2004 National Car Care Month InspectionsShow 87 Percent
Failure Rate    
Reproduced with permission from the Car Care Council.

The Car Care Council has released the results of its annual National Car Care Month inspection campaign, which took place in April.

This year's results showed that 87 percent of the vehicles taking part in the program had at least one component that failed the inspection process. The inspection lanes, conducted throughout the U.S. by sponsoring local organizations and businesses, are part of the automotive aftermarket industry's ongoing public awareness campaign called "Be Car Care Aware."

While the numbers dropped from 90 percent to 87 percent this year, these results continue to underscore the need for consumer education, said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council.

"Compared to the 90 percent failure rate last year, the 2004 inspection results indicate that the motoring public is beginning to understand the importance of maintaining their vehicles and are starting to take action to reduce vehicle neglect," said White. "While we are thrilled to see the numbers decrease, an 87 percent failure rate is too high. This just reinforces the fact that the aftermarket industry needs to continue to show its support for the campaign and keep the momentum going through donations and consumer education."

Among the most common components to fail the inspection were lubricants and fluids, including engine oil (34 percent) coolant (27 percent) and brake fluid (26 percent). Tire pressure was also high on the list, with 25 percent of vehicles inspected showing incorrect tire pressure.

As part of the "Be Car Care Aware" education campaign, the Car Care Council is offering a free service interval schedule to help take the guesswork out of what vehicle systems need to be routinely inspected and when service or repair should be performed. The schedule can be printed, for free, from the Car Care Council's web site at www.carcare.org.

The Car Care Council and the Car Care Newspaper Supplement are the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign, promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance, and repair to consumers.