Media Release
26 July 2011

50 percent of drivers fail to service their vehicles

The results of a survey that looked at the vehicle servicing habits of New Zealand drivers, just released by the Motor Trade Association (MTA), showed that more than half of those surveyed were failing to have their vehicles regularly serviced.

Servicing schedules are developed for each make and model of vehicle by the manufacturer to ensure optimum performance and reliability. By neglecting to have basic servicing work carried out on a regular basis, they may be missing out on the opportunity to reduce both running costs as well as emissions.

The survey of 500 vehicles was carried out in April at 25 service stations across the country and looked at a range of vehicle ownership issues, including servicing history.

Carried out by teams of MTA staff, the survey included recording the service label information in each vehicle, as well as a short series of questions that looked at who actually carried out the servicing on each individual vehicle.

Commenting, Ian Stronach, MTA Marketing and Communications General Manager described the findings as worrying. “If this level on non-service is replicated on a national basis – it’s a worry. New Zealand already has an old fleet by world standards, and it’s getting older. The level of non-service, whether through lack of knowledge or just overstating the condition of their vehicle, means owners may not just be using more fuel than is necessary, but adding to overall emission levels as well as potentially putting the safety of their vehicle at risk too. It’s compounding an already less than desirable situation”.

When asked how their vehicle was serviced, 81 percent said at a garage, with a further 16 percent claiming they serviced the vehicle themselves. Just one percent of drivers admitted having never serviced their vehicle.

Based on the service label that is usually affixed to the windscreen, only 39 percent of vehicles appeared to be up to date with their servicing.

The distance by which vehicles were beyond their scheduled service point, ranged from just a few hundred to nearly 80,000 kilometres; the most common were between 2,500 and 5,000 kilometres. On a time basis, that ranged from just a few days through to a worst case of 1,043 days; the average time being 175 days overdue.

Stronach adds “Many of the vehicles we saw were well outside the ‘oversight’ stage. Clearly there are a significant number of owners prepared to forgo regular servicing of their vehicle. It may be due to economic conditions, but failing to maintain a vehicle is never a viable long term option. Not only do owners risk compromising the reliability of their vehicle, but they often end up consuming more fuel than they otherwise would. It’s a false economy.”

Even though modern vehicles are far more durable than those of the past, they still require regular and comprehensive servicing if they are to perform to their optimum and reduce fuel consumption. On a sustained basis, a failure to service invariably leads to a vehicle failure.

ENDS

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