Posted by
Kathleen Schmatz
on
March 18, 2014
While those of us in the auto care industry consider every month
car care month, April is the official National Car Care Month according to the
non-profit Car Care Council. By the way,
I’m proud to affirm that our association funds and directs the council, whose
purpose is to educate consumers about the benefits of regular vehicle care,
maintenance and repair.
Could there be a better time of
the year to remind car owners to give their vehicles some TLC? I doubt it,
especially this spring after the ravages of record low temperatures and
snowfall in many regions of the country.
Folks are tired of cleaning snow
and salt off their cars and dodging those bone-rattling potholes. As consumers
transition from cold weather to warm weather, they adopt an overall spring
cleaning mind-set, whether it’s with their house, lawn or vehicle. And
they are getting excited about planning those spring and summer road trips and
vacations.
So April
offers a huge opportunity for parts stores and repair shops to market their
products and services to consumers who are in the mood to fix up their vehicles
and get back out on the road. More than 35 million motorists are planning to
take a trip by car this Memorial Day weekend. The Car Care Council has tons of
resources for stores and shops and distributors who need content for their
website and social media outreach and the tools needed to get involved in and
celebrate National Car Care Month. Go to www.carcare.org.
Last year,
we learned from vehicles inspections conducted around the country during
National Car Care Month community events that 79 percent needed service
performed and/or at least one part replaced.
There is
plenty of undone work out there. Leverage National Car Care Month to capture it.