Is skipping your car servicing a false economy?
DO you remember the good old days of DIY car maintenance?
Those sunny weekends when you could get your head under the bonnet of the car, clean the ignition contacts, change the engine oil and filter and give the carburettor a tickle to get the best performance.
Long gone except for owners of classics. These days who would know where to start with computer-dominated technology and sealed systems.
All of which leads to the fact that garage bills are expensive and in days of financial constraint, many of us are kicking our car service schedule into the long grass.
New research has revealed that a fifth of car owners have skipped their car’s service or other maintenance and repairs over the last 12 months.
Moreover, the study carried out for Kwik Fit, the automotive servicing and repair company, revealed that many of these seven million drivers are well aware that their neglect will prove more costly in the long run.
Almost half (45%) of those neglecting their car’s servicing or maintenance said that they would be spending more as a result of the delays, with the additional bill for drivers totalling £153.9 million.
Londoners are more likely to have skipped maintenance than car owners anywhere else in the UK, with a third (33%) having done so in the past 12 months.
In a clear warning to the capital’s second hand car-buyers, the most common reason given by London car owners for skipping maintenance or repairs is because they were planning to sell the car.
Conversely, car buyers may benefit from travelling to the south west to buy their next used car. Only 13% of the region’s car owners say they have skipped servicing or maintenance in the last year – with almost half (47%) of them saying they have done so because they are driving fewer miles.
Kwik Fit’s research found that the UK’s more experienced car owners clearly see the benefit of keeping on top of their car’s maintenance – amongst the over 65s only 8% have skipped servicing over the last year, compared to 40% of owners aged between 18-24.
Older drivers also have a greater appreciation of the cost of delaying work. Those over 65 who have skipped on servicing believe the delays add an average of £101.44 to their eventual bill, while those under 24 think the additional cost is only £41.
Across the UK as a whole, financial constraints are the most common reason cited by car owners for skipping servicing, followed by driving fewer miles.