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| Author: Owen Baker |
Who do you turn to when you have a question about vehicle maintenance? If you consider your husband or boyfriend the 'expert' on such things, you may be asking the wrong person.
A national survey sponsored by Jiffy Lube International found that while 69 percent of men and 64 percent of women think men know more than women on the subject, their responses to basic car-care questions tell a somewhat different story. Men fared significantly better than women on only a few questions in the survey. When asked about the purpose of cabin air filters, 47 percent of men versus 23 percent of women knew their purpose is to clean the air passengers breathe. And 78 percent of men versus 56 percent of women knew the primary purpose of antifreeze/coolant was to help control the temperature of a vehicle's engine.
However, when asked where a vehicle's proper tire-inflation pressure information is located, 67 percent of men and 45 percent of women incorrectly answered on the tires' sidewalls. The correct answer is on a decal in the vehicle's door jamb, or in the vehicle owner's manual.
When asked if simply switching from conventional engine oil to synthetic engine oil would enable the number of miles between oil changes to be safely extended, 67 percent of men and 46 percent of women incorrectly assumed it would. 'Switching from conventional to synthetic oil is not an automatic license to extend a vehicle's oil-change interval,' says Mark Ferner, Jiffy Lube research and development manager and ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician.
'In your owners' manual you will find the vehicle manufacturer's recommended intervals for oil changes. Those guidelines should be followed regardless of whether you use conventional or synthetic oil. It's also important to use the right set of recommendations for the way you drive. Most vehicle owners' manuals list two oil change intervalsone for 'normal' driving and the other for 'severe' driving. If you idle excessively, or often drive in stop-and-go traffic or extreme temperatures, your vehicle is likely a candidate for the 'severe' service schedule, which typically means it needs preventive maintenance more often.'
About half of the men and women polled (54 percent and 49 percent) knew the normal life expectancy for many windshield wiper blades is six to 12 months. But nearly 40 percent of them (39 percent and 38 percent) answered anywhere from one to five years. 'Many drivers don't think about the condition of their wiper blades until they're caught in foul weather,' says Ferner. 'Checking and replacing them as needed could improve visibility to avoid a very dangerous situation out on the road.'
Only about half of men and women (50 percent and 48 percent) knew under-inflated tires, a dirty air filter, incorrect wheel alignment, and even a loose gasoline cap can all reduce gas mileage. 'Avoiding fast starts and stops, speeding, and excessive idling can also help you get more miles out of every gallon of gasoline,' says Ferner.
The information presented in this survey came from an Opinion Research Corporation CARAVAN omnibus study conducted between March 31 and April 3, 2006. It was conducted by telephone among a representative national sample of 524 men and 522 women age 18 and older. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent. |
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