Recent survey casts light on which generation puts the most care and attention into their vehicles and how
A recent survey conducted by MarketWatch Guides of 1,100 car owners ages 18 and greater — representing Gen Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers — has cast a light on which generation puts the most care and attention into their vehicles and how they care for them.
The following are highlights from the survey.
Car Care and Maintenance
A great majority of respondents in every generation report they felt they did a relatively good job of taking care of their vehicles. According to the survey report, among those who responded, 90.6% answered either, “I care for my car and maintain it to the best of my abilities” or “I am mostly very responsible about car care and maintenance.”
At 87.3%, Gen X was the only generation in which fewer than 90% chose one of these two options.
Manufacturer’s Recommended Service Schedule
Most people who MarketWatch surveyed — 77.6% — say they adhered to their manufacturer’s recommendations “always” or “most of the time.”
Among all age groups, the reports states that millennials appear to be the most likely to follow that recommended service schedule, with 83.5% saying they adhered to it “always” or “most of the time.” Millennials were the only generation in which more than 80% of respondents selected one of those two answers.
Oil Change Intervals
In the past, “every 3,000 miles” was a rule of thumb for how often owners should change their vehicle’s oil. But many of today’s OEMs have lengthened that interval to every 5,000 miles. Based on MarketWatch’s survey results, the majority of people of all age groups are likely to change their oil at one of these two intervals, with more than 80% overall reporting they did.
Baby boomers are the least likely to change their oil every 3,000 miles, at 25%. The survey report points out, however, that they are also the generation most likely to change their oil every 4,000 to 5,000 miles, with 53.5% saying they did so at this interval. According to MarketWatch survey results, millennials change their oil at one of those two intervals, at a combined 85.4%.
Quickest to Address Vehicle Issues
The survey asked how soon participants responded to issues or warning lights. Overall, most stated they respond to issues quickly. Among all respondents, 85.7% said that they addressed vehicle issues either “as soon as possible” or as soon as it was convenient.
Baby boomers are the most likely to immediately respond to car trouble, with 68.6% saying they addressed issues “as soon as possible.” Gen Z is the least likely to respond immediately, with only 40.7% choosing “as soon as possible.”
Reasons for Delaying Car Care
For those who were asked why they waited to address issues, they responded either, “I wait until I have the money to pay for service” or “I wait to see if the problem goes away on its own.” Money was the largest barrier, with 66.3% citing “lack of funds to pay for maintenance and care.” The second most common reason, selected by 35.6% of respondents, was “lack of knowledge or awareness of car maintenance practices.”
MarketWatch’s report notes it isn’t always a question of available funds, however. Baby boomers had the highest percentage of people who selected “I don’t care much about car maintenance” of any age group, with 21.4% selecting this option as at least one of their reasons.
Generations Most Likely to Change Their Own Oil
The survey asked respondents to indicate which, if any, maintenance and repair services they performed themselves. The MarketWatch’s report states there was a wide variance by both generation and maintenance item, ranging from — on the low end — only 16.9% of baby boomers saying they changed their engine oil, to 76.9% of Gen X respondents performing windshield wiper replacement.
Between oil changes, filter replacements, windshield wiper replacements, lightbulb replacements, tire changes and battery jump-starts, replacing a cabin or engine air filter were tasks that all respondents were least likely to perform. On average, half of all respondents had that work performed by someone else.
Of all the age groups, Gen Z is the most likely, with 54.9% saying they did their own oil changes, followed by millennials at 49.2%. Baby boomers are the least likely, and are also the least likely to replace their own filters or change a tire.
Where Each Generation Gets Their Vehicles Serviced
MarketWatch states that one of the largest variations between generations in its survey was where respondents chose to have repair and maintenance performed. The survey asked participants to choose between dealerships, independent shops, national chains, a friend or family member or doing their own maintenance as their primary resource for car care.
Baby boomers — at 39% — are the most likely to take their car to a dealership for service. But they are also the most likely to choose a independent repairer, with 36.6% selecting that option, which is only slightly higher than the 35.2% of Gen Zers.
Generation X respondents are the most likely to have their car care performed at a national chain, according to the survey, though they are also the most likely to service their vehicles themselves, at 11.4%. Gen Z respondents accounted for the highest percentage of people (18.6%) who state they had their car care performed by a friend or family member.
Where Respondents Say They Learn Car Care Practices
MarketWatch found clear distinctions between generations as to where survey respondents say they learn service and maintenance habits and practices. When asked to select all of the sources they learned from — friends, family members, YouTube or other online resources, owner’s manual, classes or technicians — the most overall common source was from family members, at 64.4%.
While an average of 40.1% of Gen Z, millennial and Gen X respondents state they learned car care from YouTube and other online resources, only 14.5% of baby boomers selected this option. Instead, MarketWatch reports that baby boomers are more likely to have learned habits from their owner’s manual (40.1%) compared to other generations (approximately a quarter).
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