The oil companies started self serve fuel to wipe out independent operators. Supermarkets are finally killing of the last driveway service.

In the last couple of weeks a near relative narrowly escaped a blow-out and likely serious accident on the freeway where she was headed. We had stopped her as she reversed onto the road with an obviously almost deflated tyre, one of a new set of four, that had a slow leak. Underinflation, say by 25%, is hard to see with radials. Yet it is extremely dangerous.

When the tyre was removed from the rim (yeah, most drivers would never have had that done) the high quality tyre was found to be in an advanced state of delamination from being driven with low pressure. By way of warning, this car does low mileage.

Today I helped another elder whose otherwise bullet-proof Toyota had very low oil (oil filler plug replaced without a new gasket last service it seems). Perhaps discount servicing doesn't always extend to new gaskets. Why would they carry a range anyhow? Maybe the servicing guys are not trained mechanics. In the extreme temperatures of summer that could have resulted in rapid onset engine seizure and a pile-up as the driver reacted, or tried to get off the road.

I wonder how much poor servicing is contributing to road accidents and the costs of car ownership. It is an area where market forces should not be allowed to rule entirely. It is unreasonable to state that it is the solely the owner's responsibility, so there! The oil companies and the supermarkets rule and that is not always for your good.

State and federal governments waste millions on bureaucrats producing brochures on road safety. Practical solutions seem to be beyond them.

Ignorance is not an excuse. If you drive a car you are responsible for its road worthiness. You don’t have to get under a vehicle to know you have a leak. Leaving tire pressure up to someone else is asking for trouble.
Oil these days is good for 12 months between changes, and that is a good reason for frequent checks. Tire pressure can alter from day to day. If a driver does not know the condition of the car they are driving , they best leave it alone.
To try and make this somehow the responsibility of a third party is just ridiculous. Any type of machinery that moves has to be regularly checked , that is common sense as a matter of safety.

579,

To take an example, a senior can experience difficulty using the air pump at the garage. There is a requirement for wrist and finger strength and a certain knack to it with most pumps.

S/he is likely willing to pay a bit extra for driveway service.

I have already given some clues, now what do you imagine is preventing that service from being provided?

Now think really hard about those prices and the 4c discounts and whether the supermarkets are actually saving you money or controlling the market and to the disadvantage of the consumer

579,

Where do you get your oil?
Or do you do an inordinately low number of miles/year?

I always buy good oil, the Statesman uses none between chances, yet I change oil every 5,000 Kilometres; which distance I do, on average, every six weeks.
I check the tyre pressures every fill up; I have an on-board battery charger and plug the lead in every couple of days to make sure that the battery is fully charged.
The car is a modern automatic and as such, cannot be 'clutch' started. The battery is therefore vital, especially in the bush.

I'm a young 81 and still get under the car and check that things appear alright but there are folk half my age who are not as fortunately agile as I, and they have to depend on third parties to do their servicing for them, especially women who have no technical background.
Then there are the disabled drivers who depend utterly on service centres to make sure that their vehicles are kept up to scratch.

Getting reliable servicing is a problem however and I have seen the results of bad servicing, one that comes to mind was a ventilated front disc brake that had worn through to the vents, I kid thee not!!

OTB, consumers have fuelled the discounting and cost cutting which has ultimately lead to the cutting of services.

If a garage were to offer full driveway servicing, and charge say 4c per litre for it, they would go broke.

Remember, we can all have anything we want, we just have to pay for it, and there in lies the problem.

On the other hand im sure anyone can call in to their local tyre shop and have their tyres, wheels, even fluids checked, you just have to be willing to pay the fee.

Cost cutting is a dirty game and someone has to pay the price. This is one such example.

rehctub, "If a garage were to offer full driveway servicing, and charge say 4c per litre for it, they would go broke"

The discount ticket is a scam to shed competition to control the market and proved to be so by one of the SEQld radio stations that led a campaign against it. I am not bothered to search for that campaign. It should be obvious to most as the common tactic used elsewhere to destroy competition. You are a butcher, maybe you might think about it. Cross-subsidisation by the retail giants could easily send you to the wall. Then they can increase prices in a largely competition free environment.

However, in a civil society it is not good enough that service stations providing a necessary service and of enormous cost/benefit to road safety and the financial good of citizens are being forced out of business by ruthless supermarkets who have entered the scene.

Those independent garages are not being replaced either. Most are closed and the land sold to developers.

I don't see why our taxes should go to supporting road safety bureaucrats who have yet to discover the essential link between inadequate and occasional tyre pressure checks and road accidents, and that the solution is so simple. -Not to the satisfaction of those large retailers who make political donations and whose CEOs shower presents on politicians.