Virtually six in 10 drivers say they’re hit with shock restore prices for his or her automobile yearly, sometimes forking out £617.
Greater than a 3rd (37%) of these dealing with these repairs mentioned they skilled monetary problem in paying for them.
Tyres high the record of surprising motoring prices (64%), adopted by brake repairs on 24%.
An extra fifth (21%) had been seemingly victims of Britain’s poor street surfaces as they needed to pay out for brand new suspension components comparable to shock absorbers and comes. For vehicles between three and 10 years outdated, this determine was dramatically greater at 30%.
The following commonest surprising prices had been getting new exterior lights fitted (15%), repairing bodywork harm comparable to dents and scrapes (14%) and having to interchange defective or worn-out 12-volt batteries.
“Surprising automobile repairs are one thing each driver dreads,” mentioned Paul Coward, chief government of the RAC’s service, upkeep and restore division.
“That is much more the case for the estimated third of drivers who discover it laborious to cowl these prices.
“What’s extra, we all know from long-term RAC analysis that eight-in-10 folks rely upon their vehicles, so any time a car is off the street it may well trigger large issues.
“Our patrols are consultants at coming to drivers’ rescue when issues go incorrect, however not even they will repair each automobile.
“Now, with our rising nationwide workforce of RAC Cell Mechanics we are able to get a large variety of repairs performed at houses and workplaces.
“An RAC patrol merely tows a broken-down car to the member’s residence, then books a handy time and date for a cellular mechanic colleague to hold out the mandatory restore.
“This protects the effort and time of discovering a storage that may do the restore shortly, taking away the trouble of attending to and from the storage. Helpfully, prospects are additionally capable of unfold the price of the restore over three funds through the use of Klarna.”
Finally, a well-maintained car is much much less more likely to break down and end in expensive surprising repairs.
Common servicing is essential, in addition to making certain any advisories within the MOT are addressed earlier than they develop into unlawful or go incorrect.