Drivers are spending more and more money on maintaining and repairing their car. In 2023, these expenditures even increased by 10 percent compared to the previous year. The trend from 2022 is continuing. Customers of independent workshops, who have already visited their "their workshop" eight times on average, are particularly loyal. At the same time, the proportion of do-it-yourself repairs in Germany fell to less than ten percent last year and remains a marginal segment.
These results come from the study "Service potential 2023 - Maintenance and repair of cars and LCV" from the Cologne management consultancy BBE Automotive. A total of 8,000 maintenance managers were surveyed for the study. Overall, the costs for maintenance and repair amount to 27.5 billion euros (incl. VAT), not including vehicles involved in accidents, in 2023. A total of around 40,000 workshops (approx. 14,000 contract workshops and 27,000 independent workshops) in Germany are benefitting from this. This does not take into account the costs of accident repairs and other expenses relating to cars (tyres, rims, tyre changes, etc.).
Independent workshops have a market share of around 54 percent, and they primarily repair and maintain older vehicles. The contracted workshops reach around 43 percent and mainly carry out repair and maintenance on more modern vehicles, particularly those that are still covered under warranty.
Fewer and fewer Germans are repairing their own car
Do-it-yourself car repairs were still commonplace a few decades ago, but are now becoming rarer and fell to a share of less than ten percent last year. Almost all repair cases are now carried out in the workshop. Despite the fact that there are video tutorials and instructions on the Internet for almost every repair and it seems to be easier than ever to carry out a repair yourself. DIY repairs were often the preferred choice to save time and money. But most vehicle owners don't or no longer trust themselves and prefer to put their vehicle into professional hands. Independent workshops in particular are the popular choice here. Another reason, however, is certainly the fact that the technology and components in modern cars are becoming increasingly complex and it's practically impossible to carry out repairs yourself. The increasing networking of vehicles is also playing a role.
Minor repairs that can usually be carried out by laymen:
Tyre changes
In some cases and with a little manual skill, changing tyres on your own is usually possible without any problems, but not always. If an active tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is installed, it must be recalibrated after changing the tyre. A visit to the workshop is also essential if the tyres have to be balanced.
Replacing the car battery
A battery change can sometimes be carried out yourself and with relatively little effort. However, if your car already has a battery management system as an interface between the vehicle and the electronic components installed in the battery, a visit to the workshop is also necessary here. The window controls or the electronic ignition key sometimes have to be reprogrammed after changing the battery.
Changing the oil and oil filter
Changing the oil and oil filter is also one of the simpler repairs, but is also very important. An oil change should never be put off, as a missed oil change can have expensive consequences and damage the engine. It is important that the correct oil is used for the relevant engine and a new seal ring is also inserted. It must also be ensured that the used oil is then properly disposed of.
Replacing pollen and cabin filters
This is also not a major challenge in many cases. It depends on the car brand and model, because sometimes the change is carried out in a few steps, but sometimes the filters are "installed" in a way that makes the change a bit more time-consuming. It is worth doing a little research beforehand so that you know what you're in for.
Note: Please do not carry out any safety-related repairs yourself. Always consult a specialist workshop!