MECHANICS are reporting a sharp decline in service bookings as cost-of-living pressures and recent spikes in fuel prices force drivers to put off vehicle maintenance.<\/p>\n
The trend is raising safety concerns, with workshops across the region seeing fewer bookings, more no-shows and increasing reluctance to proceed with recommended repairs.<\/p>\n
JJ’s Garage owner Jack Giddings said the pattern was being felt across the industry.<\/p>\n
“We generally have had a downturn in customers reaching out,” Giddings said.<\/p>\n
“Even ones that do come in for their appointments, we find that when things become a little bit more of a struggle out there, customers don’t want to do any of the extra work to their cars like preventative maintenance.”<\/p>\n
Though it can be tempting to push back car servicing and maintenance, it can lead to unsafe vehicles.<\/p>\n
Giddings said people were often unaware of how worn parts of their car had become because many issues were not visible without a professional inspection.<\/p>\n
“One little knock might sound like it’s not too scary, but when we have it up on the hoist and we start having a look, it could mean that one of your suspension components are literally on the verge of falling out,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It definitely can cause massive problems down the line.”<\/p>\n
Under-maintained vehicles can pose a risk not only to drivers, but to other road users as well.<\/p>\n
Giddings said cars do not need to be in perfect condition when on the road, but they do need to be safe.<\/p>\n
While some repairs can safely be delayed, he said four areas should never be ignored: brakes, tyres, suspension and steering components.<\/p>\n
“We don’t care how well the car drives forward,” Giddings said. “Mainly, we want to make sure that the car is going to drive where you want it to go and that it’s not going to just suddenly stop.”<\/p>\n
Balancing being a business owner and respecting the financial constraints of his customers is important.<\/p>\n
Giddings said most mechanics understood the financial pressures facing customers and would be upfront about what needed immediate attention and what could wait.<\/p>\n
Even his own car is not perfect.<\/p>\n
“My own car is certainly not the most perfect car on the road and that’s the human side of me,” Giddings said.<\/p>\n
“I know that it’s going to be fine, so things like that where we can save our customers a little bit of money, we will say, ‘Hey, technically this isn’t right, but it’s still going to last you a while’.”<\/p>\n
Giddings also encouraged people to feel confident asking questions about the concerns raised by their mechanics.<\/p>\n
A better understanding of the issues can help drivers make more informed decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MECHANICS are reporting a sharp decline in service bookings as cost-of-living pressures and recent spikes in fuel prices force drivers to put off vehicle maintenance. The trend is raising safety concerns, with workshops across the region seeing fewer bookings, more no-shows and increasing reluctance to proceed with recommended repairs. JJ’s Garage owner Jack Giddings said […]<\/p>\n