Home auto maintenance...how many do it?

[Beekissed]

How many of us out there are practicing SS in regards to auto maintenance and repairs?

I know women who won't change a tire, nor do they know how to do so....say they have a cell phone and that's all they need!

I taught my boys to change the oil on the cars, change tires, check fluids, change hoses and belts, if possible. How to "jump" a vehicle safely and what needs to be in your emergency road kit. Familiarized them where to find the jack and spare tire and how to use the jack, in relation to the frame of the vehicle, to insure saftey.

I taught them to always carry a blanket in the car...for multiple reasons: For warmth if you are stranded, for warmth if you are too tired to drive and have to pull over to sleep~dangerous to run your engine while you sleep!, to lay down on the ground if you have to do any repairs under the car. To cover a car seat to keep it from becoming soiled if hauling a dirty object.

And last but not least, if you get hung up in the snow, a blanket can provide a little traction under the wheels, in a pinch.

I think this is one area that one can save a lot of money and also become real familiar with one's automobile, so that its easier to diagnose potential problems as they arise.

A good emergency road kit and a small set of tools are invaluable.

I have in mine:

Road flare
Fix-a-flat~great for minor repairs in a hurry.
Jumper cables
Small first aid kit
Bottle of water
WD-40
1 qt. oil
Basic tools~adjustable wrenches, screw drivers, etc.
Zip ties
Black electrical tape
Duct tape~a girl's best friend
Baby wipes~for clean up of any kind!
Clean rag for checking fluids.
Bungee cords, small length of nylon rope
Lighter
Good flashlight
Multitool knife
Air compressor that plugs into cig lighter

Anyone else prepare themselves, their wives, their kids for the unexpected on the road? Anything you would add to your E-kit?

 

[patandchickens]

There are people who don't change their tires? Wow. Scary thought!

I used to change my oil and do my brakes (just new pads, obviously, not re-turning the rotors or anything like that ). But then I went about 10 yrs with no place to park the car TO do that (living in apartments with busy parking lots) and would not trust myself on brakes anymore. Still change oil when time and energy permit, which honestly is not most of the time

I really, REALLY regret never taking a course in basic automotive repair, in high school or as a night class. Now that I've got kids and live sorta in the boonies it isn't really an option, alas.

I don't have as elaborate an emergency kit as Beekissed, but I have basic stuff like scissors, flashlight, duct tape, tire-changing paraphernalia, jumper cables, blankets, rope, and often (not always, cuz it gets taken out for use elsewhere and not replaced ) a hand-operated bicycle pump (useful for refilling a soft tire). Probably ought to have flares and a white rag, but, don't at present.


Pat

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Um..well....this is why I married my DH???? :/ because he does all that so I don't have to??

 

[patandchickens]

If you have him teach you how to do it, then you'd know what to do if he weren't around sometime when there was a problem


Pat, envious of anyone whose DH can fix things

 

[FarmerChick]

I don't do any of it.
Tony does all of it.
I don't have a cell phone, I wing it thru life I guess..HA HA

I do too much as it is....honestly my brain can't hold any more information about autos. I just don't want to know. I guess for me some things just have to be bypassed or I would have to commit myself seriously. I just have too much happening to learn auto repair. Plus I hate cars. Love to drive a nice one, but hate everything else about them, the cost, the upkeep etc.

So if I lost Tony for any reason, would I learn....yes I would. Now, nope.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

If you have him teach you how to do it, then you'd know what to do if he weren't around sometime when there was a problem


Pat, envious of anyone whose DH can fix things

HAHAH Have him teach me??? HE MAKES ME LEARN!

hahaha

He says anyone who wants to drive needs to know how to do everything to keep the car running.
I've even assisted with putting in a transmission!

 

[reinbeau]

While I am capable of changing a tire or changing the oil I don't have to because hubby does it. I haven't had to fiddle for quite awhile, but back in the day I knew how to start a car when the choke was stuck (a well placed screwdriver worked every time), I've helped do brake jobs, I've gapped and changed spark plugs, heck, I helped ex-hubby rebuild a 327 we bought from a friend of mine. I grew up the daughter of a motorhead, hung around with motorheads and married one the first time, so I'm very well versed under the hood. My new and vastly improved husband isn't motorhead-obsessed like the rest of them, but he's very handy and does the routine maintenance on the cars. We've got emergency stuff stashed in the trunk (compressor, tire flat fixer, jumper cables, various tools, etc.) and if we're going to be gone a longer time there are other things I add just in case.

 

[Beekissed]

I wish they had encouraged girl's to take auto shop when I was in school also! My dad never let us girls near his vehicle, so all this info was gleaned by doing it myself and observing others.

God forbid that something should happen to anyone's hubby, but there may be times when he is not available and this info would come in real handy.

But this is just not for us women, but the SS men and children out there. You may have children who don't have a partner or a dad to help them. How much better will they function if someone takes the time to instruct them? How much more SS can they be?

My motto has always been...if you drive it, you should be able to change it's tire and check fluids...if you eat it, you should be able to cook it....if you wear it, you should be able to wash it....etc., etc.

Just a thought provoking thread about more ways to be truly SS in our lives....

 

[Beekissed]

I would love to take a course, even now, on basic repairs. I will be without a man the rest of my life and I get tired of taking things to the mechanic and getting taken for a ride, if you know what I mean! Noone gets screwed more than single women and old folks when they visit a mechanic!

My mom is quite adept at auto repairs but she lives too far from me to help, so I would like to become more like her, somewhere along the way.

 

[FarmerChick]

I never get screwed on auto repairs. I have William of Williams Auto Repair---yup, I say that with pride..LOL

he uses savage and junk yard parts etc. to be reasonable fixes for stupid stuff....like my electric window unit broke. New one like $250 for the part....off to the junk yard he went and got one for $50.....all installed and perfect working window....$80. I couldn't smile wider!

BUT I know how to change oil and such....I do it in my lawnmowers and tractors and such. I can change a tire........but for me I think at some point we have to draw the line in what can clog our brains. Too much--for me. I have to let the pros take care of some stuff in my life. I take SS so far with cars, but then again, that is just me.

But you are right. Basic knowledge of anything we own is smart. Cars maintenance, home maintenance, etc. etc. But I know when I have to leave things to more knowledgable people cause I can cause more damage than good when trying to fix certain things..LOL-LOL