UNDER-MAINTAINED VEHICLES COST MOTORISTS BILLIONS

Education is Key for April National Car Care Month

Atlanta, Georgia - April 1, 2004 - This season, as the urge for spring cleaning sweeps the nation, the Car Care Council advises the public to put vehicle maintenance at the top of their lists. The Council has designated April as National Car Care Month (NCCM), and estimates that more than $60 billion in vehicle maintenance and repair are not performed every year, evidence that there is considerably more that consumers should be doing to protect their automotive investments.

Last year, 90% of cars checked during free inspections as a part of National Car Care Month failed one or more aspects, and revealed:

-38% had low, overfull or dirty motor oil
-25% had low or dirty power steering fluid
-22% had low, overfull or burnt transmission fluid
-54% had improperly inflated tires

The Council attributes consumers' neglect of regular vehicle maintenance to a lack of awareness and understanding, inconsistent messages and misinformation.

Yet many maintenance procedures are easy, quick and affordable for do-it-yourselfers or at a service facility. "Education is the key to improving motorists' understanding of vehicle maintenance issues," says Tom Minner, President of Champion Performance Products. Coinciding with NCCM, the company launched the Champion® Performance Additives line that specifically addresses power, performance and protection issues. Product labels give consumers concise problem/solution information that enables them to easily identify the correct products and develop regular maintenance schedules.

"A vehicle that is serviced at regular intervals usually costs less in the long run to maintain, contributes to highway safety, conserves energy and benefits the environment," says Minner. Moreover, more than five percent of all vehicle accidents result from unperformed vehicle maintenance, resulting in 2600 deaths, 100,000 disabling injuries and a cost of more than $2 billion every year according to the Car Care Council.

Throughout April, numerous service facilities will be offering free vehicle safety checks. For more information and for the Car Care Council's suggested service interval schedule, visit www.carcare.org or www.championbrands.com.

Champion Performance Products (Atlanta, GA) is a division of Champion Brands, LLC (Clinton, MO), a fully integrated manufacturer that produces and markets more than 300 products including lubricants and fuel, oil and engine additives for the automotive, heavy truck, agriculture, marine and specialty markets.