• MotorEasy finds a third of drivers open their car bonnets less than four times a year
• Technology-laden connected cars make DIY almost impossible
• But technology can give drivers more control over vehicle health

The days of oily hands and the smell of Swarfega in the kitchen are numbered as driveway DIY dwindles, according to car ownership and maintenance start-up MotorEasy.

A third* of motorists reach for the bonnet catch fewer than four times a year, while 62 per cent leave the engine bay untouched for more than two months at a time.

Female motorists are less likely to attempt car maintenance than male drivers who, on average, lift the bonnet 4.8 and 6.8* times respectively on an annual basis.

While the MotorEasy study suggests enthusiasm for driveway DIY is dying, it could be that technology, rather than apathy, is to blame.

Technology-laden connected cars force drivers to think twice before attempting vehicle maintenance and rightly so, as specialist tools and diagnostics equipment are essential for identifying faults and carrying out repairs.

MotorEasy’s concierge-like service takes away the need for today’s time-poor motorists to get ‘under the hood’. It takes care of all service, repair and maintenance procedures via members’ own personal account area and even negotiates on their behalf when it comes to labour and parts costs.

However, drivers will still be able to play their part in future. Enabling motorists to take control of the condition of their vehicles, MotorEasy is set, next month, to introduce a world-first warranty-linked ‘health monitor’ for their cars.

Duncan McClure Fisher, MotorEasy founder, said: “While DIY maintenance might be the domain of classic car owners and the determined few, it is clear that the service, repair and maintenance industry is changing fast.

“We always recommend that drivers carry out essential basic safety checks like tyre pressures and windscreen washer fluid levels but, from next month we should be able to empower drivers in a completely different way.”

Innovative automotive firm, MotorEasy, has a nationwide network of 10,000 garages, to which customers can be connected via the website or by telephone.

The company’s service can arrange for any work required to be carried out at a conveniently local workshop or customers can arrange for their car to be picked up from their home or workplace and returned after repairs.

For more information about the personal account area each MotorEasy customer is given to help manage their motoring, visit: https://www.motoreasy.com/magazine/34/Your-account-the-home-of-car-ownership-maintenance

For more information about MotorEasy, visit: www.MotorEasy.com.