WhoCanFixMyCar.com use their data to show which cars in the UK are cheapest and most expensive to repair, on average, and how the age of the car affects things. Part 3 of 3!

1. THE
2014 WORLD CUP OF
CAR RELIABILITY
Part III: Financial Fair Play edition
WHICHNATION'SCARSGENERATETHEBIGGESTREPAIRBILLS?
Its no secret that football is a money-dominated game. Manchester City players’ average wages now top £100k per
week, contributing to the English league champions’ recent £49m fine at the hands of Fifa’s ‘Financial Fair Play’
committee.
Here at WhoCanFixMyCar.com we know that the estimated price of repairs is one of the factors that helpour users
select their preferred mechanic. But which nation’s cars generate the big bills, and which continue to give great a
great performance for less money? Read on to find out…
Europe US Rest of world
England Japan Germany USA France
Spain South Korea Italy Czech Republic
Sweden
240
214
207
204
203
193
193
192
188
171
Average repair quote in GBP Competing Nations
Our Analysts say...
Well, as nature imitates art, so motoring imitates football.
By some distance, drivers of English cars face the
highest repair quotes.
But what’s behind that trend? In truth our figures are
skewed by some fairly specialist players including Aston
Martin, Bentley and Lotus, all British. So let’s strip out
the exotica and see how they stack up in more detail.
1. "PUTTINGA SHIFTIN'-TRANSMISSION REPAIRBILLS
One of the most popular repairs on WhoCanFixMyCar, gearbox and clutch work, is a great ‘leveller’ when it comes to
typical quotes from our garages. Which nation’s cars will put the biggest strain on the chairman’s wallet?
Clutch and Gearbox repair quotes in GBP, by
nation of origin Once again its the British brands that
Our Analysts say...

2. England Germany Sweden France
Spain Czech Republic Italy
426
403
385
324
307
293
292
Ford
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
nation of origin
Once again its the British brands that
command the financial premium, followed by
the Germans, with the straight-talking
Southern European marques prompting the
lowest repair quotes from our expert
mechanics.
Spain England Germany Italy
Czech Republic South Korea
191
169
167
127
120
116
2. "HE'SREALLYBLOWING..." -EXHAUSTAND BRAKEREPAIRS
Like clutches, exhausts and brake components are designed to be replaced as a car gets older - and with the average
car passing through our site around 8 years old, we get plenty of data on these repairs too. How do our nations fare?
Ford
Agricultural Bank ofChina
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
Brake and Exhaust repair quotes in GBP, by nation of
origin
Perhaps surprisingly, the Spanish SEATs come
out highest here - but that’s something of
anomaly - overall they do well.
The next-dearest are the usual suspects,
English and German brands, with Fiat and
Skoda repairs a few £ more expensive than
the winners, South Korean KIAs and
Hyundais.
Our Analysts say...
195
240
3. BIGGERBILLS,BIGGERTHRILLS?
Its well known that as footballers reach their thirties, they’ll negotiate a lucrative final contract. Simply put,
they get paid more to do what they do, even though they may be past their peak. How does that translate on
our roads? How does the age of cars on WhoCanFixMyCar.com affect garages’ quotes?
Ford
BMW
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
Average Repair Quote by Vehicle Age
(0 - 17 yrs) Fascinatingly, running costs peak at 7 years old. Is it
simply that older cars are easier to fix? Not quite:
Drivers of older cars may have a make-do-and-mend
attitude, repairing only the essentials. Plus older cars may
cover less miles, and basic servicing and MOTs will make
up a proportionally-higher share of the bill, with big-
Our Analysts say...

3. 150
195
Avg quote
Agricultural Bank ofChina
BMWup a proportionally-higher share of the bill, with big-
ticket repairs occurring less often. Let’s dive in to the
detail.
250
375
500
Avg quote
4. CAN OLDERCARSSTILLPUTA SHIFTIN?
Ford
BMW
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
Average Clutch/Gearbox Repair Quote by Vehicle
Age (0 - 17 yrs)
Well… yes they can. Fascinatingly
clutch and gearbox repair costs
peak amongst 3 to 7 year old
cars, gradually declining thereafter.
Why? It seems our mechanics are
simply able to quote lower prices -
either due to cheaper parts, less
labour, or both.
Our Analysts say...
90
145
200
Avg quote
5. EXHAUSTAND BRAKEREPAIRSREVISITED
Ford
Agricultural Bank ofChina
BMW
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
Average Brake/Exhaust Repair Quote by Vehicle
Age (0 - 17 yrs) Well, the pattern’s not quite as pronounced. But
there’s still a definite peak around 9 years old,
after which garages’ prices start to decline -
presumably for the same reason.
Moreover the patterns are the same for both
brake and exhaust repair / replacement -
further reinforcing the point that our garages
simply seem able to replace wear parts on
older cars for less.
Our Analysts say...
If older cars’ transmissions are cheaper to repair, what about the other main wear parts - do they follow the same pattern?
5. TROUBLEIN THEENGINEROOM?
So, in conclusion: hang onto your car and you’re bound to save money, right? Well, not necessarily...

4. 130
190
250
Avg quote
Ford
VW
Peugeot
Renault
Vauxhall
Average Engine/ECU/Cambelt Repair Quote by Vehicle
Age (0 - 17 yrs) Aside from higher fuel consumption and
road tax, plus the occasional big bill such
as rust repair, keeping a car’s engine in
good condition is clearly essential to
keeping an older car on the road - and
its here that bills do seem to rise with
age. Smoothing out our data, owners of
13-year-old cars can expect to pay most
for engine work.
Our Analysts say...
Next time we’ll pick our best and worst teams: the cars that’ll take you all the way without breaking the bank… and
those that won’t. Stay tuned!
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