What’s holding vehicle owners back from repairs?

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The top reason why a vehicle owner may avoid having repair and maintenance work done on their vehicle is the cost of the work, according to a recent study.

Money was the biggest barrier among respondents to a survey performed by MarketWatch — two-thirds said a “lack of funds to pay for maintenance and care” was a reason for waiting to tackle car issues. The second most common reason in the 2023 MarketWatch Generational Car Care Survey was a “lack of knowledge or awareness of car maintenance practices” (36 per cent.)

More than three-quarters of Millennials (78 per cent) said they can’t afford their repairs, leading all age groups, followed by 68 per cent of Gen Z. Still, the majority of each age group cited cost — 61 per cent of Gen X and 57 per cent of Baby Boomers.

And where are they likely to get such services done? Boomers will most often choose a dealer (39 per cent) before an independent or small chain (37 per cent). Gen Xers are fairly evenly split between an independent (28 per cent), dealer (25 per cent) and a national chain (24 per cent). Millennials will opt for the dealer most often (34 per cent), followed by an independent (30 per cent) and national chain 17 per cent). Gen Zers were second-most likely to see an independent first (35 per cent) compared to 27 per cent who would go to the dealer first.

The overwhelming majority of respondents (91 per cent) believe they are very responsible or take care of their vehicle as best they can. About 78 per cent of them said they stick to the recommended service schedule that’s listed in their owners’ manuals.

And while 48 per cent of all respondents said they stick to the 5,000 km oil change rule of thumb, 33 per cent get their oil changed by the 8,000 km mark, which is generally the standard now recommended among automakers.

But there’s an age gap when it comes to how quickly owners will respond to an issue with their vehicle. A Baby Boomer is most likely to get it taken care of right away (69 per cent). While only 41 per cent of Gen Zers responded the same, 38 per cent of them did say they’d do it as soon as it was convenient.