Vehicle Maintenance is More of a Priority Than Ever Before for Car Owners

The days of poking jabs at “non-car-guy” friends and family about their unwillingness (aka “inability”) to locate an air filter or change their own oil are over for us, or not. The recent 3M Elbow Grease Economics Report found that U.S. car owners are trying to cut the costs of vehicle ownership by driving less and shifting to do-it-yourself maintenance. The 3M report concluded that of the roughly 2000 car owners surveyed, 21% trust their current car; 19% are not confident in the economy; 10% aren’t confident about U.S. automakers; 5% can’t get an auto loan; and 4% say their loan payout is larger than their car’s value. Add it all up and now you’ve got almost 60% of U.S. car owners planning to hold on to what they’re driving.

These reasons are why the annual global sales rate for cars and light trucks plummeted from some 16 million units down to 9.2 million in the space of one year – and may remain there for some time.

It’s why GM is eliminating 21,000 more jobs, closing down 13 factories, and phasing out the venerable Pontiac brand.

It’s why GM eventually expects to have only 38,000 union workers and 34 factories in the U.S., compared with 395,000 workers in more than 150 plants back in 1970.

It’s why the U.S. government is going to be the majority shareholder in both GM and Chrysler as the two automakers try to stave off bankruptcy.

The most thought provoking factoid from the 3M Elbow Grease Economics Report suggests that some respondents are still reluctant to get greasy despite economic conditions. From the report, 25% of those surveyed said they pay more attention to the maintenance needs of their car now, compared to two years ago, with 27% performing car maintenance themselves or having friends or family members do it. So, at the same time that lean and mean Middle Americans with “hands-on” skills are pulling the weight for Wall Street and the underproductive, be sure to make space in your garage to change the wheel bearings on your neighbor’s ’96 Explorer. It’s the least you could do.

Other than forcing car owners to “come down” to where hands-on performance enthusiasts have be for a long time, the 3M report finds that there is a new generation of automotive do-it-yourselfers on the way as young car owners focus on learning car care skills or tackle projects themselves. As we all know, changing your own oil for an 18 year old can be a “gateway drug” to performance mods. This gives hope to baby boomers and beyond who have often concluded that younger generations are reluctant to turn a wrench.

From the 3M report:

• Nearly 20 percent of car owners 18 to 25 are paying more attention to their car’s maintenance than two years ago. About one-third of those 18 to 25 are doing their car maintenance themselves or with a friend or family member. Nine percent of these young drivers have just taken over the maintenance after having it professionally done previously

• Most popular maintenance projects for car owners 18 to 25:
– 37 percent are doing small maintenance tasks like oil changes
– 31 percent are focused on appearance projects to keep it looking new
– 22 percent are tackling tune-ups or using performance additives
– Only 1 percent are doing body repairs to fix scratches or dents

• The biggest challenges young car owners 18 to 25 face are:
– Keeping it running without having to make or pay for repairs (21%)
– Getting better fuel mileage (19%)
– Keeping it looking good (16%)
– Learning how to do maintenance projects themselves (11%)

Portions of this article from FleetOwner.com