Auto Repair: Tips for Young Drivers

When your child receives his or her first car, be sure that she knows the basics of car maintenance and auto repair. Make sure that you child understands the importance of getting regular oil changes. A teen or a young adult may believe that as long as the car has oil, it is not necessary to get the oil changed. If your child understand how dirty oil can damage the car, he or she may be more likely to visit the auto repair shop periodically for oil changes. Changing the oil filter and the air filter are important steps to keep a car well-maintained. Introduce your child to the owner's manual, pointing out the highlights. Suggest that your child checks his or her tires regularly. Show her how to check the tire's pressure with a gauge, and make sure that she knows where to find the label in her car with the recommended tire pressure. Her child should understand that the pressure of her tires may change during environmental changes. Like with the importance of changing the oil, she needs to understand why it's important to check the tire's pressure. When children understand risks associated with thwarting maintenance, they are more likely to take proper care of their vehicles. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire or engine problems.

Keep your child safer by enrolling her in a vehicle club, which provides towing and roadside assistance. Some motorists clubs provide concierge services, so your child can get help if she needs other assistance while on the road. She should have the number to the club programmed into her cell phone.

Help your teen find a fair and reliable auto repair shop nearby. If your child is in college, she will need a good mechanic near her school. Once your child has a mechanic, she will be more likely to take the car in to be serviced. Instill in her the importance of getting tune-ups, and offer a suggested time period for her first tune-up. Make sure that your child understands that she should take her car to the mechanic even if she suspects a problem. Minor problems at the present can turn into larger problems later.

Make sure that your child has an emergency auto kit in her car and teach her how to use it. However, for some drivers, it is perfectly fine to wait for help in a safe area. You don't want your child to try to fix her car on a busy highway or at an empty area at night. She should at least have a good spare tire that she can drive on for several miles.

Suggest good car maintenance apps to help your child keep track of necessary maintenance. An app will help your teen remember what needs to be done and when it should be completed. Finally, remind your teen that she should not allow her gas tank to get too low. Oftentimes teens drive for long distances, forgetting to get gas.