Heading into spring cleaning season, there is no better time to consider tuning up your car and making sure you are equipped to drive safely and maintain your vehicle’s condition over time.
The words “expensive” and “stressful” are often top of mind when car owners think about servicing their vehicles. National automotive expert Barbara Terry says that doesn’t have to be the case. Barbara is partnered with Cars.com to provide the Car Care information people need to make confident decisions when it comes to dealing with their cars.
Car Care: Tips for women and their cars:
Educate yourself. The more you know about your car, the better off you will be. Knowledge is power. Get to know your vehicle, so that you are familiar with it and the owner’s manual, which will come in handy in understanding basic maintenance needs, so that you are well-prepared before walking into a service center.
Keep maintained. Keep current on your vehicle maintenance, as per your owner’s manual – this will help to minimize the repairs that may be necessary. Some common areas to maintain include:
- There is a simple hack for checking your tire pressure: Take a standard US penny with Abe Lincoln’s head on it. Insert the penny into a space between the tread of the tire. If you can see the top of his head, it’s time for a refill.
- When to change your oil and what type to use: You should change your oil every 6 months, or about every 3,000 miles. The intervals vary by manufacturer, so consult your owner’s manual and locate what type of oil to use.
- Radiator fluid levels: Your radiator should always maintain a half-antifreeze/half-water mix. You can see the level of the fluid through your overflow container.
Find the right service provider and know what you should be paying ahead of time. Walking into a service center can be a daunting experience. Fortunately, Cars.com’s new “Service & Repair” feature helps you understand how much you should be paying to service your car while also providing details on service centers in your area with consumer reviews to help you make the right decision. No resource existed like this before.
Keep an emergency survival kit.
Every driver should keep an emergency car kit in their car with a variety of items in case you experience a breakdown. You can never be too careful. Some of the smartest items to include are:
- Box of Band-Aids, gauze and aspirin
- A flashlight with extra batteries
- Can of Tire Fix never hurts for a quick, temporary fix to that annoying flat tire
- You’ll always need jumper cables or a jump box, road trip or not, for a dead or weak battery
- Blanket in case you break down on the side of the road and it’s freezing outside
Happy driving! Smiles!
-Barbara
Travel Lover | Pet Mama | Beauty Junkie | Low Glycemic – Healthy Fats – Low Carb – Keto Inspired Food Enthusiast | Cocktails | Printables
I am a stay-at-home- mom, living in KY with my husband and children. I’m a travel and lifestyle blogger encouraging folks to live their life one adventure at a time while also focusing on beauty, essential oils and health. From time to time I also like to showcase my adorable pets along with my family. Along with Cinnamon Hollow I can be found at The Martin Family Adventure … read more
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Nice article and very helpful for all women. Women are very busy because they have lots of work like child care, housework and so on. so They have no time to care car your tips will be helpful for all women. Thanks for sharing these tips.
You are very welcome!
Hi Martin,
Great thoughts, Really, nowadays women are busy in their daily routine. They not only do house work and but also do a job or business. So they have less time to care their car and mostly they can forget many things to do in a busy schedule. Your tips for keeping an emergency survival kit is very good and mostly women forget this thing, but it is should keep in mind the all women to do. Thanks for sharing these valuable tips.
Crystal, it seems like you sure know very well about repairing and doing maintenance work on a car. Do you by chance have any tips as to how to repair a truck radiator? I’m pretty new to driving trucks and it seems like the radiator in my car is making a chocking sound whenever I try to start it up.
Hi Correy,
Unfortunately I don’t know a thing about radiators. I can do some basic updates and repairs like changing spark plugs, changing a flat tire, the oil, wipers, etc. but that’s about the extent of my automotive knowledge. 😀
I absolutely love this article because I feel like all women should have at least a basic knowledge of car maintenance. Thanks for including keeping an emergency kit in the car. I’ve never been stranded, and hope I never am, but I always have emergency items just in case.
I feel really lucky to have been raised by a mechanic. He taught me how to do the basic car maintenance, and I know I can rely on him to know when a part should be replaced on my car. He’s also the one who taught me to keep an emergency kit in the car. The blanket is especially important here in Utah where we get some frigid winters!
One of our good friends is a mechanic. It’s so nice having someone you can call on when you need advice or help!
The first insight you give to educate yourself, I think, is very important! As a woman myself, I know nothing about cars, which makes me really nervous if anything were to happen. Additionally, however, I think that knowing simple things like the radiator fluid levels, or any fluid levels for that matter, will help you to ensure that your car is maintained and always equipped to run properly. Thank you for your insight!
You are very welcome!
Barbara, it seems like you sure take interests in cars and know very well about repairing them. It sure reminds me about maybe teaching my wife about doing a truck repair on her own. The thing is, what type of truck accessories would she need to do the repair on her own?
Hey Crystal, great tips for us ladies. A year ago I didn’t know anything about maintaining a car but nowadays I am picking up something new as days pass by, thanks to my recent job at an automobile company. I have also learned that you should have an emergency kit everytime you are traveling (although I learned this the hard way). Thanks a lot for sharing.
Tracy
Hi, Crystal and Clay Martin. Thanks for your post very much. However, I believe that these 5 tips about car care which both women and men had better know.
Thanks for sharing such useful tips!!
I agree with you that educate yourself about your own car is very important. If we have right service provider by your side then you can stay away from hassle. And, having emergency survival kit in the car is also helpful.
Regards
Cortney G
Thank you very, very much for putting so much of your time and effort so you could produce, publish and share such a great collection of tips and guidance for all us women out here! I really appreciate it. As women we’re so busy with things whether it’s work, children, sorting out the house or running errands back and forwards! So it’s great having all this information in one easy to access place. Thanks again for this advice, I’ve subscribed to see when you write more!
Thanks again for this advice, I’ve subscribed to see when you write more!