Today's News

In response to tougher times more people seem to have attempted their own car maintenance to save money, according to Nick Hutton, Operations Director at Prestige Car Servicing. But self-servicing can become the stuff of nightmares with car owners throwing away significant amounts of money on subsequent repairs.

Nick has serious concerns: ‘We began monitoring ‘self-servicing’ during the financial crisis to see if we could match them against engine break downs.’

‘One customer tried to replace his head gasket, but used so much sealant that the excess was forced into the engine. This invalidated his vehicle warranty and what should have cost £400 ended up costing over £4,000 for a new engine.’

Another motorist came up with a novel solution when his rear tyre blew out by replacing it with a fire hose. Intended as a temporary measure, his scheme failed when his rear axle was bent and his wheel was buckled, costing around £800.

Another man used a Coca-Cola can to repair a hole in his exhaust by slicing the ends off to make a tube, before attaching it to the exhaust with cable ties. Again,what should have been a simple repair job resulted in the car needing an entire new exhaust system.

‘We understand vehicle owners will want to look for lower cost alternatives but ‘self-service’ will often end up costing much more in the end!’ said Nick.

From: Garage Wire