Here’s the takeaway of America’s Car Maintenance Knowledge:
• 70% are extremely confident they could add washer fluid to their car
• 47% are extremely confident they could jump start a car
• 48% are extremely confident they could replace their windshield wipers
• 39% are extremely confident they could fix a flat tire
• 37% are extremely confident they could replace their car’s air filter
• 37% are extremely confident they could replace a fuse
• 33% are extremely confident they could change their car’s oil
And it’s worse for teens.
The new survey, conducted by Cooper Tires, discovered that nearly half of American car owners aren’t confident they’d be able to change their car’s oil.
A third aren’t confident they could even pick out the correct oil their car needs in the first place and a quarter wouldn’t know how to jump start a car should the situation arise.
Even using an air pressure gauge on a tire to check tire pressure can prove to be too advanced a task for nearly one in five Americans.
Looking under the hood to examine a weird noise emitting from their engine isn’t going to help the 41 percent of Americans who were unable to actually identify a car’s engine when presented with an image.
But looking under the hood after hearing a weird noise is still a more popular action than taking it to a mechanic.
In fact, over half (54 percent) of Americans feel intimidated when dealing with a car mechanic.
Four in ten Americans will avoid taking their car to the mechanic because they’re afraid their wallet won’t be able to handle all the work their car needs.
And only 19 percent of Americans feel very confident they’re paying a fair price when they take their car to one.
Many Americans don’t know basic car care, study finds
If you’re inclined to compare your car to a ball and chain, you’re not alone, as one in four drivers feels burdened by their car, new research reveals.