The silly car mistake that risks your life

We all want to cut our car costs. But ditching your service is a risky gamble.

Running a car is very expensive at the moment, with petrol costs continuing to rise, but some motorists are taking an expensive gamble in order to try to cut their costs.

According to a new survey by insurer swiftcover, more than 750,000 car owners are considering skipping their annual service this year, in a bid to save money. This is a daft thing to do. By missing out on a service you are potentially ignoring problems with your car which may become serious, putting not only yourself but also your passengers and other motorists in danger.

Besides, a service is an investment. A well-serviced car is less likely to experience problems, saving you cash on breakdowns and repairs. What’s more, maintaining your car in good condition will help keep the car running smoothly for longer, saving you further money as you will be able to wait longer before moving onto a new car.

In addition, when the time comes to sell the car, the buyer will want to see an up-to-date servicing book. Big gaps where it hasn’t been seen may make it harder to shift the car.

The best approach is not to skip a service, but to make that service more affordable. So how can you cut costs?

Shopping around

This is good advice, no matter what it is that you’re looking at spending your money on. Don’t just go back to the dealer you bought the car from – get some quotes from different outlets to see where you can get the best deal. And don’t automatically go for a franchised dealer – research earlier this year by Warranty Direct found that franchised dealer labour costs were nearly 40% more than their independent rivals.

 Here are the top ten most expensive regions for garage labour rates according to the study.

And by contrast, here are the cheapest areas for labour costs.

So if you can coincide a service with a trip to family or friends in the Isle of Wight, that might not be the worst idea in the world!

Going local

Building a relationship with local mechanics is a good idea too.

The firm we deal with have regularly given us discounts, or even performed small services absolutely free, because we are regular customers and have told our friends about them.

A little effort can go a long way.

Negotiate and research

It’s important to pick the right garage. And this means more than simply looking at the headline quote. Check that that quote includes VAT, all replacement parts and the labour costs. You can then use that quote to ring around other garages and see if you can negotiate the price down a little.

You’ll also want to ensure that the garage you use is of the highest possible standard. Go to the Motor Codes website, and check that the garage you plan to use has signed up to its code of practice for servicing. Motor Codes is a self-regulatory body for the automotive industry, and has codes of practice covering buying a new car, service and repair and vehicle warranty products.

On servicing, the code of practice commits garages to the following:

• Honest and fair service.
• Open and transparent pricing.
• Completing work as agreed.
• Invoices that match quoted prices.
• Competent and conscientious staff.
• A straightforward and swift complaints procedure.

Buy the parts yourself

So the garage has told you that certain parts of your car need replacing. Perhaps you need new brake pads, or a new bulb for your headlights. It’s absolutely vital that you don’t just accept the quote from the dealer, and instead shop around for the parts yourself.

Which? Car recently carried out an experiment on this, which uncovered some interesting results. The cost of new front brake pads for a Renault Grand Scenic ranged from £60 to £136, while an offside headlamp bulb ranged from £6 to £60! Always query exactly what that quote includes – in the case of the headlamp bulb, the £60 quote covered the potential of having to remove the front bumper to get to the lamp, a completely unnecessary procedure!

Bundle it up

Bundling is an easy way to cut the costs of your broadband, home phone and TV, as going for a single package which covers all of these areas often works out cheaper. You can also do this with your servicing costs.

Basically, you get a number of years of servicing, in exchange for a one-off fee (though some manufacturers now allow you to pay for this in monthly stages). Quite what you get depends on the package you go for, and the manufacturer in question. Generally, these packages will only cover the basics, like air and oil filters, spark plugs and brake fluid. You’ll have to pay extra for things like brake pads, but these bundles may be worth a look.

If you have bought a bundle, let us know about your experiences using the comments box below!

Do it yourself

Some of my friends are absolute petrol heads, and maintain to me that it’s perfectly possible to do a decent service yourself. After all, you will at least know the exact quality of the components you use, and it isn’t that difficult to change the oil or check the tyre pressure.

There are plenty of guides online explaining how to perform a service, as well as videos on YouTube showing you exactly what to do. But I’m still torn on whether it’s a smart move. Sure, it saves you a few quid in the short term, but I’m not convinced I wouldn’t find a way to make a hash of it. And I don’t know how impressed a future buyer of the car would be that I had done it all myself rather than using a professional – ask yourself how happy you would be in this situation. And with newer cars, it may be a requirement of the warranty that you get a professional to perform the service.

However, I would definitely advocate doing what you can to keep your car in decent nick between services. That way, it’s less likely that any issues will develop, saving you money in repair and labour costs. It’s also a good idea to have a read of 10 ways to cut your motoring costs.

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