New research suggests that older is wider when to car maintenance, with half of young people unaware of how to perform the most basic checks on their car.
A study of 2000 drivers commissioned by Continental Tyres, revealed that half of 18-24 year-olds wouldn’t know how to check oil levels or tyre pressures on their car. Similarly, just 56 per cent of young drivers in this age group would be comfortable topping up their screen wash, and a mere 19 per cent said they would be happy to fit a spare wheel.
In contrast, some 45 per cent of those over 55 would tackle changing a wheel, with older motorists more than three times more likely to replace a dodgy bulb, and twice as likely to change windscreen wiper blades as their younger counterparts. In perhaps the biggest clue to changing motoring habits, just one in 10 drivers aged 18-24 would feel very confident navigating using a paper map, whilst 55 per cent of older car owners would confident doing so.
Eight in 10 young drivers recognise they could save money by mastering routine maintenance and 62 per cent said they would feel good about being able to do more. What’s more, they recognise their failings, with over 80 per cent believing their parents more able than they were at car maintenance. Surprisingly though, even half of those aged over 55 said their parents would be better equipped than they are, indicating that home maintenance might be a dying art – hardly ideal with MoT exemption for historic vehicles over 40 years old having been justified on the basis that they are generally well maintained.
