On my way home last night, I found myself travelling behind a car with terminal flumes of blue smoke emerging from the exhaust. Fighting my way through the nauseous fug, it occurred to me that this is the third time in recent weeks I’ve observed the final dying moments of a hitherto perfectly healthy looking car.
At the risk of sounding like an old man who comments that “policeman all seem young these days” this feels like the return of a phenomenon I remember from my younger years, but hadn’t really seen in recent times.
Is this further evidence of a country in recession? Often, simple maintenance is all it takes to keep a car running indefinitely. Most are designed to last well beyond 100,000 miles, and a quality car would be designed with at least 200,000 miles in mind.
One theory is that some drivers are delaying services on their car, or postponing necessary repairs in an attempt to reduce costs. Recent research claims that 28% of drivers would delay car maintenance to save money.
Clearly, there are times when this is sensible. But retiring at the side of the road with a blown engine is hideously expensive and definitely a false economy.
The best course of action is to take proper advice from whoever looks after your car. Many main dealers, Poole Audi included, will do a full safety check on your car free of charge, and report back any recommendations. When you have a service, a multitude of checks will be completed, by technicians who are familiar with your car and know the warning signs to look out for.
When those recommendations are reported back to you, do give them serious consideration. If you aim to keep to a budget, ask which items need attention most urgently. At Poole Audi you can talk direct with the technician who worked on your car – we even have a ramp where we can show you the car up in the air and show you what we have found. Many switched-on dealers will do the same.
We work with great cars – let’s work together and keep them on the road!
