UK motor factors Halfords are running adverts for their new “We Fit” service and I absolutely hate them. There’s one common message – that even the most basic of car maintenance tasks is beyond the ability of the average motorist. This annoys me intensely because I firmly believe that every motorist should be capable of such simple tasks as changing bulbs and windscreen wipers – it’s part of understanding the vehicle that you’re driving. What’s more these things aren’t difficult. They require very little actual skill, just care and attention to detail.
However there’s a calmer part of my mind that says these adverts are actually good. I’ve seen the results when people thought they knew what they doing too many times and some of them have been pretty horrendous. Now I know that large chains don’t have best reputation for quality of workmanship but I’d still rather that vehicles using our highways were maintained by someone who’d had some form of training. That way there’s slightly more chance that the oncoming light in the freezing fog is actually a motorcyclist, not a car with only one light working.
I think everyone should be able to perform basic maintenance on the car they drive. The ability to change bulbs, fluids, wipers and wheels all have an impact on an individuals safety on the road and that of those around them. Of course there are those jobs that should only be undertaken if you know what you’re doing. I think a “We teach” service would be a better idea. Teaching road users how to do simple maintenance instead of doing it for them could help more in the long run.