Don’t be a DIPSTIC!

In hot pursuit…..of careless vehicle maintenance. According to Kwik-Fit, millions of UK motorists are at risk of being a DIPSTIC. Mind you, when the fast fit giant says this it isn’t doling out the harmless insult made popular by Hazzard County sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane – it means each of these road users is potentially a Driver In Poor State To Inspect Cars. Strong words indeed, but Kwik-Fit has survey results to back its claim.

Kwik-Fit’s research found that 13.5 million (40 per cent) UK motorists are unable to check and refill coolant levels, 20 per cent said the same of oil, and 21 per cent admitted that they were unable to check their car tyre pressures. Even more concerning is that one fifth (21 per cent) of motorists are unable to top up screen wash levels and, incredibly, nearly one in 10 (8 per cent) motorists has no idea how to even open their car’s bonnet.

As many as 40 per cent of motorists admitted that their car maintenance skills were poor or below average, perhaps hoping that the higher quality of modern cars would mean that they don’t need to do anything to keep safe on the road. Worryingly, as many as 7 per cent believe that modern cars don’t require car maintenance, a figure that increases to 11 per cent amongst drivers who are on the road more than three hours a day. And 9 per cent of motorists said that they were just too busy to master the basics of maintaining a car.

As cars become more complex and our lives become busier there is no surprise that the chance of motorists being in a poor state to inspect their car is so high. However, this winter help for the potential DIPSTIC is at hand. David White, customer services director at Kwik-Fit, commented: “Car maintenance should never be overlooked, especially at this time of year. We urge motorists to take just one hour out to get to know their car or if they can’t spare the time or are unsure about where to start bring it down to us and we will look at it for them. With winter approaching it’s even more important for cars to be in tip-top condition, as they will have to deal with trickier road conditions where poor maintenance can have serious consequences.

“Anyone who is unsure on how to check their basic car maintenance should pop into their local Kwik-Fit where our qualified mechanics will undertake a free five minute tyre, oil, coolant, and screen wash check to help keep motorists safe on the roads,” White added. “We will even top up motorists’ oil at no cost.”