When Americans are against the wall, something clicks and the innovative process begins. And so it is with high gas prices. A number of contraptions and additives have become available to increase gas mileage. Some of these creations are amazing displays of Yankee ingenuity. Others are nothing more than shams. Surprisingly, in the midst of all of this fervor, there is tremendous opportunity for the service provider.

Motorists are teeming with questions about how to get more miles per gallon. Many of them are inquisitive about solutions that they’ve seen in the media, and who should know the answers better than their automotive service technician?

Service providers are in a unique position to help motorists during America’s ongoing gas crisis. Not only can most automotive technicians tell a customer if a new gadget or liquid will help, they also can tell if installing it or pouring it in the gas tank will harm the vehicle.

Certainly, a service provider doesn’t know everything about every new fangled invention, but he or she knows automobiles. So don’t fail to encourage your customers to come see you BEFORE they buy into a gas-saving scheme that could cost them in the long run. And for service providers who enjoy writing or speaking, there’s plenty of good PR to be garnered from the gas crises with newspaper and online columns, radio interviews and your local service club circuit such as the Rotary or Quota Clubs.

Find out more about what the Car Care Council can do for your business through the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign and Right to Repair at www.carcare.org or by calling the Car Care Council at (240) 333-1088.