Car owners are saving more and more on vehicle maintenance

With the crisis that remains firmly with us, it is no surprise that car owners are trying to save more and more on maintenance and visits to the workshop for repairs, waiting until the last moment to have them done, and rarely at official dealerships.

That is why 42% of car owners have tried to save money on the last service carried out on their vehicle, according to a recent statistic from the market research body TNS. The main ways to save are choosing a cheaper workshop (41%) and delaying the service on the vehicle (39%).

As a result, in 2009 visits to the workshop fell overall (both at official networks and at independent workshops), with a drop of two points compared to 2008. This decline is more evident at official networks: 50% of those surveyed said they had taken their vehicle to the official network in the last year, while the previous year the figure was 54%.

For further data, in 2009 an early sign of drivers abandoning the official network can be seen: in 2008 the average age was 6.2 years, while in 2009 it stood at 5.5 years, although these figures vary unevenly between brands. The independent workshop has emerged as the main competitor to the official network, with 27% of car owners saying their last service was carried out at an independent workshop. From the eighth year of car ownership onwards, independent workshops lead the aftersales market, with 66% of all services.

And you, how long has it been since you took your car to the official workshop? Do you prefer a workshop you already know over official ones?

Source | TNS Global