Advance Auto Parts is proudly teaming up with colleges and universities in Virginia and around the country to help educate college students on an essential subject that is learned out of the classroom and under the hood of their vehicles.

Most students enter college with a very limited knowledge base of their vehicle. They know how to drive their vehicles, pump gas, what buttons to push for all of their favorite bells and whistles and they may even know how to check their oil. But when an unexpected emergency occurs, students often feel as though they are stranded with nowhere to turn.

Their parents are hundreds of miles away, along with the dealership or auto shop that they frequent for anything from oil changes to electrical problems and the trigonometry, that they are assured by their professor will be used in every day life, is far from what they need at the moment. What will they do now?

Beginning in April of 2006, Advance Auto Parts teamed up with several colleges in Virginia to test a new "Campus Car Care" program to help students with vehicle-related topics. By linking a webpage onto the school’s website, students and professors alike have free and easy 24 hour access to a wealth of car care information provided by Advance Auto Parts. The website provides information and short videos on anything from how to change your wiper blades to how you should prepare your vehicle for a road trip or harsh seasonal weather. The website also features a store locator which will quickly locate the nearest Advance Auto Parts Store and a link to shop on-line if their transportation is currently out of order. There is also a FAQs button, a button to access Advance Auto’s Video Podcasts, and:

• Gas saving tips;
• Road trip prep;
• Seasonal prep;
• How to jump start;
• Driving tips; and
• Easy know-how videos.

Because of the excellent feedback received from students and parents, Advance Auto Parts has now partnered with six Virginia schools, with many more interested in surrounding states. In some cases, Bryan Gregory, Advance Auto Parts’ ASE Certified Director of Consumer Education, conducts on-campus clinics for students, equipping them with basic vehicle knowledge, and facilitating hands-on instruction.

Advance Auto Parts, as well as the colleges and universities that have chosen to partner with the company, hope that the new Campus Car Care program will be of great use to college students during their first years away from home.

"I definitely felt a sense of comfort in knowing that I have a great website to go to if I experience any problems with my car and I am now confident if I have to speak to a mechanic," said one college senior.

Advance Auto Parts values its customers of all ages. After all, the vehicle that college students drive to school will most likely be the transportation source for their first interview, their first day on the job and many more important occasions. The last thing that they will need on that important day is for their vehicle to be in an unreliable condition.

For more information on this program or any vehicle-related problems, feel free to stop in any one of your local Advance Auto Parts stores and talk with one of our knowledgeable Team Members, or check out our website at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com, where you can find free podcasts, video know-how demonstrations and much more information that could potentially save you a trip to the auto shop.