A Lady’s Guide To Basic Auto Maintenance
I don’t know if we have all been there but I most certainly have.
I am an expert right now at dead car batteries.
Whether I left the car lights on or had to replace it because it just would not start on its own anymore and was the chick who bought the emergency plugin battery self jump-starter because hey, that looks a lot more fun than replacing the battery for half that price!
Yeah, that was me about 2 and a half years ago.
What a sight to behold.
I felt like the female version of the expert mechanic every time I whipped out my trusty jump starter power bank that could start the deadest of batteries.
I don’t need to call anyone! I’m not stuck! I got my own Jumpstarter!
The enviable looks from men who wish they thought of that?
But the excitement of being an innovative cutting-edge woman who could start her otherwise very dead battery wore quite thin after a few months.
Time to replace the thing, yeah.
With what? A second-hand one for half the price of half the price of the jump starter.
Way to go, forward-thinking chick of 2022. Seriously now.
And here I sit with a car with a dead battery that I need to replace yet again. Hindsight is 20/20, they say.
And hindsight is telling me … get a new car battery, please!
Now that I have hopefully amused you with my female mechanic math, let me delight you with my female research math about preventive maintenance for your car.
My car.
Because I need to know this as much as you do too!
Let’s agree that I’ve covered the necessity of a battery check. Check?
Feed Your Engine With A Good Ol’ Oil Change!
Hmmm. Yes, that is also one of the things I’m not so great at. (But I’m putting y’all on notice — that is gonna change for sure!)
I don’t know why, but every time I ask for an oil check when I pull up to the garage they always say it is fine.
The level is fine, but is the oil fine? Why does no one like ever tell me to replace the oil more often?
I’m just asking for all of us ladies who don’t understand mechanics all that well.
Every 10,000 km (6,000 miles). That’s what the experts say. Although car manufacturers say every 15,000–30,000 km (10,000–20,000 miles).
Who to believe? I’d err on the side of caution and say 10,000 km is probably safe
And if you’re really wise (like I will be soon), you’ll have an extra pint of oil for any ol’ random just-in-case scenario.
If you’re wondering what happens if you don’t change the oil in your car, let me tell you.
Actually, Google and a top search result lubricant brand says this — it can start to solidify (Noooo!!!!!) and turn to sludge which clearly means it can’t reach all the parts of the engine “leading to oil starvation in the crankshafts, bearings, camshafts, and other valve train components.”
Girl! Change that oil!
No Ride Is Smooth If You Have Smooth Tires!
Hmmm. Tires. We drive our cars as if they don’t exist. What I mean is that we think they will last forever, right?
Ladies, that is a wrong assumption right there!
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I mean we know they wear thin but do you have any idea of what a thin tire looks like?
How do you measure it?
I strongly suggest you find out and take it to a tire specialist center to make sure they are still safe.
Let me share a 25-cent hack I just read about now. No, it does not cost 25 cents. It literally is a 25-cent piece!
Insert the 25-cent piece into one of the grooves (I’d say do this with all the grooves, but that’s because I’m an over-achiever) and check the caribou’s nose.
The groove must be deeper, greater, or more superior than 6/32 of an inch.
If you can see the nose, you need to change your tires. If you can’t see the nose it means it is deep enough and you can use your tire money to buy a cappuccino instead. 🙂
Girl mechanic math, of course!
But if it ain’t — replace them yesterday because smooth tires are not safe to drive with!
They cannot grip the road sufficiently and can cause skidding, sliding, and crashing.
I don’t need to tell you that is way more dangerous than breaking your fingernail.
It can cost a life. And you DON’T want to enter eternity sooner than you have to. Are you even right with your Maker yet?
Don’t mess with a smooth tire.
Replace it!
Brakes And Clutch Cables Are Seriously Legit Stuff!
Ooooh, you know I’ve got a story or two to tell you here as well, don’t ya!
This is about 15 years ago maybe — I was driving on a small bridge leading about to turn down into the main highway. Monday morning I think it was … a busy highway most possibly.
And as I pass the center point (the highest point of the bridge), my clutch cable snaps, my clutch pedal retracts into itself and I have ZERO steering power!
ZERO!
Fortunately, it’s a small bridge and it was downhill from there to the supermarket parking bays about 50 meters away maybe and I was able to gather enough speed to pull into a bay without an incident along the way.
Fast forward to last year.
I could feel the car start to shudder when I braked but thought nothing of it. But it just got worse and worse. I did notice braking was not as efficient as before but the shuddering! What on earth was going on?
Mind you, I had not taken my car to a mechanic in a few years. I thought she’d live forever and be fine.
Turns out the clutch cable is on its way to Cable-Neverland and was ordered by the mechanic to not drive outside of town!
And I already know what a snapped cable feels like and what happens there.
What is my point?
CHECK YOUR CLUTCH CABLE, DAMES!
I don’t mean to sound annoying and all that, but man, if my life experience has taught me anything it’s this.
Preventative maintenance not only saves your car but can save your life too!
You don’t wanna reach the other side until you have sorted out your life on this side, my friend! 🙏
Fix your car!!
Replace your batteries, change your car oil, drive with safe tires, and girl — make sure your clutch cable is fit for another 100,000 miles.
Roger that? Over and out!
Yours Sincerely,
Female mechanic wannabe or more… gonnabe! 🙂
