The "Shell V-Power Consumer Car Care Survey" of 1,032 Americans, which was conducted to gauge consumers' behavior and attitudes toward routine car care, found that the majority of Americans are generally interested in maintaining their cars to ensure they look and run their best, but it also identified some areas for improvement, from the car wash to the gas pump.

Buffing from Bumper to Bumper

Whether rinsing off the family SUV in the driveway or taking the convertible to a car wash for a special detailing, Americans spend a good deal of time keeping their prized possessions shiny and spot-free. But when it gets down to the "nitty-gritty" of keeping a car tidy, men seem to care more about how their vehicle looks on the outside than how it looks on the inside. In fact, according to the Shell survey, men (20 percent) are more likely than women (16 percent) to give their cars a special wash and wax treatment on the outside. On the other hand, women are slightly more likely (19 percent) than men (16 percent) to vacuum the interiors of their cars and add an air freshener.

The motivation behind keeping a clean car also differs by gender. Nearly 60 percent of women want to avoid embarrassment by keeping their car clean for important business meetings -compared with about 35 percent of men. Men, on the other hand, are thinking more about pleasure than business when it comes to keeping a car clean. Almost half (48 percent) of the men surveyed said they'd be more embarrassed by a dirty car if they were taking a date to dinner, compared with just 18 percent of women.

Although many people enjoy washing their own car by hand, others wouldn't mind a little extra help when it comes to car-cleaning chores. Just as it's nice to have help with household cleaning duties, many Americans wouldn't mind tapping the resources of a famous housekeeper to assist with day-to-day car care. And if Alice is good enough for Mike and Carol Brady, she's obviously good enough for many Americans. When asked which famous housekeeper they'd hire to handle their car-cleaning duties, women indicated that they'd be most likely to hire Alice from "The Brady Bunch" (22 percent) or Tony, the handsome housekeeper from "Who's the Boss" (22 percent). Men were more likely to turn to Geoffrey, the butler from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (23 percent), to keep their automobile tidy.

Energizing the Engine

Just as many Americans make routine manicures and pedicures a top priority, and never miss an appointment at their hair salon, men and women from coast to coast agree that the best way to treat a car right is to take it in for routine maintenance. When asked how they prefer to pamper their car, 54 percent of survey respondents said they would perform, or have someone else perform, routine maintenance on their vehicles, such as checking the tire pressure, oil and washer fluid, but some do it more frequently than others. Specifically, the survey found:

• Only 24 percent of Americans perform some type of routine maintenance on their cars on a monthly basis, with 18 percent doing it more frequently - approximately every two weeks.
  
• The majority of those surveyed (40 percent) don't perform routine maintenance until their car's regular oil change.
  
• One out of every 10 Americans never, or hardly ever, performs routine maintenance to care for their car.

In the South, traditional Southern manners seem to rule, with nearly 50 percent of people living in this region attending to the needs of their cars at least once a month by performing routine maintenance. In addition, one out of every four Southerners always fills up with mid-grade or premium fuel, and an additional 14 percent use mid-grade or premium gasoline on occasion. In comparison, nearly a quarter of Western respondents (22 percent) surveyed said they purchase the cheapest gas regardless of the type of gasoline that is recommended by their car's manufacturer.

While many Americans may not be able to put down Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" or the latest thriller by Stephen King, they have little interest in making their owner's manual a national bestseller.
In fact, the majority of Americans (63 percent) have read only bits and pieces of their owner's manual, and 11 percent of Americans haven't even cracked the spine. Only 23 percent of people have read their owner's manual from cover to cover, according to the survey.

Focusing on Fuels

While running out of gas and ending up stranded on the side of the highway wouldn't be a pleasant experience for most people, the survey seems to indicate that more than a quarter of Americans don't mind taking their chances. In fact, about 19 percent of people surveyed said they wait until their car's fuel light comes on and about 7 percent wait until they know there's nothing but fumes left in the tank before they pull into a gas station to fill up. When Americans do fill up, the survey found that:

• 45 percent of motorists fill up with regular gasoline.
  
• One in 10 motorists always uses mid-grade, and another 13 percent always use premium gasoline.
  
• 13 percent use mid-grade or premium fuel every now and then to treat their cars.
  
• 17 percent of those surveyed don't care what kind of gasoline they put in their car as long as it's the cheapest.

Driving to a Different Drumbeat

While Americans may increasingly be in a Kentucky Derby-style scramble to get from point A to point B, the survey found that some cars may be slow getting out of the starting gate. In fact, about 27 percent of drivers surveyed said they had experienced hesitancy when stepping on the gas pedal.

The survey also found that motorists had experienced the following situations when driving their vehicles:

• Knocking, pinging or other unusual engine noises (31 percent)
  
• Engine stalling (22 percent)
  
• Backfiring (11 percent)

Cost and maintenance aside, drivers get revved up at the thought of getting behind the wheel of a famous techno-savvy, sleek and sporty car. When asked which famous car they'd most like to drive, the majority of survey respondents said they'd take the wheel of David Hasselhoff's two-door sports car K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider" or the Batmobile from the movie and television show "Batman." However, some other classic favorites made the list as well. Specifically, respondents said they'd like to drive:

• K.I.T.T. from the television show "Knight Rider" (27 percent)
  
• The Batmobile from the movie and television show "Batman" (21 percent)
  
• The General Lee from the television show "The Dukes of Hazzard" (20 percent)
  
• Herbie the Love Bug from the movie "The Love Bug" (10 percent)
  
• Greased Lightning from the movie "Grease" (7 percent)
  
• The Ectomobile from the movie "Ghostbusters" (2 percent)

Forging a Freeway Friendship

Whether washing and waxing their car, taking it in for an oil change or filling up with a quality fuel, Americans generally feel good about the condition of their cars and hold them in high regard. When asked to compare their cars to a character from the popular sitcom "Friends," nearly half of those surveyed likened their car to the Ross Gellar character, stating that their four-wheeled "friend" is "steady and dependable," while others viewed their car in a slightly different light. Specifically, survey respondents thought their car reminded them of:

• Ross Gellar, because it's steady and dependable (46 percent)
  
• Rachel Green, because it's stylish and classic (12 percent)
  
• Monica Gellar Bing, because it's neat and in control (10 percent)
  
• Phoebe Buffay, because it's free-spirited and little out of the ordinary (7 percent)
  
• Joey Tribbiani, because it has sex appeal (6 percent)
  
• Chandler Bing, because it always gets a good laugh (6 percent)

About the Survey

The "Shell V-Power Consumer Car Care Survey" was conducted in May 2004 by Focus Research, Inc., a full-service research company based in Covington, La. The survey was conducted by telephone with a random sampling of 1,032 Americans 18 years of age or older. The survey results have a margin of error of +/- 3.1 points.

Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, and has a network of nearly 7,200 branded gasoline stations in the Western United States. For more information, please visit www.shell.com.