DIY repairs being phased out

Fewer and fewer drivers are carrying out their own car maintenance, according to a new study.

MotorEasy found that a third of motorists now reach for the bonnet catch fewer than four times a year, while 62% leave the engine bay untouched for more than two months at a time.

Female motorists are less likely to attempt car maintenance than male drivers who, on average, lift the bonnet 4.8 and 6.8 times respectively on an annual basis.

However, technology rather than apathy is responsible. Technology-laden connected cars force drivers to think twice before attempting vehicle maintenance and rightly so, as specialist tools and diagnostics equipment are essential for identifying faults and carrying out repairs.

However, drivers will still be able to play their part in future. Enabling motorists to take control of the condition of their vehicles, MotorEasy is set, next month, to introduce a world-first warranty-linked ‘health monitor’ for their cars.

Duncan McClure Fisher, MotorEasy founder, said, ‘While DIY maintenance might be the domain of classic car owners and the determined few, it is clear that the service, repair and maintenance industry is changing fast. We always recommend that drivers carry out essential basic safety checks like tyre pressures and windscreen washer fluid levels but, from next month we should be able to empower drivers in a completely different way.’

MotorEasy has a nationwide network of 10,000 garages, to which customers can be connected via the website or by telephone.

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