As cost-of-living pressures continue to strain household budgets, vehicle owners are seeking new alternatives to find DIY solutions, with some turning to AI for repairs. New data published by the RACQ has found an alarming number of car owners are turning to error-prone answers from generative AI providers to diagnose and repair vehicle issues.
A survey of RACQ members revealed that vehicle owners were frequently delaying regular maintenance and servicing, with 40 per cent of respondents indicating they were three to six months overdue for scheduled servicing and 21 per cent admitting they were more than six months overdue.
Along with routine servicing, issues like windscreen wiper replacement and tyre changes were also commonly being pushed back by owners. An alarming new trend has surfaced in the report, with 14.2 per cent of those surveyed revealing that they had consulted an AI service for information on diagnosing and repairing vehicle issues.
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Another 23 per cent said they had sought assistance from a friend or family member for vehicle repairs, rather than using a qualified mechanic. RACQ Principal Technical Researcher Andrew Kirk cautioned against the use of AI-generated diagnostics and repair solutions, highlighting the risks involved.
“While AI tools, internet searches and advice from well-meaning friends can provide general information, they cannot physically inspect a vehicle, accurately diagnose every fault, or verify that a repair has been performed correctly,” Kirk said in a statement.
Attempting to diagnose and repair vehicle faults without appropriate training and equipment can result in critical safety issues being missed or incorrectly repaired. Car maintenance must be taken seriously – a fault in a safety-related system could lead to issues on the road and cause a fatal or life-altering crash.
Underneath an Instagram post by ABC Brisbane about its interview with Kirk, one commenter thought the real problem was “that cars are not repairable by those who own them – deliberately by design”. “The correct solution is to apply pressure to car manufacturers to make them repairable, instead of locking them up in consumables and soon to be obsolete gizmos.”
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Despite the trends toward delaying maintenance and seeking alternative repair solutions, RACQ reported a lower number of roadside assistance callouts, with 736,924 calls for help received in the 2025 financial year, compared to 715,700 calls over the last 12 months.
However, the fact that many car owners are delaying regular maintenance and seeking assistance from unqualified sources is still a concern.
RACQ’s findings highlight the need for car owners to prioritize regular maintenance and seek help from qualified mechanics.
