At Star, we are big proponents of preventive maintenance, and we’ve been told that you save 40% over the life of your car when you maintain it vs. fund major breakdowns.

Today, we bring you information from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Here’s their take on the importance of preventive maintenance:

Source: National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)

So what is the most distracting food to have in the car while driving around Chicagoland?

Is it…?

1. A hamburger
2. Coffee
3. Pop
4. Gummy bears

You may be surprised to learn that all but gummy bears are among the top 10 most distracting foods when you are driving, but if you chose “coffee,” give yourself an extra two points. Coffee is the number one food distraction for drivers across the country, and food distractions cause 25 percent of all car accidents. That adds up to more than a 1.5 million accidents each year.

You’ll notice that all of the top 10 distracting food items are messy. Messy foods are the type you might spill (very distracting!) and then try to clean up (a safe-driving impossibility!). If you have to eat on the run, take five and then drive. You’ll thank yourself later for two reasons: 1) You can actually relax for just a moment in our fast-paced world. 2) You won’t have to worry about getting that cinnamon roll frosting out of your dashboard after that near miss.

If you’re taking drinks in the car—as most of us do—keep drinks in spill-proof containers. Then you can keep your eyes on the road without worrying about where that spill is headed.

So ask yourself: Would you rather take a good break or fill out an accident report? When you weigh the options, it should be a little easier to slow down and take that food break and to exercise extra care when sipping your morning coffee.

Life’s full of surprises, and some of those surprises come with a price tag. A leaky roof, a broken tooth, an unexpected car repair. While planning for scheduled maintenance is fairly straightforward, it can be difficult to budget for unexpected repairs. Fortunately, there are tools online to help you plan for those.

One such tool is on Edmunds.com. The site’s True Cost to Own calculator helps you estimate a service and repair budget. Let’s suppose you have a 2003 Toyota Camry. It’s paid for, and you’d like to keep it running for the next three years. Go to Edmunds’ and enter your vehicle’s data. The calculator will provide estimates of what it will cost to service and repair your vehicle over the next five years. The estimate is based on where you live, manufacturers’ recommendations and repair experiences for your particular model. (The calculator also estimates depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fuel costs.)

Of course these are just estimates. There’s no way to predict what will actually happen to the car in your driveway, but it’s a good starting point. Here’s some additional information that may help. This table shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repairs is $83 dollars. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to a new car payment. And if you can set aside $83 a month, you’ll go a long way toward taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for the unexpected repairs that arise.

As vehicles age, some motorists worry about what can go wrong with their older car and they buy a new one. That’s fine if you really want a new car, but if you properly maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a ton of money on new car payments and insurance. It just makes good economic sense. Of course, if you want personalized advice, please don’t hesitate to contact your Star service advisor.