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Car servicing has now overtaken the MOT as the biggest driver of customers to workshops.
All-round servicing and ongoing maintenance now accounts for 26% of all workshop bookings to both franchised and independent outlets, representing an increase of two percentage points over 2013.
In contrast, the number of MOT workshop bookings has dropped, with the annual test of roadworthiness for older vehicles slipping to second place and now accounting for just 21% of bookings down four percentage points on 2013.
Workshop activity solely for tyre changes is also down one percentage point to 21%.
The research found that the total number of workshop bookings has declined by 2.4%, from 35.2 million entries in 2013 to 34.36 million in 2014.
The average frequency of workshop visits is now just 1.15 visit per car per year.
Nigel Head, Castrol head of marketing, UK & Ireland, said: “The research demonstrates the increasing importance of extracting maximum value from every customer contact.
“It’s crucial that dealers identify legitimate extra repair and maintenance work and then use this as the basis for ongoing discourse with the customer.
“The most effective businesses will also be further developing the soft sales skills of their service reception teams, who must explain to the customer the value of any additional work that might be carried out.