Cost-of-living pressures are seeing some automobile owners delaying servicing for his or her vehicles and even attempting to do the work themselves.
That’s in accordance with a study commissioned by servicing provider mycar, which found 60 per cent of car owners were changing their maintenance habits amid economic pressures and 77 per cent were performing some type of automobile maintenance themselves.
The inaugural mycar Mobility Index was prepared to point out how Australian drivers are managing their vehicle’s maintenance requirements, while also examining the uptake of electrical vehicles (EV) and the role of technology in cars.
Of the 2004 vehicle owners surveyed, 24 per cent said they’ve prolonged the intervals between regular services, while 21 per cent said they’ve opted for lower-cost services or repairs when possible.
25 per cent of respondents said they’re rotating their very own tyres, 15 per cent are flushing and replacing brake fluid, 19 per cent are replacing fuel filters, and nine per cent are inspecting and replacing suspension components.
The report also found Gen Zs were essentially the most comfortable performing some kind of their very own automobile maintenance (91 per cent), followed by Millennials (84 per cent), Gen X (78 per cent), and Boomers (58 per cent).
Of the respondents, 17 per cent said they’d chosen to handle more complex and consequential tasks like brake system maintenance themselves, which mycar says may very well be hazardous if done incorrectly.
Managing director Adam Pay says proper vehicle maintenance requires the work to be carried out by trained professionals, even amidst external financial pressure.
“Relating to vehicle maintenance, it’s tempting to think you possibly can do it yourself,” he said.
“But the truth is these tasks require the expertise of trained technicians … while understanding your automobile is significant, the actual maintenance should all the time be within the hands of experts.”
Maintenance isn’t the one corner being cut by people fighting financial pressures. The study revealed nearly half of all respondents had been prompted to regulate their insurance coverage to ease costs.
11 per cent said they’d dropped insurance entirely, while 27 per cent have opted for cheaper policies while maintaining some level of coverage. 14 per cent said they’d missed or struggling to make a vehicle insurance payment on account of the cost-of-living crisis.
Moreover, 32 per cent of respondents said in the event that they were to purchase a brand new automobile, they’d consider buying an EV to mitigate among the costs referring to maintenance and fuel.
The rising cost of fuel specifically was also an element when considering next vehicle purchases for 40 per cent of respondents.
It’s not the primary time high costs have been cited as the reason why Australian motorists are neglecting vehicle maintenance.
A report compiled by insurance firm Youi earlier this yr found 35 per cent of its greater than 2000 respondents were delaying servicing.
A survey conducted by Continental Tyres last yr also revealed 56 per cent of its 1007 respondents were delaying vehicle maintenance on account of the rising cost of living.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
