Problems with the gearbox are the costliest issues to strike a car after the end of its warranty period, recent research has found.
A report by Warranty Direct looked into the average cost of repairs for components on a four-year-old car. Cars of this particular age were picked because the majority of manufacturers offer three-year warranties for new cars nowadays.
Nearly £900 needed to fix gearbox
A gearbox problem in a car’s fourth year on the road has been found to cost £896.22 to repair on average, making it more expensive than any other mechanical fault for a car of this age.
Engine failures are the second most expensive issue, costing an average £740.76 and they’re followed by steering system problems which cost £532.37 on average.
Another discovery from the study is that many cars post-warranty have a habit of suffering electrical breakdowns. It’s an issue that’s occurred to more than a quarter (27 per cent) of the cars Warranty Direct looked at, although the average repair cost is far less compared to certain other issues at £277.98.
Axle and suspension problems were also found to be common post-warranty issues, covering more than one in five (22 per cent) of the four-year-old vehicles investigated.
In a statement, Warranty Direct commented: "When you’re considering the purchase of a car, there are only a handful of factors that really matter – reliability is one of them.”
