Survey Shows People Put Off Car Servicing

After commissioning a survey, the aftersales team from Vauxhall found out what activities people usually put off. It has consequently emerged that DIY takes first place, with 42 percent of the votes, exercise comes in second place with 32 percent and car servicing third with 26 percent.

Consumers who don’t like servicing their car were split into two sections: some said that cost is their reason for postponing the activity, while other said that they prefer more interesting activities.

“It’s worrying that nearly a third of those questioned felt comfortable about delaying their next car service,” said Andrew Curley, Vauxhall Service Channel and Aftersales CRM Manager, “Putting off servicing may seem like a good idea in the short term but it can lead to more expense and worry in the long term.”

“The top four reasons for MOT failures according to official government reports from VOSA (The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) are lights, brakes, suspension and tires, all of which would be checked during regular servicing. The percentage failure rate in each category has been rising steadily over the last few years with light and brake defects now affecting almost 20 per cent of cars failing their MOT.”

“This of course has worrying implications for the safety of passengers and pedestrians but failures in categories such as tires also have an impact on the environment as fuel consumption is adversely affected when tires are not correctly looked after,” said Mr Curley.

“People may put off activities that make them feel uneasy or uncomfortable. They may also worry that the results of certain activities are out of their control and influence, which leads to procrastination and an overwhelming desire not to act," said Mamta Bhatia, speaking on behalf of human psychology experts.