BTW one odd observation we have made latley...we see no one doing " work under the hood " so to speak, its not like in the states where you might just chat up your neighbor and borrow his tools is it eh ?
It depends where you are and what you drive. The late models, as already noted, are getting nearly impossible to work on without the proper diagnostic equipment.
Those of us who like old cars tend to do a lot of work on them ourselves, and out here in the sticks where neighbors tend to know each other better, there's still a help-each-other-out spirit.
I don't know if this has to do with the much higher octane of petrol or if cars are just made better for the UK market?
One factor is that climatic conditions are not so harsh and extreme here. In areas such as the Midwest or the Canadian prairie provinces, for example, it's not at all unusual to have a different viscosity oil for summer and winter . In dry, desert areas air filters tend to need changing more frequently. So it goes on.
Regarding Halfords, this chain has been around in Britain for decades, although the service and tune-up centers attached to some are relatively new. You might not find the "15-minute oil & lube" places here, but there are some good deals to be had.
For example, ATS (specializing in tires, brakes, and exhausts) will generally give a free examination of the relevant items. I was in the Norwich branch just recently and had a free tracking check (well, I slipped the guy £5 for his trouble, but the official line seems to be that the free checks build goodwill for when something
does need replacing).
