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The Automotive  Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has found that nine out of 10 female motorists are at least somewhat involved in the decision making process for their household’s vehicle maintenance and repairs. Seventy-eight percent of women say that following the recomended maintenance schedule is important, but only 68% say they actually do so.

The survey didn’t profile the vehicle owners, but experience has shown that people who lease new vehicles typically skimp on maintenance. They don’t maintain their vihicles because they know they’re not keeping the vehicle long term. “Let the next owner pay the repair bills” is often their philosophy — and that’s usually what happens.
People who are often the most conscientious about maintaining their vehicles are typically those who own the vehicle they drive (or make payments on it); plan on keeping the vehicle as long as possible; and want to minimize the risk of a breakdown or expensive repairs down the road.
The best-maintained vehicles, therefore, are often not the brand-new ones, but rather an older vehicle or a second car or truck that is used primarily for commuting to work or is driven by a student. Parents of teenage drivers and college kids want their offspring to have reliable transportation — especially if they are off at college many miles away. Mom and Dad will gladly pay for maintenance if it helps prevent a breakdown or an emergency call in the middle of the night.

How much maintenance is really necessary to keep a vehicle in good-running condition, safe and reliable? It’s a controversial subject for which there is no simple answer.
Maintenance recommendations and requirements vary depending on the year, make and model of the vehicle, the type of driving it undergoes, the environment in which it operates, how long the owner wants to keep the vehicle, how important the issues of safety and reliability are to the vehicle owner and, finally, how much the owner is willing to spend on maintenance.

Though most people would agree with the statement that preventive maintenance improves vehicle safety and reliability, and saves them money on repairs in the long run, their lip-service to the benefits of preventive maintenance often fails to match their spending habits on maintenance.

While the “unperformed” maintenance market in the US currently ranges anywhere from $43 billion to $62 billion a year, it represents billions of dollars that should have been spent on oil and filter changes, spark plugs, collant, fluids, belts, hose replacements, brake linings and similar items, but was not.
Is it really as bad as they say it is? You bet it is. Last April during the National Car Care Month, vehicle check lane operators inspected hundreds of vehicles at various locations around the country. They found that 87% (nearly nine out of 10!) of the vehicles inspected were in need of maintenance or repairs.

Here are some of their findings:

33% of the vehicles inspected had low, overfull or dirty motor oil;
29% had low, overfull or worn out transmission fluid;
29% had low coolant;
26% had low break fluid;
26% had one or more under- or over-inflated tires/
25% had one or more belts that were in need of replacement;
25% needed a new air filter;
22% had low power steering fluid;
18% needed a new PCV filter;
16% had low battery electrolyte levels;
15% needed new battery cables;
15% needed one or both front windshield wipers replaced;
13% needed a new rear wiper and/or washer fluid;
13% had one or more worn-out tires that should be replaced;
13% required at least one new hose;
9% needed a brake light replaced;
4% had a burned out headlight; and
4% needed a turn signal light.

The Car Care inspection did not include the condition or strength of the coolant, the condition of the battery, the thickness or condition of the brake linings and rotors, the condition of the shocks or struts, exhaust system, etc. But if the inspectors had also looked at these items, the percentage of vehicles in need of maintenance or repairs would have been even higher.