Kwik Fit research has been used to suggest that economic worries have led to an additional 1.6 million motorists servicing their own cars over the past year (this was a sample of 2000 remember).
Over a third (35%) of car owners, including a few women drivers perhaps, now say they carry out a service themselves. The lion share ie 69% of motorists, including a lot of foxy lady drivers we are sure, confessed that don’t feel confident in servicing their own car. This is probably a good thing I’d have thought.
But, according to Kwik Fit, as many as 2.5 million cars on our roads today have not been serviced last year (this was a research sample of 2000 motorists remember; not sure if it helps to extrapolate into millions here…) which is to do with the recession and motorists wanting to save money.
Spelling out the blindingly obvious here, we are told that as cars have become increasingly sophisticated, needing computerised engine management systems, the confidence of (mostly male I presume) motorists to ‘self-service’ their cars has fallen dramatically. Gosh.
And their research tells them that motorists driving cars that are over 11 years old are considerably more likely to [think they can] DIY a service (because they can get at the engine no doubt) than those driving cars under two years old. Needless to say, many women drivers still think, incorrectly as it happens, that they need to take their car to a main dealership to maintain its warranty.
If nothing more, this research confirms what FOXY knows already about many women drivers based on anecdotal evidence inside the Club; it also acts as an important reminder for all of us that
- cars that aren’t maintained regularly or serviced properly aren’t as safe as those that are
- unsafe cars are less reliable and more accident prone
- cars that cause accidents and are then be seen to be poorly maintained ie unsafe can invalidate insurance claims
- much worse, anyone who runs a poorly maintained/badly serviced car could kill a passenger, other driver or pedestrian – what price economy then?
- few motorists are good enough at DIY car maintenance
- many dodgy garages don’t service cars well enough (which is the REAL elephant in the room here, hence the resistance of so many women to dread going to garages)
- the industry needs to work harder to communicate servicing prices – this needn’t be expensive, in fact surely it’s better to charge less and see more motorists that might need genuine work done afterwards?
- that the MOT is but a safety snapshot on the day – it is never an alternative to regular maintenance and servicing
- that members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club can claim free quarterly car fitness checks from a network of female friendly garages across the UK.
FOXY Steph
PS: Thank you for reminding me that the garage industry needs to get its marketing act together for women drivers in particular.
Find out about free car fitness checks for women drivers who are members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club.
