WASHINGTON – More modern vehicles are coming equipped with a car care maintenance reminder system, an electronic feature that lets a driver know when he or she needs to bring the vehicle in for a reminder.

One common headache for fleet managers has been getting drivers to bring in their vehicles for preventive maintenance. AAA’s new study of driver behavior shows that these systems do in fact get drivers to take their vehicles in for maintenance.

According to AAA, six out of ten motorists (63%) have a vehicle with a built-in electronic maintenance reminder that alerts them when it’s time to bring a vehicle in for preventive maintenance (an oil change, for example).

Five out of ten (51%) of those motorists who own a vehicle with that type of system surveyed rely solely on the reminder system and only get work done when it reminds them to do so. Next, of those surveyed, 35% perform maintenance work more frequently than recommended by the system and only 13% do so less frequently.

“The advancements in modern maintenance reminder systems take the guess work out of deciding when to take your vehicle in for service,” said John Nielsen, director of AAA Automotive Engineering and Repair. “The challenge now is educating consumers to trust that their vehicle will alert them when maintenance is needed.”

AAA stated that although a number of people are in fact listening to the reminder, drivers need to be educated about what each maintenance alert means.