Port Macquarie is, officially, the breakdown capital of NSW.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
According to NRMA figures released on July 3, Port Macquarie topped metropolitan areas including Blacktown and Castle Hill along with Sydney CBD for the most breakdowns over the past 12 months.
If you think it was just older cars that helped boost the figures, you would be wrong.
The NRMA says while the perception may be that newer cars don't break down, analysis of cars that the NRMA helped get moving over the past 12 months showed that in fact, cars that are aged between four and 15 years make up the significant bulk of calls for help.
The average age of Australia's vehicle fleet is 10 years.
Cars manufactured in 2005, or that were 12 years old, accounted for the most calls to the NRMA between March 2016 and 2017, with almost 50,000 breakdowns. This was closely followed by cars manufactured in 2007, 2006, 2003 and 2010, respectively.
More than 14,000 cars manufactured in 2016 required roadside assistance, highlighting that new cars are also breaking down regularly.
NRMA executive general manager motoring, Samantha Taranto, said it’s no surprise popular holiday destinations like Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour make the list.
“We always encourage members to get their cars checked over by our mechanics at our car servicing centres before heading off on a road trip," Ms Taranto said.
Not surprisingly wheel changes and punctures led the way for call outs by a long, long way.
Beaurepaires Port Macquarie manager Adam McCrystal says another reason for the high instance of wheel changes and punctures is tyre technology.
“The majority of newer vehicles now have bigger wheels which are more prone to punctures,” he said.
“We are certainly seeing a lot more instances where the car driver hits a pot hole and the impact fractures the side wall of tyre,” he said.
“We would see about 10 to 15 punctures every Monday … that’s our worst day of the week.”
Mr McCrystal also said the increased amount of infrastructure works in the Port Macquarie area was a contributing factor to the number of potholes in local roads.
“Drive to the conditions, get your tyres and tyre pressure checked regularly and avoid potholes,” he added.
