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Drivers Often Ignore Brake Trouble
Too many drivers keep their fingers crossed when they suspect potential car problems, according to the Car Care Council's Women's Board. A survey of 263 women, 83 percent of whom are responsible for the maintenance of their vehicles, showed that most of the participants procrastinate.When asked how soon they would respond to such things as the brake warning signal light or strange sounds when applying the brakes, only a third of 263 surveyed said they would check it out right away. Nearly half would look into it sometime that week and one out of five would do it sometime that month. More than half (56 percent) said they would make the decision to have brake work done.
One out of five did not know whether or not their vehicle was equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS), but 52 percent were aware that ABS requires a different driving style.
Where do they have brake work done? The independent repair shop and brake specialist ranked first and second. While reasons for choice of facility ranged widely, trust and convenience were the most popular responses.
I-CAR Meeting Set July 27-30
The Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) will host its International Annual Meeting July 27-30 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.To obtain a registration form, call I-CAR customer service at (800) 422-7872 in the United States, or (800) 565-4227 in Canada; or download the form from the I-CAR Web site at www.i-car.com.
I-CAR also reports that all I-CAR discount coupons no longer have an expiration date. Coupons are now redeemable for training without any date restriction.
Car Care Month Kit Available
National Car Care Month—October—will be here before you know it. Now's the time to get started on this year's campaign. To make the job easier, the Car Care Council offers an event planner, which includes much of the information needed for the campaign. In addition to newspaper releases and radio scripts for local adaptation, and suggestions for committees, it also includes a detailed procedure schedule.For a copy of the event planner, call (800) 466-5343.
The Car Council reports that in 1999, check lanes found that 83 percent of all vehicles needed repair or maintenance. Included in the failures: low or dirty engine oil, 26 percent; low tire pressure, 18 percent; inadequate cooling system protection, 23 percent; worn or damaged drive belts, 24 percent; and dirty air filters, 13 percent.
Institute Earns CASE Certification
NAPA Institute of Automotive Technology (NIAT) has earned the Continuing Automotive Service Education (CASE) certification from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).CASE certification provides recognition that the training organization has been reviewed against industry-established and endorsed standards, and has been approved by peers. CASE was created in 1998. To date, about two dozen certifications have been awarded.
Retrofits Should Be Hot!
This may be the summer we start seeing severe CFC-12 refrigerant shortages, for a variety of reasons, according to the International Mobile Air Conditioning Association (IMACA).First, weather forecasters are predicting a warmer than usual season to follow the unusually mild winter. Second, the last production year for the CFC-12-equipped fleet was 1993. Many of these vehicles are now in serious need of repairs, not just seasonal service, and may be candidates for retrofit - depending on the vehicle's value and the owner's budget. And third, the price of CFC-12 continues to increase, reports the association.
Faced with the combination of a long, hot summer, a failing air conditioner system, and the high price of CFC-12, many customers with older vehicles may start to seriously consider a retrofit to HFC-134a, IMACA concluded.
Driving Costs Up, Says AAA
The average cost of driving a car in 2000 will be nearly 50 cents per mile, up 2.1 cents from last year, AAA reports. Driving costs are up due to higher fuel prices and rising new vehicle depreciation and finance costs.AAA's annual “Your Driving Costs” study reports motorists driving 15,000 miles this year will spend an average of $7,363 on auto-related expenses, up $313 since 1999.
More Money Going for Repairs
A study published by Kalorama Information, a New York-based market research publisher, finds consumers are keeping their cars longer.According to the study, consumers will spend an average of $10,000 on maintenance over the span of 12 years. Prolonged ownership is reflective of high replacement costs; the average price of a new car is around $20,000. “The fact that people are keeping their cars longer fuels the growth of the automotive aftermarket. To keep them running, consumers will continue to invest increasingly more money in repairs rather than new car sales,” said Claire Madden, vice president for sales and marketing at Kalorama Information.
AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLVIII, July 2000 E-mail: asainfo@asashop.org, Web Site: http://www.asashop.org Copyright © 2000 Automotive Service Association (ASA). All rights reserved.