A sign of the times

[Nemo]

Just realized that one of our car's MOT runs out tomorrow, it also needs a service and the air conditioning needs attention.

Rang the garage where we have gone for years and was surprised that he will collect the car and do everything tomorrow - I was expecting some time in the middle of next week as he's usually busy. I recently read that people were not having their cars serviced as often as they should and this seems the case here.

I was wondering about electric cars - will these require as much work or servicing as diesel or petrol? Anyone seen any costings on this - savings or otherwise? I also wondered about the annual cost of saving for a replacement battery.

I retired last year as a Chartered Accountant and am obviously missing part of my job

[Gerry557]

You would think there would be less to service but that doesn't seem to be a design priority these days.

Even simple tasks such as changing a filiment can often require partial dismantle of thinks around the area just to gain access. LEDs should last longer but then if there is a problem it's not minor anymore.

I suppose with more people struggling car services might be stretched time wise but overall less often for the garage.

I saw a photo of electric cars being buried as the batteries were not cost effective to replace. I think it was in France. I can't remember make or model. Hopefully this will reduce as better technology in batteries is forthcoming.

It might be too early for a trend and it might depend on how charging is done. More quick charges might be bad er

[bungeejumper]

Well, I'm doing a much lower mileage these days, but that's because I'm retired. Others might be working from home or cutting back to just one car for the whole household? It'll all be impacting on the garage's bottom line. My local independent says he's trying to sell up at the moment but he's not receiving any sensible offers.

I don't think all garages are confident about handling EVs, or that the smaller ones have the necessary equipment and training. And I can understand that, because I believe there are some EV things that even roadside breakdown mechanics won't handle? That'll presumably have to change if they're going to stay in business.

I saw a photo of electric cars being buried as the batteries were not cost effective to replace. I think it was in France. I can't remember make or model.

Actually I think the French story might have been a Snopesian special. https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/fact ... 938854002/ Most likely to have been taken in China, which is certainly what the blogger who first posted the photo says.

TBH, I can't imagine that it's ever really a good idea to bury an electric car (though I'm always happy to be corrected). Those buried batteries are going to do something pretty bad sooner or later, such as catching fire - unless they're non-lithium of course. But it must surely make all-round economic and environmental sense to strip and recycle?

BJ

[Nemo]

I don't think all garages are confident about handling EVs, or that the smaller ones have the necessary equipment and training. And I can understand that, because I believe there are some EV things that even roadside breakdown mechanics won't handle? That'll presumably have to change if they're going to stay in business.

I've heard of that and it surprises me. WAsn't one of the selling points of EV their simplicity compared the petrol/diesel vehicles?

My view on EV is that they'll get it right one day, although I will probably never see it

If I was back at university I would be looking to do a paper on the economic revolution that EVs will bring to the motor trade on the high street, something that I can't find much out about at the moment. I came across this which is quite interesting:

CAR servicing garages will change almost beyond recognition over the next 30 years and will be “more akin to a laboratory than a workshop”, according to a group of experts.

In three decades’ time, car service stations will be ultra-clean environments crammed with incredibly advanced tech, such as augmented reality interfaces, robotic assistants, on-site 3D printers and high power density laser welding systems, says the Direct Line insurance group, based on feedback from vehicle safety body Thatcham Research and the Women’s Engineering Society.

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/car-repa ... hing-like/

[Alaric]

Just realized that one of our car's MOT runs out tomorrow, it also needs a service and the air conditioning needs attention.

Rang the garage where we have gone for years and was surprised that he will collect the car and do everything tomorrow - I was expecting some time in the middle of next week as he's usually busy. I recently read that people were not having their cars serviced as often as they should and this seems the case here.

There also ought to be the COVID effect. In 2020 MOTs were suspended for a few months.. There would have been a catch up peak for testing when it resumed in July, August and September which you might expect to echo into future years.

[Nemo]

EV v petrol/diesel - from the AA's site:

Are electric cars cheaper to maintain?

Electric cars can often cost less to maintain in the long run. A study in 2018 found that EVs cost 23% less to run than petrol vehicles on average. The study was run by automotive data experts Cap HPI and looked at data over a 3-year/100,000 km period.

You should use the manufacturer recommended tyre specifications with an EV to avoid accelerated tyre wear. Parts, like the braking system, will last longer because of innovations such as regenerative braking.

https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/el ... aintenance

The AA also seems to be selling electric car breakdown cover seperately from petrol/diesel cover.