Garage no more - clutter leaves car on the street
Despite the fact that the junk in our garage is worth only a quarter of the value of our car, we have all but abandoned using garages as a place to park a vehicle according to new research from Continental Tyres.
Fewer than one in three motorists ever use the space as intended, despite their motor being worth on average £11,157 – four times the value of the £2,808 cost of the accumulated boxes, the lawnmower, tins of paint and camping gear.
With a dictionary definition of ‘a building to house a motor vehicle’ our busy lives and changing habits has meant garages are no longer fit for keeping cars in according to the study by Continental Tyres.
Tools top the list of stuff that now find home in the garage, followed by tins of paint, DIY paraphernalia, a lawnmower and bicycles in the poll of 2,000 drivers with garages.
Three in ten of us would still rather store unwanted boxes from when we moved than make room for the car.
Tim Bailey, spokesman for Continental Tyres said: “The garage has become an extra room for the house, yet we lose sight of the value in terms of secure parking and the chance to do important, yet simple checks on our vehicle.
“With the car on the street we shun routine checks on tyre pressure, oil and water levels yet a few minutes a week on these will improve road safety, save money on fuel and reduce maintenance costs.”
More than a third of the space in the average garage is taken up with a random collection of items and the overspill from the house prompting a quarter of people to clearout the clutter once a year.
Nearly one in five frustrated motorists has stopped parking in the garage in the last ten years as the accumulation of arbitrary accessories makes the space inaccessible for cars.
Tim Bailey for Continental Tyres added: “It is a generational thing, 40 per cent of us remember our father doing routine car maintenance in the garage, yet we don’t.
“It means we understand less about the workings and safety considerations of a car and that impacts our safety and our cost of motoring increases as we fail to do simple things for ourselves.”
Around half of us would like to convert the garage into another room for the house, though three in ten of those that would cannot face the thought of clearing out the space to do it.
One in ten motorists now resort to doing routine maintenance on petrol station forecourts or in deserted car parks as result of not having the garage space at home.
Top 10 things people store in their garage:
1. Tools and garden equipment
2. Paint and varnish
3. DIY paraphernalia
4. Lawnmower/strimmer
5. Bicycles
6. Garden furniture
7. Fridge/freezer
8. Unwanted boxes from last house move
9. Sports equipment (tennis rackets, surf boards, skis, etc.)
10. Gym/fitness equipment
