Is your car up to date with its annual service? What about the used car you’re buying?

Fears have been raised this week (May 10^th) within the automotive sector over the safety of millions of cars. Next week’s further easing of lockdown restrictions could see millions of possibly unsafe cars on the UK’s roads.

I know we’ve written about the importance of carrying out your annual service before and how it will save you money in the long term too, but the scary fact is that millions of drivers have delayed their annual car service during lockdown.  Now as restrictions really start to lift and we can see family and friends again, there is an expectation that millions of us will be jumping into our cars and heading out on UK roads for those long-awaited reunions or staycations.

However, based on RAC Foundation figures that show the UK has over 32.7m motorists, a survey by Heycar shows that as many as 7.3 million vehicles could now be unsafe to be on our roads, due to drivers choosing to delay their car service during lockdown.

Postponing an annual car service means the vehicle safety checks that would normally be carried out have been delayed.  What happens under your bonnet due to lack of use is not always understood.  Some people think that leaving their car in the garage, or on the driveway, is fine as long as the battery doesn’t go flat, but unfortunately it’s not that simple.  Can you honestly say that you at least checked your car’s oil level and tyre condition every month, or even every three months? Lack of use can be a major factor in a wide range of vehicle issues and regular car maintenance is essential.

Heycar recently carried out a survey asking drivers whether they had delayed their annual car service due to lockdown, more than one in five said yes.  Additionally, twelve per cent said they were also looking to delay their NEXT service as well! 

An annual service isn’t just about topping up your oil, there are a number of vehicle safety checks carried out too and postponing these can seriously affect the health, and safety, of your vehicle.  If you’re not sure what level of service your car should be having, we’d be happy to talk you through the options in more detail. Put simply, a full service (annual service) is recommended to be carried out every 12 months, which you alternate with a major service every 24 months.

Servicing a vehicle is critical to keeping it running well and reducing the risk of road accidents.

Please make sure your car is in optimal working order before you hit the road this summer, we would hate you to breakdown after such a long wait to spend time with family and friends.  

What if you are looking to buy your next car soon?

If you are planning to buy your next used car in the coming months, please make sure the seller can provide a full service and MOT history. 

Don’t buy your next car without knowing it’s been recently serviced and MOT’d, you could end up with an unexpected, and possibly rather large, car repair bill.

Not only do we hand-pick every car we sell, but our comprehensive service along with our free 2-year Driver warranty that comes as standard on every eligible vehicle, offers peace of mind that your next car will be working as it should. So of course, you could just buy your next car from an award-winning, quality used car dealership like Just Nice Clean Cars as we service and MOT every vehicle before you drive it away.  

And don’t forget, the summer heat can be just as hard on cars as the chill of winter, so make sure you know what the most common causes of summer breakdowns are and how to avoid them – maybe that will be our next blog.

If you’d like to book your car for its service at our Warwick car dealership and service centre on Millers Road, you can call, email or book online:

01926 836900

service@justnicecleancars.co.uk

https://www.justnicecleancars.co.uk/book-a-service/