Happy National Car Care Month!
“With so many vehicles in need of service, National Car Care Month in April serves as an important reminder to take action today so you can depend on your vehicle down the road,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “It’s easy to postpone vehicle maintenance when things get busy, but don’t put it off. Addressing minor service needs before they become major will help you avoid unexpected car trouble and unplanned costly repairs.”
To celebrate National Car Care Month, stay tuned to the Openbay Blog and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to check out one new auto-related fact each day!
Here we go!
- According to Rich White, the Car Care Council’s executive director, more than $60-billion in vehicle service goes unperformed each year. The better maintained your vehicle, the safer our roads.
- Let’s pretend your vehicle is already perfectly maintained (oil changed, tires rotated, fluids good to go, scheduled maintenance done; heck – you’ve even washed it!), and you’re hankering for a road trip. Today! You’re just curious to know – how much will that cost you in fuel?
- If you cut down on that latte just 2.5 times per week, you could bank $500 for a car-repair fund, so you’ve got the savings ready when your car breaks. Believe it or not, 63% of Americans don’t have enough money to cover a $500 car repair. Put down that latte, and don’t be one of ‘em! (According to Car Covers Direct’s blog)
- If you want to extend the life of your car battery, follow these five tips from our article (which of course has lots more detail), “5 Tips to Extend Your Battery Life”
- Insulate
- Clean
- Check the Cables
- Test
- Don’t beat a dead horse
- Between 1913-1927, Ford factories produced more than 15-million Model Ts. Check out more info on the Model T (including why it often had to be driven up a steep hill backward) here, from the History Channel.
- There are about 750 million professional auto repair and maintenance services performed in the U.S. each year. Are you booking your service the smart way?
- According to Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, a new vehicle that costs about $20,000 will wind up costing nearly double that to own. Wow. And that cost-to-own can vary, depending on the vehicle you’re buying. Regular vehicle maintenance, gas, car washes, insurance, and maybe the odd speeding ticket, if you’re lead footer (in which case you should expect your premium to increase!) will add up fast!
- According to Edmunds, your brand new car loses 60% of its value within the first five years.
- At this year’s New York Auto Show, we attended a panel discussion, hosted by Lexus, about women buying and servicing vehicles. Check out an overview here.
- The average vehicle in the U.S. is 11.5 years old.
- About 750 million professional auto-repair services are performed in the U.S. each year.
- Today’s forecast comes via IHS Automotive’s estimates – by 2020, vehicles aged 12+ years will increase by about 15%. Talk about a change in the “aftermarket sweet spot,” typically viewed as the time when vehicles are between 6-12 years old.
- When consumers use Openbay to compare, book and pay for auto repair and maintenance, 70% of them do not select the lowest-priced shop in town. Why not? They place convenience and trust ahead of price. If there’s a nearby auto repair shop with great customer reviews, the peace-of-mind is worth a few extra bucks. You don’t want to entrust your wheels to just anyone, right?
- It’s tax time, so you’re thinking about budgeting, once you file your 2015 taxes, right? Don’t forget to include automotive repair and maintenance in your budget. If you’re like the average vehicle owner, you’re spending $792 per year in automotive maintenance and repairs (not to mention any of the other expenses related to vehicle ownership), according to AAA. That’s $66 per month. So pop that in your budget, and when (not if!) your vehicle needs repair or maintenance, you won’t have to refer to it as an emergency.
- This stat, from Bankrate, is not good news – 63% of adult Americans can’t afford a $500 car repair. Wow. That’s doubly troubling.
- California has the most licensed drivers per state, which makes sense, given it has the most people. Second state with most drivers and people is Texas. Third state with most drivers is Florida, even though there are more people in New York state.
- The Bentley Mulsanne’s interior has about 18 bull hides. Bull hides are used because the males’ skin doesn’t stretch as easily. Those bulls are raised in northern Europe, on fence-free pastures, in order to eliminate blemishes from barbed-wire, and the cool weather minimizes insect bites. Don’t believe us? Check out this National Geographic tour of the Bentley factory in Crewe, U.K. Perfect weekend watching!
- If you live in a dusty area, you’d better change your air filter more regularly than recommended.
- Is your vehicle out of warranty? Join the crowd – you’re in good company, along with well more than 80% of vehicles on the road. NationalCarCareMonth is a great excuse to show your vehicle some love. Bring it in for some scheduled maintenance, an oil change, and a brake inspection.
- Six things today’s cars no longer need, from the carburetor to the car phone. Auf Wiedersehen! And you know where to head when it’s time for that scheduled maintenance (don’t call it a tune-up!)
- The shortest time taken to change the engine of a car was 42 seconds, as done on a Ford Escort by a team of Royal Marines in 1985. Don’t believe us? Jalopnik has the proof here.
- You’re booking reservations at your favorite restaurant, or catching a ride across town on your phone. … Why use it to choose a repair shop? More than 40% of Openbay users do.
- If your vehicle is anything like the average car on the road in the U.S., it’s old! The average age is at a record high – 11.5-years old.
- If your car is 6+ years old, it’s in the “aftermarket sweet spot,” meaning it needs a ton of service. Here are a just a few items to be on the lookout for if you’re looking for ways to keep your aging car safe:
- Inspect any items that wears; this includes tires, belts, hoses, brakes, rotors and front-end components.
- The front-end suspension – including upper and lower control arms bushings, tie rod ends, sway bar linkage, and upper and lower ball joints – should be inspected, as well as all steering components.
- Test the battery every six months; this is especially important for those who reside in colder climates and prior to winter.
- Here’s our first #NationalCarCareMonth fact of the day, something especially painful for us here in Boston, MA.