Tag: how to change your oil

Get Your Children Interested in Caring For Their Car

Kids Car RepairTaking care of your car can be a great hobby – after all, we love taking care of cars so much that we opened our own repair shop! It’s also a great hobby to share with your children. Not only is it practical, but it can be fun and rewarding as well. Today, we explain some ways you can help get your child interested in car care and repair.

Your Kid and Your Car

Start With The Basics – No matter how versed you are in car repair, the first thing you’ll want to do is show your kid the basic inner-workings of the vehicle. Point out the key parts underneath the hood, from the spark plugs to the engine and battery. If possible, do this on multiple vehicles, as the equipment won’t always be in the same place. Once you’ve looked under the hood of a few vehicles, ask your son or daughter to identify some common parts. They’ll enjoy correctly naming the parts and their functions.

Simple Maintenance – The next step in getting your children interested in car care is having them help you complete simple maintenance tasks. In fact, if you have a teenager who will be driving soon, you can even make it a requirement that they learn how to service some aspects of the car before they take their temps test. Start them off real easy by having them show you how to refill your car’s windshield wiper fluid. If they have any questions, have them reference your car’s owner’s manual.

Hands-On Maintenance – Once they’ve mastered that simple task, it’s time to move on to bigger maintenance tasks that will be very helpful down the road. There are three specific tasks that every car owner should know:

Walk them through each process. Show them how to do it, and then ask them to complete the task on their own. These are great maintenance tips to know, as they can get you out of a difficult situation, and they can save you money.

Explain Car Problems – Lastly, since you’re not going to be able to fix every issue with your car on your own, bring your child with you to the auto center when you need to have work done. They probably won’t be able to watch the service be preformed, but the mechanic can help explain what was causing the issue. This will help your child learn what is causing a certain problem at an early age. Warning signs and sounds will become more familiar, and your child will have a better idea of how to handle future issues because of the knowledge they gained at an early age.

Car repair is a great skill to know, so start teaching your kid at an early age. They’ll thank you for it down the road!

Change Your Car’s Oil in 8 Easy Steps

Change OilWe love swapping out old oil for a new quart, but if you’re looking for an easy DIY project before the weather gets too cold, consider changing your own oil. It’s a rather simple process that we’ll explain in eight easy to follow steps.

1. Let your car run for a minute or two – By letting your car run for a few minutes, you’ll ensure any built up residue gets churned up and it will flow out easier. On the opposite side of the spectrum, don’t change your oil after a long drive, as hot oil can cause burns. Once you’ve let your engine run for a few minutes, turn off the car.

2. Drain plug work – The next step is to locate the drain plug underneath your car. Place a container or tray underneath the drain plug and unscrew the drain plug. Have a towel handy and move your hands out of the way as soon as the oil starts to flow out of the plug.

3. Remove the oil filter – Once the oil is done draining, remove the oil filter located under the hood near the engine. Reference your owner’s manual to determine its exact location and carefully remove the filter, as it will still have some oil on it.

4. Set oil and filter off to the side – Wrap your old filer in paper towels or old newspaper and set it off to the side, along with the bucket containing your old oil. You’ll need to properly dispose of these later.

5. Insert the new oil filter – Follow the directions on the new filter box and insert your new oil filter where the old one was located. Make sure it is appropriately set and locked into place.

6. Drain plug work, part two – Use a paper towel or rag to clean up any oil residue around the drain plug once it has fully drained, and make sure you screw the drain plug back in place before adding the new oil. This part is crucial, or you’ll end up with a garage full of oil.

7. Add new oil – Using a funnel, pour the new oil down the oil filter hole. Pour slowly so you don’t overflow the filter. Once complete, replace the oil filter cap and run the engine for a few minutes. As long as there are no leaks or drips, you should be good!

8. Proper disposal – Engine oil isn’t just something you can throw in a dumpster. Pour the oil into a container that can be sealed – the oil container you just emptied works great – and store it until you can get it to an auto parts store or oil disposal center.

Changing your car’s oil can be a great DIY project, but if you’d rather leave it to the professionals, we’d be more than happy to assist. Contact us to schedule an appointment today.