With more people holding on to their cars to save money, the focus has switched to getting a steer on how much repairs and servicing costs

MODERN CARS are so highly evolved that it’s almost impossible for most of us to work out the cause of that not-quite-right sound the engine starts to make all of a sudden unless, when we lift the bonnet, we find a snooker ball rattling around inside. In the unlikely event of finding a snooker ball, we can’t tell if the problem is going to cost €150 or €1,500 to fix.

Sometimes it can cost both. Earlier this month, a reader from the west of Ireland noticed a “dull clunking” sound from her engine. She brought it to a local garage where a mechanic diagnosed a dodgy gasket. He said he could fix it for €150 and confidently said she’d get another year out of it before it would have to be replaced.

Three days after she collected the car, the clunking noise returned, only louder. Another visit to the mechanic and she was told that the gasket had blown sooner than expected so she’d have to get it replaced, at a cost of €1,500. He suggested she might be better buying a new car to replace her 2002 Rover and, with a broad sweep of his arm, showed her all the newer models gathering dust on his forecourt.

Not having €1,500 to repair her car, never mind the price of a new one, she did what most of us would do – parked it in her drive and worried. Two weeks passed before she met a neighbour who spoke highly of a different mechanic. The helpful neighbour advised her to drop the car into him. Result? The gasket was replaced for €400.

Alan Nolan of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) sighs when he hears the story. He says rogue traders not only “blacken their own names, they blacken the name of the industry” but insists such stories are the exception rather than the rule.

Conor Faughnan of the AA agrees. “It really is a caveat emptor situation. There are rogue traders out there, certainly, but they do a great disservice to all the decent dealers.” He says people should only use large dealers, SIMI-registered companies or ones approved by the AA, and advises people to go online to search blogs and bulletin boards for similar problems to get a steer on how much it should cost to resolve a problem.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) is not convinced that the number of dodgy dealers in the world of car dealerships is that small and this summer it reported an upsurge in complaints about car sales, repairs and spare parts.

It says that 330 motorists had complained to them in the first six months of the year about garages carrying out repair work without their permission, bills being higher than the original quote, faults recurring or repairs not being carried out to their satisfaction.

In all, more than 3,300 consumers have contacted the NCA with car-related queries. The numbers getting in touch have grown in tandem with the increase in the number of people deciding to hold on to their cars instead of trading-in for newer models.

The NCA warns against using businesses or mechanics who deal exclusively in cash and operate without a fixed premises. Motorists should get a quote beforehand and never settle for a “guesstimate”.

“Make sure you are clear in instructing your mechanic not to do any additional work on the car without consulting you and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion if you think some work may be unnecessary or if the price quoted strikes you as high,” says NCA chief executive Ann Fitzgerald.

“There are some good stories too,” Faughnan insists. “Right now some dealers are offering a full service for €150 as evidence mounts that the trade is starting to compete hard for people’s business.”

Nolan says: “Services have never been better value. Because new car sales are down so much, dealers have switched their focus to servicing.”

SIMI recently launched its Safe Car Campaign offering motorists a visual car check, free of charge, at participating dealerships for the next five weeks. The campaign is trying to highlight the importance of regular servicing. The visual check sheet which garages will provide to the customer on completion of the check includes tyres, brakes, suspension, steering, levels, battery and hoses, interior controls, lights and exhaust.

“By getting your car regularly serviced, you improve the safety of your vehicle and prevent the need for potentially costly repairs. Your car is an asset that needs to be looked after on a regular basis. Therefore, by looking after your car now, when you do decide to trade in your car, you will improve the trade in value,” says Nolan.

He adds that, until very recently, Irish people have been content to spend money on new cars but less inclined to spend on servicing as they don’t see the value. With new car sales having fallen off a cliff in the last year, the emphasis has switched to making what you have last as long as you can.

The cheap deals offering complete services for €99 are well and good but there is a danger that what is happening is that the garages are using old-fashioned marketing tricks to get people through their doors after which they hope to find problems which they can fix at higher prices.

“The customers should always know what they are getting,” Nolan says. “If a customer leaves a car in for a service or oil, then no-one should start spending their money on other things without asking them first.”