A box of bits

A box of bits
Even if you don't want to use an independent garage, you can save money by applying some simple principles that you should always use when shopping around for the best-value goods and services.

Play one garage off against another. Many of the workshops we called offered to match prices when we told them that we were collecting quotes, so give this a try. The more quotes you get, the more you should be able to bring the price down by.

It could also be worth buying your own parts. Genuine or equivalent parts are often available at a fraction of the price that a dealer will charge for them, although you're more likely to save money if your car is a bit older, too, such as the previous-generation Volkswagen Golf we used in our survey.

You could still save plenty of money with a prestige car such as a Jaguar, however, simply by bringing your own oil along for the garage to use instead of theirs. It's a major part of any service and, if you need to cut back on running costs, this is an easy thing for you to do.