Have you heard of the phrase ‘Garage Anxiety’? This is a term used to describe drivers who are concerned about taking their vehicles to garages for services or repairs as they are worried about being ‘ripped off’, have a lack of trust in garages or fear a large bill they can’t afford. 

In our survey of drivers aged 17-24 years in Warwickshire, just 3% claimed they had delayed or ignored an MOT when it was required, compared to 50% who stated they had delayed or ignored a service when it was required.  The main reason given was the fear of the cost / being overcharged by the garage due to their age and inexperience.  

Maintaining your vehicle properly means you’re less likely to breakdown, receive  points and fines or be involved in a collision. 

However, many drivers avoid having vehicles serviced due to a lack of trust in garages and a fear of big bills they can’t afford.  We have teamed up with Whitmore Auto Centre, Atherstone, The Peugeot Specialists Nuneaton, Just Nice Clean Cars Warwick, and Pro Tyre to address some of these fears and encourage all drivers to maintain service schedules, get their vehicles checked when warning lights appear and to carry out their own simple maintenance checks.  

We are holding free open evenings across the county at these venues and invite drivers to come and meet the mechanics, ask questions, and have a look around. No need to book, just turn up to one of our events listed below: 

Wednesday 9 October- 5:30pm – 6:30pm- Whitmore’s Auto Centre, Atherstone, CV9 1JA

Wednesday 9 October- 5:00pm – 6:00pm- Just Nice Clean Cars, Warwick, CV34 5AE

Top Tips to help with Garage Anxiety:

• When you’re considering using a garage for a service or repairs on your vehicle, check out their reviews online. 

• See if the garage are signed up to the Motor Ombudsman or Good Garage Scheme online.

• Many garages across Warwickshire now offer payment plans so you can spread the cost across an agreed number of months. 

• Many garages in Warwickshire offer free Winter and Summer safety checks on your vehicles.