Motorists Facing ‘Trade or Upgrade’ Dilemma, Says Kwik-Fit

We’re all familiar with the ‘move or improve’ dilemma – where homeowners weigh up the cost benefits of moving home versus making home improvements. But new research from Kwik-Fit shows that, with money tight and new car sales down, more motorists are facing a similar conundrum in deciding whether to ‘trade or upgrade’ their car. The company’s research found that some 6.4 million motorists aim to make a number of upgrades to their existing vehicle over the next 12 months, in order to make it look and feel more like new.

But just what are these upgraders looking to do to rekindle the excitement of a new car on a shoestring? Kwik-Fit has revealed the top five tricks motorists are using to help fall back in love with their existing car:

Regular servicing: It sounds obvious, but the most popular trick – cited by 89 per cent of upgraders – was simply to get their car regularly serviced. And they’re right. Getting your car serviced regularly will improve its performance significantly. Indeed rolling road tests pre and post service can often show a dramatic increase in bhp achieved by a car. Kwik-Fit adds that its servicing starts from £79 if booked online at www.kwik-fit.com

Fit alloy wheels: The second most popular option – and planned by 17 per cent of upgraders – is to fit new alloy wheels. This will instantly improve your car’s appearance and may make your car easier to sell and increase the residual value of your car – which in turn could offset the cost of buying alloy wheels. Kwik-Fit reports that it offers a range of alloy wheels at www.kwik-fit.com

Recharge your air conditioning unit – some 16 per cent of upgraders say they will restore the internal comfort of their car by having their air conditioning unit recharged. Many people may not realise that, in order to work efficiently, air-cons should be recharged every two years. As well as enabling those inside the car to stay cool, calm and collected, a fully charged air con also burns less fuel – enabling motorists to save at the pump and reduce carbon emissions too. Kwik-Fit’s money back guaranteed air conditioning recharge service costs £44.95.

Fit a SatNav – more and more new cars come with SatNav as standard fit and 15 per cent of upgraders recognise that fitting a portable SatNav to their car will not only add a bit of new car panache to their dash, but also make sure they never get lost again. Kwik-Fit says the company now offers a range of portable SatNavs both in centre and on online at www.kwik-fit.com

Fit a high performance exhaust – people looking to upgrade their car’s performance usually opt for a performance exhaust. And that’s where eight per cent of upgraders plan to start. These improve the airflow through your engine’s cylinder head, allowing the spent combustion gases to clear the outlet chamber faster. With a wider exit port releasing the spent gases, the increase in engine efficiency increases the bhp output giving your car a performance boost you can often feel at the accelerator pedal. Luckily, Kwik-Fit supply and fit high performance Janspeed exhaust systems; see www.janspeedatkwikfit.co.uk for more details.

“The credit crunch has extinguished many motorists’ plans to buy a new car in the next 12 months, instead they’re having to keep hold of their car longer than normal,” commented David White, customer services director at Kwik-Fit. “But it needn’t be all doom and gloom. There are many ways that motorists can upgrade their vehicle to make it feel like new, and at the same time increase the residual value when they eventually sell it on.

“Simple steps like regular servicing, recharging the air con, and fitting a better exhaust can totally alter a car’s performance and comfort,” he added. “Add on some smart alloys and a mod con like a SatNav and motorists will feel like they have a brand new car for a fraction of the expense.”