In the October 2003 edition of Aftermarket Business there is an intriguing feature story about the attitudes of mechanics regarding the installation of various auto parts. The survey was conducted online, with invitations sent to 29,000 subscribers of Motor Age, a sister publication of aftermarket Business. Although motor oil was not one of the items on the survey, market data from other sources can give us a fairly clear picture of attitudes we'd find had the questions been asked. Even without data, the results of this survey easily lead to some interesting conclusions about the motor oil aftermarket.

Nearly 3,000 installers participated in the survey which analyzed attitudes and behavior regarding the installation of ball joints, batteries, belts & hoses, clutches, sensors, gaskets, spark plugs, filters and more. The website asked 42 questions about each automotive product segment. The magazine then presented the results in easy to grasp pie and bar charts.

Just a few examples of the questions asked include: Where do you purchase your ball joints? How many ball joint suppliers do you have? Where do you go for ball joint installation training? Why did you buy that particular ball joint?

Examples of possible answers to this last question include: Brand Name, Warranty, Recommendation, Availability, Incentive, Customer Request, Quality, Price, and Delivery.

THE QUALITY EQUATION
What specifically intrigued me about this survey, and prompted the writing of this article, was the pie chart on the middle of each page beneath a very significant question. When you install ball joints, what percentage are premium, mid-level or economy? When comparing the various answers to this question, it did not take long to notice a pattern. Let's see if you can see it.

Ball Joints
Premium: 82%
Mid-Level: 14%
Economy: 4%

Batteries
Premium: 62%
Mid-Level: 27%
Economy: 11%

Belts & Hoses
Premium: 82%
Mid-Level: 13%
Economy: 5%

Brakes
Premium: 73%
Mid-Level: 21%
Economy: 6%

Clutches
Premium: 87%
Mid-Level: 11%
Economy: 2%

Exhaust
Premium: 55%
Mid-Level: 27%
Economy: 18%

Filters
Premium: 57%
Mid-Level: 29%
Economy: 14%

Fuel Pumps
Premium: 84%
Mid-Level: 13%
Economy: 3%

Gaskets
Premium: 85%
Mid-Level: 12%
Economy: 3%

Hub Systems
Premium: 80%
Mid-Level: 15%
Economy: 5%

Oxygen Sensors
Premium: 85%
Mid-Level: 12%
Economy: 3%

Shocks & Struts
Premium: 73%
Mid-Level: 21%
Economy: 6%

Spark Plugs
Premium: 64%
Mid-Level: 8%
Economy: 28%

In more than half of all categories, more than 80% installed premium parts or components. In every single category more than half of all respondents installed premium products. When it came to a preference of quality over economy, in these categories the installers favored quality every time.

One category I did not include above had to do with diagnostic equipment. When selecting diagnostic tools nine out of ten installers themselves chose premium equipment. This kind of ratio clearly indicates the recognition that there is a difference in performance between premium and economy class tools.

By economy we mean, of course, that the price is given precedence over performance. The survey writers were kind and avoided using the word "cheap" which has a derogatory tone.

WHAT ABOUT MOTOR OIL?
I looked in vain for a "motor oil" category in this survey. There may be a couple of reasons such a category was missing. Even without asking we know that in this particular category we'd see significantly reversed ratios. The NOLN survey from earlier this year reveals a completely reversed attitude. Instead of installing premium synthetic motor oils it is a nearly universal reality that quick lubes are primarily installing conventional petroleum oils. Why is this? Especially in light of the fact that in every other category the majority of installer prefer premium products?

Even the lowly spark plug gets a better showing here. That is, there is a perception that premium makes a difference. Otherwise wouldn't the economy plugs be installed?

And that is exactly the problem with our motor oil market. By pushing the cheaper product category in motor oil, we are tacitly claiming that it does not matter what people choose or use. How did this happen? Can we change this perception? And more importantly, do we want to change this perception?

As an aside here, I find it somewhat disappointing that even though a majority of installers (57%) selected premium filters, the filter category had one of the lowest showings compared to other categories. Engine cleanliness begins with quality filtration. Installing cheap filters is a signal that either we do not really care about the long term performance of our customers' vehicles or that we don't understand the importance of filtration.

In the internal combustion engine motor oil is just one component of an overall system that also includes air and oil filters. Motorists invest premium dollars in their cars, SUVs and light trucks. Premium products are the natural product to recommend for these customers who are accustomed to better and best in other areas, from hotels to dining out.

When I was young I routinely visited nursing homes as a volunteer. At one of these homes a woman I met there was fond of repeating this maxim: "Good, better, best, never let it rest till your good gets better and your better gets best." Sounds like a variation on the survey question above, doesn't it? Economy, Mid-Level, Premium…. Good, better, best.

If we all adhered to this principle, we'd be continually educating our customers about the benefits of synthetic lubricants and the role premium oil and filtration products serve in providing optimal engine performance and longevity. It makes a difference.

Ed Newman is Marketing & Advertising Manager for AMSOIL INC.