belfasttelegraph

Saturday 25 May 2013

Women 'worse at car maintenance'

Women are worse than men in performing basic car maintenance tasks, according to a new survey

Women are worse than men in performing basic car maintenance tasks, according to a new survey.

As many as 12% of women never check their car's oil level, compared with just under 8% of men, the poll by online used car retailer Autoquake.com found.

Twice as many women (14%) as men (7%) admitted to never checking their tyre pressures while almost 20% of women said they never checked the tyre tread-depth.

The poll found that female drivers were also more likely than men to pay someone else to carry out basic maintenance for them.

Just over 14% of women pay to have coolant levels checked, compared with 5% of men. Also, 9% of women, but only 3% of men, pay someone else to check their washer fluid level.

Drivers from Northern Ireland take more care of their cars than most, with more than 11% checking their tyre pressures every week, compared with just 1% of drivers in south-east England.

A third of Northern Irish drivers check oil levels weekly, but only 3% of motorists in the South East do, the survey found.

Autoquake chief executive Dermot Halpin said: "We're surprised to find such differences between the sexes. Pumping up your tyres or checking the oil level doesn't require any special mechanical knowledge or muscle power, yet women drivers in particular are neglecting these basic but important checks.

"Failing to top up the car's oil level could lead to engine failure and a huge repair bill, while not checking your tyres' tread depth could mean your car is unsafe - and illegal."

A total of 1,000 people were surveyed.

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