Last week I bumped into Pete, an old friend from way back. He was driving a very new, very smart and very desirable top of the range 4x4. I knew he had craved one for years, and now his dream had come true, so why wasn’t he wearing a Joker-sized grin on his face? In fact he looked positively miserable as he hopped out on the garage forecourt to fuel up. I thought maybe he simply hadn’t anticipated the dramatic cost of running such a beast, but I was wrong.

“I’ve always wanted one of these you know,” he told me, looking at his new purchase. “But to be honest I’m a little disappointed. It just doesn’t seem to drive how I thought it would. It’s like driving a rock.”

I was puzzled. The vehicle had a tremendous reputation as an adaptable off roader, with sterling suspension and adaptability. It really was a serious ‘go anywhere’ vehicle. It was used all over the world in some of the most rugged environments. Pete should have been over the moon.

“If you’ve got five minutes come and have a ride in it and see if I’m doing something wrong. I’ve only had it a week; perhaps I’m missing some technical setting.”

Once he had refuelled we set off, and within minutes I felt sure I knew what the problem was. The ride was very harsh, with every pothole and bump sending us lurching in our seats. A quick check of the controls established that all the right settings were engaged. Pete told me the steering felt vague, especially when he was turning. There was also a surprising amount of noise as we accelerated. I asked Pete to return to the garage where we discovered the problem. A quick check of the tyre pressures revealed they were seriously over-inflated.

Where they should have been reading 26-28 PSI the gauge showed they were straining their walls at 65 PSI. No wonder the handling and ride felt strange – the tyres were inflated at more than twice their recommended pressure. Once we bled some air from the tyres, Pete drove off, to return minutes later with the grin I was expecting him to have when I first saw him.

But how many of us would have taken our vehicle back to the dealership for a check when confronted with the same problem? It’s easy to laugh at Pete (I know I did) but something as simple as tyre pressure irregularities can have a radical effect on the whole driving experience, and it’s easy to think that there is something far more serious wrong with your car.

At the British International Motor Show there was some interesting research carried out on behalf of Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA), the UK’s first independently run voluntary scheme aimed at ensuring that the skills and abilities of UK car technicians meet a national standard. More than half of the 1,338 private car owners questioned didn’t know when their next service was due; while 9 per cent of us admitted we don’t carry out any basic maintenance and safety checks, such as monitoring tyre pressures and oil levels, in between service intervals.

The technology now included on most cars has made DIY servicing a thing of the past, with 45 per cent of us saying that, unlike our parents’ generation, we know next to nothing about maintaining our car.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), which regulates the ATA scheme, has launched a campaign to help motorists seek out garages who employ ATA registered technicians.

The scheme has the support of consumer groups. Steve Brooker, Senior Policy Advocate at the National Consumer Council, said: “It can be difficult for consumers to find a reliable garage, so we welcome the ATA scheme as a means to reassure motorists that their technician has been properly trained and adheres to a code of conduct.”

Pete’s concern about ‘technical settings’ doesn’t mean he is alone either. The research also revealed confusion amongst motorists about the numerous sophisticated systems built into today’s cars. When asked about various acronyms, nearly a third of all respondents said they had no idea what terms such as EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), VVT (Variable Valve Timing) and TCS (Traction Control System) mean.

But is it any wonder, when a manual for a new car resembles a telephone book, and details on how to program the radio can take over 30 pages? Who actually reads these things? Manufacturers seem to do all they can to discourage you from tinkering, and the days of a sealed bonnet and engine bay can’t be far off. How about a quick start manual with all new cars – half a dozen pages with a list of basics on the front page?

Like the Joker, Pete had the last laugh. Two days after we met my washing machine overflowed and I couldn’t fix it for the life of me. I called him round and he fixed it in five minutes. As a mechanic Pete makes an excellent plumber.

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