New research from the RAC has found that nearly 1 in 4 motorists are choosing to either delay car servicing or have a go at doing it themselves to save money.
The cost of living crisis is forcing 23 percent of car owners to try and cut costs on car servicing – but the RAC warns this is a false economy.
1 in 10 motorists say they have delayed their car servicing by up to a year. 1 in 20 have gone further still and are to delay car servicing by more than a year.
Such motorists say they will rely on the MOT to ensure their car is roadworthy, rather than getting it checked out separately.
A further 10 percent of motorists say they will take the DIY route and either service their car themselves, or with the help of friends or family.
Of those who are choosing to still get their car serviced by a professional, nine percent of motorists are swapping a major service for a minor one, and eight percent are switching from their normal garage to a cheaper alternative.
False economy
“Not keeping on top of servicing a vehicle is almost always a false economy, said RAC spokesman Rod Dennis.
“The probability of suffering a breakdown emergency and having to fork out even more for expensive repairs down the line go up massively.”
He said that while motorists may think they are budgeting wisely by delaying car servicing, “we strongly advise against it as repair costs are likely to snowball when things start to go wrong”.
The RAC is one organisation aiming to help out here, with service plans that allow motorists to spread the cost of routine servicing and MOTs over two years.
Such schemes help lock in prices and enable motorists to dodge the impact of inflation on car servicing costs.
The findings come as the Motor Ombudsman warns that rising costs are the biggest challenge faced by both independent garages and franchised auto retailers.
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