Motorists warned of risk of over £5,000 for £5 saving as expert says ‘I wouldn’t do it’

Drivers have been warned that they could be putting their engines at risk for a tiny saving. A veteran mechanic has warned that skimping on maintenance could cost them a small fortune.

Celebrity mechanic Scotty Kilmer has revealed tips to keep your vehicle in tip-top condition, potentially saving you a significant amount of money in the long run. He said one underrated problem was changing oil filters – something many don’t do often enough, or do cheaply.

And he said they were playing with fire – they are essential to keeping engines, which can cost you £5,000, running. Regular oil changes are crucial to a vehicle’s maintenance routine, he said.

Read more: Motorists face huge bills

It is equally important to change the oil filter every time you change the oil. But as Scotty points out, many oil filters on the market are still rated for only 3,000 miles, despite drivers now often having to wait up to 10,000 miles between oil changes due to synthetic oils.

He cautions, “If you buy the cheap filters, they’re only good for 3,000 miles. People used to change their oil every 3,000 miles, but now they change it every 8,000 to 10,000 miles. You need to buy a premium oil filter that’s good for 10,000 miles.

“There are plenty out there that work perfectly. I wouldn’t use a cheap filter… in the long run you’ll wear out your engine. You don’t want to save £5 on an oil filter and ruin a £5,000 engine.”