The DIY car repair capital of the UK has been revealed, with research by eBay crowning Bangor in North Wales as the area where most drivers attempt to fix cars themselves.
When comparing the number of buyers for car parts with the size of local populations, the town emerged as the epicentre of car tinkering and home fixing, with more than 30% of inhabitants having purchased a part for their car last year. The Welsh town is followed in the standings by Barnstaple, in North Devon, and Boston, in Lincolnshire.
Tying in with the launch of Pimp My Ride by MTV UK and eBay earlier this year, the online auction site highlighted that 69% of drivers were planning to fit parts and accessories themselves, up from 52% in 2015. A total of 1,919 buyers took part in the survey.
The rest of the DIY car repair top ten included:
| Rank | City / Town |
| 1 | Bangor |
| 2 | Barnstaple |
| 3 | Boston |
| 4 | Aldershot |
| 5 | Banbury |
| 6 | Bridgewater |
| 7 | Abingdon |
| 8 | Andover |
| 9 | Durham |
| 10 | Aylesbury |
According to the research, exterior parts and accessories proved most popular, with windscreen wipers and washers the most wanted items followed by side view mirrors and doors, with boot lids and hatches third in the list.
Behind exterior parts and accessories, wheels, tyres and related parts were the second most in-demand parts, closely followed by interior parts and accessories, with floor mats, carpets and boot liners, switches and controls and seat-related items most popular, here, respectively.
eBay Automotive also recently revealed that more drivers are looking to purchased recycled car parts, as sustainability awareness also increases.
Likely increase in DIY car repair attempts
DIY car repair can allow drivers to save money on servicing, and those who are competent and understand the mechanics of their vehicle can certainly do so. However, proper maintenance on safety critical parts is strongly advised, while a bodged repair, or fitting of an incorrect part, can lead to greater costs.
More and more motorists are delaying essential repairs in order to save money as energy and food bills rise. This is more likely to continue through these winter months, as Christmas approaches, and colder weather arrives. Therefore, DIY car repair is a trend that could also continue to increase. While garages cannot stop drivers doing maintenance work themselves, they can educate on the importance of work being done properly.
Therefore, garages in the areas where eBay has highlighted a majority of DIY work takes place should plan for such education, especially during the busy MOT season.
“An increasing number of motorists are looking to do a degree of DIY on their own cars at home, in addition to the car enthusiasts who have always used eBay to seek out rare or unusual parts,” said Dr Tony Tong, Head of Automotive at eBay UK. “The appeal of finding a great value product and the satisfaction of fitting it yourself is clearly prompting a growing number of motorists to roll their sleeves up and carry out basic tasks.”
