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By KELLY HANNON
When money is scarce, car maintenance and repair can seem like a luxury.
Hear something rattling? Turn up the radio.
But local maintenance shops in the Fredericksburg area report being busier than they were six months ago.
Drivers are opting to fix the car they already own, rather than buy a new one.
"They don't want a new car payment," said Chris Wallace, owner of Victory Lane Auto Service on U.S. 1 in North Stafford.
On Tuesday, Wallace's shop had a queue of cars that needed preventive maintenance repairs, oil changes and transmission fluid.
"That's such a big dollar item, if the transmission fails, whereas the maintenance is only a $150 repair," Wallace said.
With the onset of winter, Victory Lane is also fixing heating systems and replacing worn-out batteries.
Then there are the repairs drivers can't ignore, when a car has broken down.
"They don't have a choice," Wallace said.
Nationwide, vehicle owners are hanging onto their cars longer.
In 2007, the median age for passengers cars still in operation was 9.2 years, according to automobile trend-tracker R.L. Polk & Co. The median age for light and heavy trucks was 7.3 years.
And a sizeable number of Americans are driving cars at least 11 years old: 41 percent, according to R.L. Polk.
People are keeping their cars for a few reasons.
Drivers say they want to avoid a monthly payment, and others say they would have difficulty securing a loan in the current credit climate, said Merlin Crist, service manager at Automotive Classics in Falmouth.
The repair shop on Chatham Road has so much business it is hiring a third technician to keep pace with the workload.
"People aren't buying new cars right now. People are fixing them," Crist said.
Lately, Automotive Classes has replaced more transmissions than usual.
In the past, such a large repair would trigger a new car purchase.
"They say, we'll get over that. It's a good car. It's worthwhile to put the money into the car," Crist said.
But nationwide, AAA Mid-Atlantic is not as confident people will spent money on preventive maintenance this winter.
"I think we're probably going to see a record number of breakdowns and people running into problems," said John B. Townsend, AAA Mid-Atlantic's manager of public and government affairs in Washington.
With one in three houses expected to enter foreclosure by the end of the year, "people are concerned about keeping a roof over their heads," Townsend said.
In that environment, having the oil changed in your car every 3,000 miles, checking tires for tread and inflation, and replacing batteries get shifted to the back burner, he said.
The Fredericksburg area may be insulated from the national trend because of its high percentage of long-haul commuters, who need a functioning car to get to work, Townsend said.
But AAA's network of approved automotive shops is seeing fewer repairs.
"Repair shops report customers are reluctant to repair something unless it has completely failed," Townsend said.
AAA encourages drivers to check out two key areas for repairs and maintenance: tires and batteries.
Car batteries need to be replaced every three to four years, Townsend said, and tires also expire.
Tires should be properly inflated and have appropriate tread. This is especially important in the winter, when road surfaces are dangerous.
"In wet conditions and slick conditions and rain and sleet, your tires need to be in top shape," Townsend said.
If anyone doubts the market for car maintenance, Crist invites them to look at Interstate 95 on a weekday.
"It's bumper to bumper, so people are still driving," Crist said. "And in order to keep driving, people need to keep their cars up.
"It will catch up with you if you don't," Crist said.
Kelly Hannon: 540/374-5436
Email: khannon@freelancestar.com
