Elsewhere In The World: The Coronavirus Lockdown Is The Best Time For Car Maintenance

• In some countries, businesses are still operational and the lockdown only means there are fewer customers.

• Unlike in Canada, Australia’s dealerships and garages are still open for regular maintenance and repairs.

There’s a clear contrast between these two commonwealth countries. Canada is on total lockdown with only essential services still running which means that repair shops and dealership service centres are all but completely idled – only necessary repairs can be done. Meanwhile, in Australia, these businesses are still open, however, citizens are being encouraged to bring their cars in for maintenance.

The lockdown and the coronavirus outbreak has dramatically slowed traffic at garages in Australia which has led the Australian Automotive Dealers Association (AADA) to encourage citizens to get their cars serviced now while scheduled are nearly wide open.

James Voortman, the CEO of the AADA said: “We actually saw a surge in service centres across Australia ahead of the lockdowns as many motorists anticipated more stringent measures might be in place. But it has slowed in recent weeks and there is definitely capacity in the dealer network to accept more cars.”

Voortman added: “Our message is: if anyone is delaying taking their car in for any kind of maintenance, now is a good time to get it done. Most workshops have the capacity to take more work and all workshops should have access to most routine parts.”

We’re anything but medical experts but this seems short-sighted. Despite the presence of social distancing and sterilization practices at these establishments, and given that we can’t really go anywhere with our vehicles unless the dealership offers a pick-up and drop-off service, it’s best to stay home.