While Americans have abdicated much of their car maintenance and even cleaning to automotive service providers over the past two decades, a new study from 3M Car Care finds that the current economic environment is causing a dramatic shift in how Americans care for their cars. In the “Elbow Grease Economics," a study of more than 5,000 American consumers, 3M Car Care found that a surprising number of car owners are taking their car maintenance into their own hands -- and on their own driveways. 3M Car Care has introduced an entire line of consumer car care products, all based on its high-performance professional products, to make it easier for consumers to take care of routine maintenance and car appearance projects. It also offers easy to use kits for tune-ups, headlight restoration and other tasks with all of the products needed for the job in one package. There also are a number of new products that make the projects easier, such as 3M Performance Finish, which lasts for up to 50 washes with no white residue, 3M Scratch Remover to restore vehicle finish and 3M Fuel System Cleaner to improve mileage. Key findings of 3M Car Care's "Elbow Grease Economics" include: - Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of Americans are washing their own car to save money -- or having someone in their household do it -- and 33 percent are doing the detailing themselves. Even female baby boomers are getting into the car wash spirit -- some 69 percent say they would now do the task at home to pinch pennies.
- Homes with pre-teen and teenage children are taking advantage of the built-in labor pool, with some 69 percent of 45 to 54-year-old women indicating they or someone in their household wash their own cars
- Families making between $50,000 and $75,000 ranked highest (68 percent) in tackling their car washing at home to save money.
- Other tasks car owners are tackling include repairing or replacing windshield wipers or headlights (57 percent), using fuel additives to improve fuel efficiency (17 percent), using at-home tune-up kits instead of paying for tune-ups (16 percent) and making repairs to their car's exterior (11 percent).
- Americans also say they are driving less to deal with today's higher fuel prices, with 68 percent spending less time on the road. Women lead the pack on preserving fuel, with 71 percent cutting their car time vs. 65 percent of men. Carpooling also appears trendy, with Gen Y and Gen X car owners -- some 30 percent of adults 18 to 34 and 36 percent of women 18 to 34 -- sharing rides to shave expenses.
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