Americans Lacking Maintenance Knowledge
A recently conducted study involving 2,000 American car owners found that many drivers, a quarter of them, know they take a risk driving their cars already in need of repair or are not in good running condition.
The study questioned the respondents about what they perceived is the state of their vehicles and what they know about car care basics.
Results showed that a good 68% of Americans know there’s at least one thing wrong with the car and could use a repair. When it comes to car care, 36% didn’t know what entails fixing a flat tire. Half of the respondents even said they’re not confident about changing car oils. One third aren’t even sure which correct oil would their vehicle need. A quarter wouldn’t know how to jump start a car should the situation arise. One in five think that using an air pressure gauge to check tire pressure is too much for them.
Now it gets complicated. Would you believe that 41% of Americans were unable to actually identify a car’s engine when presented with an image? That’s tough. So looking under the hood is not really going to help these guys. Being the case, they’d refrain from taking the car to a mechanic even when a new or strange noise is heard under the hood. But they will still raise the hood and look under even if they’ve not the slightest idea what’s wrong!
Why so? 54% of Americans seem to be intimidated by a car mechanic. Four in ten won’t do that because they’re afraid of the cost and any other additional work the mechanic finds that needs fixing. Only 19% feel very confident they’re paying a fair price when they take their car to one.
But as times change, people choose only what they want to know about their cars. Like, 83% percent of millennials could connect their phone to the car’s speakers and play music, 30% of those 66 and older cannot. On the other hand 71% of the oldies could drive a stick shift, only 51% of the 18-35 can. The 66 and older seem to be more knowledgeable about car maintenance. They know when their car is in need of oil change or need new tires, and so have those done in a timely manner.
While good car maintenance is important, today’s Americans should be more knowledgeable about simple ways to keep their vehicles in safe and good condition.
Learning Basic Car Care in Seattle
We at Greenwood Collision are always on hand to fill in our customers with bits of car care information. Car owners should be able to know the basics which is better for their cars. We’re just on hand to help along the way. Don’t hesitate to drop by.