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Motorists don’t know their dipsticks from their coolant

1st September 2014 Print

Only a minority of motorists now know all the main components under their car bonnet and many drivers are stumped before they’ve even got the bonnet open.

As part of a study commissioned by LV= Road Rescue, researchers undertook a roadside assessment and asked drivers to open their car bonnet to identify the seven main car parts underneath. However, many fell at the first hurdle with one in eight (12%) drivers unable to open their own car bonnet.

Despite both old and new cars requiring regular maintenance many drivers struggle to identify the key car parts involved in car maintenance. Over a third of drivers (36%) could not correctly identify where to put the brake fluid, while a quarter (25%) couldn’t find the engine coolant and 10% were unable to pinpoint the oil filler cap. Even the more simple car parts confused a number of motorists, with some unable to identify the oil dipstick (7%) or car battery (7%).

When shown photographs of key components found under the bonnet of an average car, one in six (16%) drivers were unable to identify a single car part correctly. Most drivers struggled to name the brake fluid (79%), engine coolant (70%) or the oil dipstick (54%). The only parts that more than half of motorists could correctly pinpoint were the windscreen washer reservoir (52% could name it); the oil filler cap (61%) and the bonnet catch itself (63%).

Carrying out basic checks is essential for maintaining a car and in 2003 a new ‘Show Me, Tell Me’ element was added to the practical driving test to help drivers learn the basics needed to maintain their vehicles. Despite this, those who took their test before the ‘Show Me Tell Me’ element was introduced scored more highly on identifying six out of seven car parts than those who took it afterwards.

The problem is being exacerbated by the fact that the look and location of car parts can vary greatly between car manufacturers and models. LV= Road Rescue compared 16 of the most popular makes of car in the UK and found that only the car battery and brake fluid are located in similar places. The engine oil filler cap, oil dipstick, engine coolant, and windscreen washer cap varied in position significantly. This makes it difficult for motorists who change their car every few years to know where to look for the key car parts under their bonnet.

This lack of car knowledge means that a large proportion of motorists are not carrying out the basic maintenance required on their vehicle. Two fifths of motorists (40%) confess that they don’t do any checks on a regular basis, which can lead to car damage or a breakdown. Experts at LV= Road Rescue advise that not maintaining a car properly, for example by running an engine without coolant, can lead to problems that can cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds to fix.

Peter Horton, Managing Director of LV= Road Rescue, comments: “Regular car maintenance is crucial, whether your car is old or new. Looking after your car will prolong the time you get to enjoy it and will help prevent expensive car repair bills. Checking your oil level is one of the most important things you can do to extend the life of your engine – so get to know where to put the oil in your car and don’t wait for a warning light to come on.”

For further details, log on to lv.com/breakdown-cover.