Program Encourages Consumers to Become 'Do-it-Yourselfers'

Monday June 14, 10:01 am ET

ROANOKE, Va., June 14, 2004; With a little know-how and confidence the average consumer can save between $500 and $1,000 a year on car maintenance and repair, simply by doing the work themselves.

Advance Auto Parts has launched "We're Ready with Answers," a new consumer education program that demonstrates to vehicle owners that becoming a "do-it- yourselfer" (DIYer) is easy. Advance Auto Parts is providing consumers with information and instruction on how to care for their cars, make them safer and keep them longer.

"There are two things you can count on, no matter how old your car is," said Bryan Gregory, Advance Auto Parts' manager of consumer education. "One is that some form of repair or maintenance is needed and, two, the fix is often easy and inexpensive."

"We're Ready with Answers" offers the "why" and "how to" of car maintenance. A series of 128 "do-it-yourself" brochures reflect what consumers should know about auto maintenance, repair and safety. They cover everything from how to change your distributor cap to aiming your headlights to how to clean your leather seats. There also are brochures for projects geared towards the more experienced DIYers, like engine and tire-rod end replacement.

Individual maintenance or safety projects, step-by-step instructions, an assessed level of difficulty and cost savings information, are included in each brochure. They can be found on "Do-It-Yourself" kiosks in Advance's 2,500 stores across the country.

The goal of the program is to position Advance Auto Parts as the place consumers can come to learn, take advantage of team expertise and know that someone will walk them through the process of car maintenance and repair.

"We truly are looking at this as a public service," said Gregory. "Will it bring new customers into our stores? We hope so. But what we really want is for people to walk away with confidence that our team has guided them well, that they can save a lot of money and, most importantly, they will be driving safer vehicles."

Advance Auto Parts is an industry leader in ASE-certified (Automotive Service Excellence) Team Members. According to Gregory, that certification is what distinguishes Advance from the others. It prides itself on having a team in each store that is qualified to instruct the customer in car maintenance and repair.

"This program is not an attempt to keep consumers away from dealerships or mechanics. In fact, there are many things we recommend customers not attempt on their own," said Gregory. "We're simply empowering them to understand the vehicle they are driving, and to know that significant cost savings is possible."

In addition to the brochures, the company will offer a series of car-care clinics, through its Advance Auto Parts Network. The satellite-television programming, available in all stores, will follow the same "why and how to" theme as the brochures.

"We want consumers to understand that car maintenance isn't a whole lot different than taking care of your home," said Gregory. "You change air filters and vacuum the carpets on a regular basis to keep your home looking new. Why not do the same for your car?"

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. is based in Roanoke, VA, and is the second largest auto parts chain in the nation. With more than 2,500 stores in 39 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Advance serves both the "do-it-yourselfers" and professional installer markets.

Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.advanceautoparts.com.