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My daughters are 22 and 18, and both have their driver’s license, and my son is 15 and counting the days until he can get a permit! Â Having young drivers in the house can be stressful, because there is so much that they need to learn, and not just about driving itself, but about taking care of a car. Â Here are the top five maintenance tasks your teen should know how to do before you hand them the keys.
Oil Changes
Cars need regular maintenance, and neglecting this can cost you time and money. Â One of the most important things to do is to get the oil changed regularly, on the schedule recommended by the manufacturer. Â I realized recently that my 18 year old, Eleanor, had never taken a car in for an oil change, so the last time my vehicle needed an oil change I had her come along.
She thought this was a long involved process, so she was relieved to find out we were just making a trip to Walmart! An oil change at Walmart is simple – you just drop your car off at the Automotive Care Center, and leave it while you go shopping.  There is no hanging around in the waiting room or sitting in the car, which makes it very convenient, even for busy teens. Walmart even gives you a handy sticker, that you can have scanned at any register to find out if your car is done.
Walmart uses Pennzoil products which are designed to clean out sludge and offer complete protection. Â In fact a clean engine can allow you to drive an extra 550 mile per year vs. a dirty engine. Â I showed Eleanor the different types of oil, which are recommended for different types of vehicles. Â My car has about 70,000 miles, so the Conventional Motor Oil is still the best for my car, although it is quickly approaching the need for high mileage oil.
Wiper Blades
Replacing wiper blades is another maintenance item that needs to be done regularly.  So while we waited for the oil change Eleanor learned how to look up the correct wiper blades for the car.  During our harsh winters wiper blades get easily damaged by snow and ice, so it is crucial to inspect them regularly and make sure the rubber is not damaged and that they are cleaning the window well.  Every teen should know to to select and install new wipers on a car.
Then we headed off to browse the craft aisle, which Eleanor thought was much more interesting than wiper blades. When we got home from Walmart, I went over some other basic car care tips with Eleanor, because I realized her knowledge of car care was sadly lacking. She couldn’t even figure out how to open the  hood at first!
Fluid Levels
Knowing how to check the fluids is another key skill.  Now I knew the fluid levels would be fine, since we just had the oil changed, but I had Eleanor check them anyway.  Washer fluid is something that we have to add regularly in the winter, so knowing where to put that is important.  And between oil changes it is a good idea to check the oil level every few weeks, so you know right away if there is a problem.
Tires
Good tires are crucial to car safety.  And checking the air pressure once a month can save money too, since tires that are over or under inflated use more gas and make the tires wear more quickly.  I recently put new tires on my car and it cost a fortune, so I want to make sure we do everything possible to make them last as long as possible!  I also showed Eleanor how to check the tire tread.  Hold a penny with the top of Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves in your tire tread. If any part of Lincoln’s head is covered, your tires are fine, if not you need new tires.
Be Prepared for a Breakdown
I have an emergency kit in the trunk of the car, but it turns out Eleanor didn’t know that, and had no idea what that bag sitting in the trunk was for.  So we opened it up and went over what was inside.  She learned where the jumper cables are, and how to use the roadside warning triangle.  Learning how to change a flat tire is a good idea too, but we decided to wait until spring, or at least a winter thaw, for that lesson.
So if you have a young driver make sure they know these basic things! It is easy to take them for granted as obvious, and end up with a child who is driving around on bald tires and doesn’t even know it. I feel better knowing that Eleanor has a better handle on car maintenance now.
I still remember the day that my Dad showed me how to take routine care of my car. Our cars are one of the most important things that we own…and we often forget to show them the love, too! Thanks for sharing! #client
I still remember how overwhelming driving was, and now there is so many more distractions to. I can’t believe you can scan that paper and stay update to date on your car at Walmart like that! That would be so neat!
I definitely need to do this with my teens. I don’t think they know anything at all about maintenance.
This is such useful information for young teen drivers and new drivers to have. It’s more than just putting gas in the car.
What a great post.. my Teen JUST started driving a month ago and I sooo have to teach him a few maintenance things, will share the post with him, you did such a great job explaining..thanks for sharing
These are great tips for teens! I was lucky that my husband (boyfriend at the time) was so handy with cars.
I love that you can track the progress of your oil change at Walmart with the check-in stub. I usually find myself waiting for hours for the car to get serviced so this is very convenient!
You make me remember about when I was your daughters’ age. I also used to be very worry about driving because there are too many things I have to learn before driving like how to maintain a car. At that time, I must also learn oil changes, wiper blades, fluid levels, tires, be prepared for a breakdown.
Basically the cost of car maintenance convinces the teens to avoid it as long as possible. But they should have to know that thousands of trouble free miles only occur when a car is properly maintenance on a regular basis. So, here in this context the blog suggested with some car maintenance tips that everyone should teach their teens. Still, I want to share my view in the following.
1)Monitor the gauges, especially keep the fuel tank sufficiently filled even in severe weather conditions.
2)Change the oil on a regular basis by following user manual.
3)Check coolant level, fluid level, tire inflation, braking system before going for a long road trip. Etc.
So, overall I genuinely found the blog very informative and interesting. Thank you so much for sharing.
Irrespective of age, all drivers need to know basic car maintenance knowledge. A small issue may perplex you completely. Having a little idea on your vehicle can help you a lot. Mostly vehicles are vulnerable to damage when they are left in the hands of new riders. So, to keep your vehicle fit for a long run, educating teens is a good idea. It will also help you save the repair cost. According to most experts, knowledge on the right condition of brakes, tires and engine oil is most necessary. However, the post adds another thing- wiper blade. OK. Have few ideas on it also.
Having young drivers in the house can be stressful, because there is so much that they need to learn, and not just about driving itself, but about taking care of a car. Neglecting maintenance of the car may create very serious problem in future and may fail to running on the road properly. It is better to have scheduled maintenance of your car at a reputed car service center to get effective result. Regular changing of oil, tire rotation, maintaining fluid levels in its safe level make your car fit to hit on the road.
This is a great idea. It’s very important tips for the teen. Thank you for shear such post. I like your article information.
Yes, I agree with you. It’s a really helpful tip. Your tips are must helping teaching teens car maintenance . Thank you for share a helpful and informative tips.
Taking care of your car is an SOP! It is your work horse. If you don’t want to be spending much on it, you need to take good care of it.
Wear a full-body paint suit with a hood and nitrile gloves as well as safety glasses to protect yourself from exposure to these harmful elements.
I want to start taking care of the things I own more, and this is something I can do to prevent bad things happening to my future car.
What is the difference between a good paint job and a bad one? There are some things that will very obviously result in a bad paint job. A person who doesn’t know how to paint well is high on this list. But most professional paint shops will have at least an adequately trained painter in the spray booth.
Very helpful tips for car maintenance and explained very nicely. My brother is learning to drive a car. I will share this article with him. Thanks for sharing the useful information about car maintenance.
Thanks for providing such an incredible post about how we can teach car maintenance to teens. Very appreciated.