DRiVE: Car abuse rife.

WRECKING an Audi TT by using it to tow a boat and having a VW Golf infested with maggots after a fishing holiday are among the worst forms of `car abuse' uncovered today by online car search service Fish4cars.co.uk.

The shocking results of the poll of UK motor dealers' reveals how `interior decimators' and `jackson pillocks' are knocking thousands of pounds off the value of their cars by bad driving and carelessness.

Fish4cars asked garages about the common types of car abuse that they encounter and how much money the average car owner loses if they indulge in it on a regular basis. Based on the results, the nation's car abusers can be divided into: Interior Decimators - You can step into the car of an Interior Decimator and wrongly assume it has just staged the Glastonbury festival. Strewn, with rubbish, marks, stains and unpleasant odours, it has more potential value as a modern art masterpiece. Dogs may have scratched or chewed the interior to pieces. According to garage owners, a poorly maintained interior will take on average a quarter (27 per cent) off the price of your car when it comes to sell. For a 1998 BMW worth pounds 10,995 2 that would knock over pounds 2,500 off the price (see attached table).

Chassis Scratchers - It should be easy to spot a tyre that needs air, but Chassis Scratchers are oblivious to the harm they are doing to their cars. Not only do badly inflated and uneven tyres affect the running of a car, it also reduces fuel efficiency. Over time garage owners thought a car would lose 10 per cent in value from the under-carriage damage. Finally, motorists with a defective tyre risk three penalty points and a fine of up to pounds 2,500!

Diesel dopes - Using petrol instead of diesel (or the other way around). It's hard to believe a motorist could forget the type of fuel their car consumes but `diesel dopes' can ruin their engine by such an act.

Garage owners estimated it would take an average of one third (31 per cent) off the value of a car with engine damage.

Winter rev heads - Most of us do it, but revving a car when it is cold is a slow killer. The car internals use oil to keep lubricated but hot oil needs to be transferred on the internals. Cold oil is no good, as the metals will wear, as they are being effectively ground against each other. So the parts will wear more quickly under higher pressure (i.e. increased revs). Doing this over time could ultimately mean needing a new engine, wiping pounds 2,308 (21 per cent) off a pounds 10,995 car.

The top 10 examples of car abuse as told to Fish4cars.co.uk by car dealers: 1) An Audi TT with belt failure and rotting ignition wires - it had been used to tow a boat; 2) Excessive denting on a Fiat Uno caused by kids jumping up and down on the roof; 3) Mini's suspension that was wrecked due to a heavy couple constantly having sex in it!

4) A Peugeot where the owner had used a blowtorch to unfreeze the locks in winter; 5) A man who took his Golf on fishing holidays. There were maggots crawling in between the seats! 6) A damaged Mini where the owner had ``repaired'' crash damage with a sledgehammer; 7) A car where the owner had put plumbing fittings on the hydraulic brake pipes - it was a potential death trap; 8) A teenager didn't want to tell his Dad that the tyres of the family Mercedes had got slashed. He drove it for five miles to the nearest garage - and practically scraped off all the alloys at the bottom of the car; 9) A Fiesta that had been used for offroad driving and the suspension and tyres were ruined; 10) A Mercedes that had been used by a builder to transport heavy equipment and building materials. The inside looked like a skip.