Nearly half of motorists (47%) feel they’ve overpaid for car repairs because of confusing jargon used by mechanics.
Drivers hearing their ‘big end’ has gone or they’ve got ‘mayonnaise’ under their oil cap is causing them to lose faith in their garages.
MotorEasy is calling time on confusing mechanic jargon with the launch of its new ‘Lost in Translation’ campaign to promote “plain English” in car garages.
It’s even worse for women with baffling workshop lingo causing a third (32%) of female drivers to stop using a garage because they felt they were being taken advantage of due to their gender.
Garage mechanics remain one of the least trusted professions in the UK** because consumers are left flummoxed by the terms used by technicians and feel obliged to stump up for parts or work – even though they don’t know what they’re paying for.
Car ownership and maintenance service MotorEasy, wants garages to ditch the jargon and use ‘plain English’ to win owners’ trust back.
The firm has compiled a list of seven commonly used terms that leave drivers baffled and what they actually mean.
The firm’s light-hearted ‘Lost in Translation’ campaign has been launched to highlight the amusing absurdity of garage jargon, but also the more serious issue of consumer trust in car workshops.
Seven of the top jargon terms used by garage mechanics
MotorEasy founder, Duncan McClure Fisher, said: “Garage mechanics are among the worst around for using phrases and terms that may make sense to them and may even be technically correct, but which mean nothing to the casual car owner.
“While some garage customers may be bold enough to ask for an explanation, the majority are very British about it and will simply accept what they’re being told, trusting that the technician knows best.
“The problem is that this trust is open to abuse and unscrupulous garages could even use jargon to deliberately confuse their customers and even get them to part with more cash unnecessarily.”
MotorEasy’s ‘Lost in Translation’ campaign has been launched to highlight, in a comedic fashion, how workshops could take simple steps to improve the relationship they have with customers and increase customer loyalty as a result.
For a full list of garage jargon terms, to contribute your own jargon, see the rest of the Lost In Translation campaign and visit: www.motoreasy.com/lost-in-translation
To receive 5% off manufacturer servicing on the MotorEasy website, use the code: LOST5
Have a repair jargon example, garage frustration or simply a question about your car? Add it to the campaign and put it to the MotorEasy engineers using #lostintranslation.
