an aluminium-alloy V8, first of 6.23 litres and then, from 1970, of 6.75 litres. This smooth, lightly stressed engine lasts a very long time if it is looked after. Its aluminium block makes the condition of the coolant essential: tired coolant lets corrosion take hold inside the engine.
The Silver Cloud and most Silver Shadows are fed by twin SU carburettors, whose balance, mixture and piston damper oil are checked at every visit. The automatic gearbox, a General Motors three-speed on most Silver Shadows, needs its fluid level and condition checked.
The Silver Shadow shares most of its mechanical parts with the Bentley T-Series, which our page on Bentley servicing covers with the rest of the range. The model’s history is told on our Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow page.
The Silver Shadow’s high-pressure hydraulics
The Silver Shadow brought Rolls-Royce a high-pressure hydraulic system, built under Citroën licence, which serves both the brakes and the self-levelling. Engine-driven pumps charge accumulators, and valves then distribute the pressure to the brakes and to the suspension rams. The Corniche, Camargue and Silver Spirit kept the principle and developed it.
This system does not forgive improvisation. Depending on the year, it is designed for a specific Rolls-Royce fluid or for mineral oil, and the two must never be mixed: topping up with the wrong one ruins the seals. We therefore identify the correct fluid before any work. Hoses, accumulators and pressure warning lights are checked at every service, and a pedal that hardens calls for immediate inspection, as described on our brakes page.
Ghost, Phantom, Cullinan: servicing a modern Rolls-Royce
Since the 2003 Phantom, Rolls-Royce cars have been built at Goodwood within the BMW Group. All of them rely on a V12: naturally aspirated in that first Phantom, twin-turbocharged in the Ghost, Wraith and Dawn, then in the current Phantom and the Cullinan. The car reports its own service dates, and the work begins by reading what its control units have recorded.
Air suspension is the source of these cars’ comfort. Over time, a porous air spring, a split line or a tired valve causes a leak and the car sinks when parked; the compressor, working harder than it should, then wears in turn. The weight of these cars also tells on brakes, tyres and bushes.
The electronics, which come from the BMW Group, are diagnosed with the appropriate tool. Some programming operations can only be carried out by the manufacturer: when that is the case, we tell you before we begin. The all-electric Spectre has no V12 to service; its care covers the brakes, running gear, air conditioning and cabin.
A Rolls-Royce that covers few miles: time matters
Many Rolls-Royce cars cover very little distance. The manufacturer nonetheless sets service dates by time as well as by mileage, and whichever comes first applies: oil degrades while the car stands, brake fluid ages, tyres harden and a battery that is rarely used drains under the load of the control units.
If the car spends the winter under cover, storage with seasonal preparation spares it a harsh restart. On a classic that has stood for a long time, recommissioning starts with the hydraulics and the fuel system, before the wheels turn.
Independent servicing, warranty and history
European law allows a car to be serviced outside the manufacturer’s network without losing its warranty, provided the service programme is followed with parts of equivalent quality. For a recent Rolls-Royce, we look with you at what the warranty or any current service contract covers.
The invoice details every operation and every part, original, equivalent or reconditioned, with its source, and serves as a service record. The cabin is part of the same care; retrimming it is described on our Rolls-Royce upholstery page. For everything we do on the marque, see our Rolls-Royce page.