The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Breakdown blues
Are you a crack mechanic or a cack-handed crank when it comes to fixing your car? As new research highlights our lack of maintenance skills, motoring editor Jack McKeown zooms off to investigate
Cars are wonderful machines – when they work. The trouble is that every now and then, things do go wrong. So are we any good at solving whatever issues our cars throw at us?
Research out today suggests we are woefully ill-prepared.
A survey of the UK’s motorists reveals more than half of us are baffled when it comes to looking after our vehicles.
A total of 51% said they were confused when it came to car maintenance.
A huge 85% did not know what MoT stands for. (Somewhat embarrassingly for a motoring journalist, neither did this writer – the answer is Ministry of Transport.)
Of far greater concern than not knowing the meaning of a motoring acronym is the fact that more than four in 10 drivers (42%) don’t know how to change a flat tyre.
Confusing symbols
More than a third of motorists (36%) do not understand the majority of dashboard symbols and more than one in 10 (11%) do not know how to measure oil, according to the research.
The poll of 2,000 British drivers was commissioned by car repair and servicing company Kwik Fit.
Some 59% of motorists admitted not knowing the difference between MoTs and services, with more than a fifth (21%) believe passing an MoT means a car is safe to drive for a year.
One or two of the results seem to push the boundaries of what can be believed.
Two per cent – or one in 50 – of drivers even thought leaving the lights on would stop their vehicle frosting over on a cold winter’s night. These people must regularly wake up to frosty cars and flat batteries.
Paul Boulton of Kwik Fit said: “The level of misunderstanding around what keeps our cars running safely is pretty shocking. The industry should be doing more to demystify these misconceptions.”
Many of us will remember weekends from our childhood when it seemed nearly every dad was out tinkering with the family car.
Stroll round any neighbourhood on a Sunday morning in 2016 and it’s easy to see that those days are gone.
Complicated cars Part of that, of course, is that cars have become more complicated.
Virtually all modern cars need to be hooked up to a computer in order to be serviced. Many makers also put covers over the engines and under-trays beneath them.
However, while not all of us can service or repair our cars, we can all carry out basic maintenance which can help prevent things going wrong in the first place.
The AA recommends all motorists carry out the following easy checks:
Tyres: Know the correct tyre pressures for your car and check them at least every two weeks.
Check tyre tread and condition – look for cuts on sidewalls. If any one tyre needs regular top-ups, it may have a slow puncture.
Don’t forget to check the spare as well.
Toolkit: Check the handbook for the location of the basic toolkit for the car, which should contain at least a jack and wheel removal tools.
Familiarise yourself with the jacking points used to lift the car safely.
If locking wheel nuts are fitted make sure that the toolkit includes the key or removal tool
Engine oil: Check the dipstick at least every fortnight and before any long journey.
Have the oil and filter changed at recommended service intervals using oil of the correct specification.
Water: Check the coolant level regularly and top up as necessary – but only when the engine is cold.
Have the antifreeze concentration checked before winter.
Wipers: Wiper blades wear down over time and smear the windscreen if they become worn. Check and top up screenwash regularly.
Lights: Check all lights weekly. Don’t forget indicators, brake and fog lights and clean them regularly.
Bodywork: Deal promptly with damage to bodywork to prevent rust setting in.
Our small survey of motorists outside Dundee’s Halfords suggests Courier Country drivers are little better – especially when it comes to the thorny question of what MoT stands for.
The level of misunderstanding around what keeps our cars running safely is pretty shocking