Vast Majority of Vehicle Owners Have Manufacturer-approved Maintenance Habits
November 15, 2007
A new and exclusive survey from automotive consumer advice site BuyingAdvice.com finds that 96 percent of vehicle owners state they follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for the routine maintenance of their vehicle.
Eighty-seven percent stated that they keep records of the services they have performed. This survey confirms that buyers are aware that adhering to recommended vehicle upkeep has tangible benefits.
In fact, eighty-three percent stated that they believed keeping records of their maintenance increased the resale value of their vehicle.
Industry experts confirmed this belief by telling BuyingAdvice.com that following the suggested maintenance schedule could increase the resale value of a vehicle. But the major impact of regular maintenance was to lower the driver’s overall cost of driving by keeping the vehicle running at premium efficiency.
Having detailed records of maintenance is particularly important for a lease owner who is usually obligated to perform service according to schedule. In the event of a dispute, the records can be produced to settle claims. The same is true in the case of a disputed warranty claim according to industry experts who spoke to BuyingAdvice.com.
Sixty-seven percent of those polled stated they had their maintenance done at a dealership.
The survey was taken among 2096 users of the BuyingAdvice.com web site. They all stated they were within 30 days of making a new car purchase and were drawn from the 50,000 consumers who request new car price quotes from the web site each month.
The study was the latest in a series of surveys being taken by the consumer advice and price quote web site that provides one of the most current and comprehensive pictures of the vehicle ownership practices among online car buyers.
An article based on the survey results can be found at www.buyingadvice.com.
