Car Repair: How to Teach Your Teen Responsibility

When your child becomes a teenager, responsible for an automobile, it is important to teach him or her about car repair. You should introduce the child to the auto manual. It might be helpful to read the book with the child, explaining how the manual is organized. This will help the teen to quickly turn to the various parts of the book. Although it is not necessary to memorize the entire manual, your teen should be comfortable using the book and understand that all of the information regarding the maintenance of the vehicle is inside the manual.

Not only is it important for the teen to understand what maintenance should be performed, the teen should also understand the repercussions of skipping maintenance. For example, the teen should understand what might occur if the oil is not changed. The teen should know what could occur if the tire pressure is not checked. Teens sometimes feel that some items are simply not that important. They need to understand the value of maintaining the vehicle and how skipping the maintenance could land him or her on the side of the road in distress. Lack of maintenance could also make the vehicle unsafe to drive. Although the teen should not feel petrified to drive, he or she must have a healthy understanding of the importance of being a responsible owner. Of course, if you plan to be responsible for the vehicle's maintenance, you can explain that to the teen. He or she should still be aware of some of the things that could go wrong with the vehicle. For example, if the ride is bumpy or if the steering is not balanced, the teen should alert you immediately. If you will financially handle the vehicle's maintenance, because your teen is driving the vehicle, he or she should help you to become aware of issues associated with the vehicle.

There are some cell phone applications that can be downloaded that might help you and your teen keep track of some of the maintenance needs and car repair needs associated with the vehicle. If you choose to use these applications, consider downloading them onto your phone and possibly your teen's phone, too. The two of you can work together to make sure that the vehicle is cared for. If you are going to be responsible for the vehicle's maintenance, set aside money to pay for the costs. If you want your teen to become more responsible for these costs, you can help your teen open an account for this purpose. It should be made clear that the account is only for the vehicle's maintenance. Your teen might become more responsible and learn how to budget if he or she has the responsibility of paying for some of the maintenance for the vehicle. He or she might need to obtain a job to take care of the vehicle.

Teens must understand that there is more involved with owning a vehicle than simply driving it. Exposing the teen to most of the responsibilities of owning a vehicle might also help him and her understand the expenses associated with car repair and appreciate the value of hard work.