Professional technicians of America, you can rest easy tonight safe in the knowledge you have plenty of job security.
A new survey by a company providing personal financial services and advice finds while most Americans car owners are capable of basic -- very basic! -- maintenance, they are far less confident in their ability to do even slightly more demanding automotive repair tasks.
Florida-based Finance Buzz found in its recent survey of 1,000 car owners that while 80% of them can put air in their cars tires and 78% can add windshield washer fluid successfully. However, less than half -- just 48% -- said they can change a tire without help. And, just 38% said they could perform an oil change on their own.
Even dashboard warning lights can be a bit confusing for some. While 78% recognized a check engine light, only 13% could successfully identify a brake warning light. Many folks even struggled with basic paperwork: 70% knew what their car's monthly insurance premium costs, but slightly more than half, just 52%, knew their coverage limits.
The FinanceBuzz report finds many American car owners will depend on pros like you to handle many repairs. The percentage of respondents and the repair tasks they'll need your help with include:
- replace spark plugs - 73%
- perform an oil change - 64%
- replace an engine air filter - 55%
- replace their car’s battery - 53%
- change a tire - 52%
- replace a wiper blade - 39%
- jump start a car - 38%
One's confidence in their ability to make a repair -- specifically, perform an oil change -- depends in large part their age. The percentage of car owners who would need you help includes:
- 53% of Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)
- 39% of Gen X ( born between 1965 and 1980)
- 31% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1995)
- 29% of Gen Z (born between 1996 and 2010)
Things get a little doifferenent when it comes to one especially specific task: driving a stick shift. The survey said while 62% of all drivers claim they know how to drive stick, that number increases to 69% among Boomers, but tumbles to just over half -- 51% -- of millennials.
See the full FinanceBuzz report online.
