MECHANICS’ REPUTATION BREAKDOWN

Car mechanics have overtaken estate agents as the least trusted trade in the country, according to new research.

Thepublichavelongdreaded dealing with property sales staff but a new study has found that they are even more wary of taking their car in for repair, for fear of being ripped off.

A massive 70 per cent of motorists said they were convinced they would be taken advantage of when taking their car to a mechanic for servicing or repair. Women were more likely to be worried (78 per cent) but 62 per cent of men also felt they would get a bad deal.

The survey, by aftermarket warranty firm Warrantywise, found that most drivers felt baffled by technical jargon around modern cars and worried that mechanics would take advantage of this to charge more.

The image problem is even worse for franchised main dealers, with a massive 96 per cent of customers saying they thought they would have to pay more if they took their car to a main dealer, rather than an independent garage. Such suspicions are backed up by data showing some main dealers charge as much as £230 per hour.

Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Warrantywise, said: “The motor industry thinks it offers a friendly, professional face to the public, but the truth is that most of the public is still petrified of being ripped off and bamboozled with jargon.”

Andrew Jervis, CEO of online repair marketplace, Clickmechanic said he wasn’t surprised by the survey’s findings.

He commented: “Our own experience ahas also shown that the lack of transparency over pricing and how qualified the mechanic is has led to a breakdown in trust. Because of this it’s incredibly important that the industry comes together to bring this transparency for drivers so they can trust garages.”