AKRON, Ohio – Six years ago, Katie Sipos of Norton, Ohio, didn’t know how to change the oil in her car.

But while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, she took a six-week course on basic car care as the driver of a Hummer and a 5-ton truck.

Sipos now changes her own oil, which she said is easy and cheaper than taking it to a professional.

But Sipos still knows her limits. She was shopping at the Advance Auto Parts store in Norton earlier this week looking for some tools to give to a friend’s husband who was going to replace a bumper on her Jeep. She estimated she’d save a few hundred dollars by having the friend replace the bumper instead of taking it to a shop.

Sipos is part of a growing number of female do-it-yourselfers when it comes to car care, according to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. The trade group for products and services purchased after the original sale of a vehicle reports that 65 percent of all do-it-yourselfers are women.

There’s also a growing number of women who are making the decisions when it comes to car care, whether they do it themselves or take the car to a service station. According to the trade group, 83 percent of women are responsible for the maintenance of their vehicles and 65 percent of do-it-for-me’s, or people who take their cars to others to do the work, are women.

Rich White, vice president of marketing for the trade group, said in surveys women said their main reasons for taking on some of the car-care responsibilities was to save money and because they thought it would be easy to do.

Auto parts stores have also tried make their stores more inviting, White said.

“Automotive parts stores are much cleaner and attractive, have a better variety of products and are doing a much better job of marketing to females,” he said.

The after-care market, which includes replacement parts, accessories, service repairs and tools and equipment, was $244.6 billion in 2003, according to the trade group.

The industry has a consumer education campaign, called Be Car Care Aware, which is run by a nonprofit organization called the Car Care Council.

White, who is also executive director of the council, said the industry is working hard to educate consumers about good car care.

“The industry realizes that that’s the secret to growing the marketplace. Making the whole automotive repair experience better and less intimidating is the way to go,” he said.

At least one national chain auto parts store is trying to hone in on the growing female and male do-it-yourselfers.

Bryan Gregory was hired as manager of consumer education for Advance Auto Parts 15 months ago.

The stores this summer debuted 128 brochures that show step-by-step instructions for many basic car care activities, such as changing an air filter to how to change spark plugs. They also tackle what may be more moderate to difficult jobs for do-it-yourselfers, such as troubleshooting and maintaining your air conditioning system to changing brake rotors.

Many stores, including Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone, also offer free diagnostic tests to help consumers figure out what’s wrong with their car and then buy the product at the store.

For instance, you can bring your car in to check the battery and get a replacement.