A recent study by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has shown that nearly nine out of ten female motorists are at least somewhat involved in the decision-making process for their household's vehicle maintenance and repair.

"Because little has been done to investigate the role of women in the decision-making process for maintenance and repairs, AAIA commissioned this study as an assessment of the factors that facilitate female spending in the automotive aftermarket," said Kathleen Schmatz, AAIA president and chief executive officer.

More than two-thirds of decision-making women (68 percent) always take their vehicle in for service themselves, according to the study, and an additional 21 percent of women share the duty of taking the vehicle in for service with someone else, usually husbands or ex-husbands.