What is Under Your Hood?

This hub is for all the women who have felt frustrated at times for the lack of knowledge in mechanical details concerning their car. We as women are normally caretakers. We take care of our homes, children, grandchildren, and many other responsibilities. We are forever taking care of things. We can balance a checkbook, while breastfeeding the baby, and talk on the phone. If that is not talent then I do not know what is.

There is one area, which I feel we may be just a bit weak in. I believe as women, we need to know exactly what is under the hood of our cars. We depend on our cars to get us to work, to the store, to pick up kids, and many other tasks. I know many women feel that they do not have to worry about their cars, as they may feel it is the husband’s responsibility. Should you have a husband, who takes care of your car, then count yourself blessed. At the same time, is ignorance bliss? What if you need to change a spare tire, the engine light comes on only to find out, there is no oil, or the inspection is due, and you have no idea what to do. By not knowing these things, is that a good thing? There may come a time when you will have to know exactly what is under the hood, unless your better half is by your side 24 hours a day. Just as we run our households, work hard at our jobs, know what makes our men tick, we need to know what is under the hood and what makes a car run smoothly.

I would like to think we have evolved and the same old tricks do not hold true but I remember a time when a women would take their car’s to a garage, and would be taken for large amounts of money for work that did not need to be done. I remember my mom had to get a new battery for our car; my dad was out of town. The car was towed in and yes just for a battery. Mom had no idea how to take the battery out of the car. The mechanic spray painted a used battery, and charged her full price for a new battery. She had no idea. My dad returned home to see that the battery was spray-painted. My mom did not have a clue.

Today I went to have my oil changed and car inspected. They gave me a list of things that supposedly needed to done ASAP. Being that my car has over 100,000 miles, I am sure there are things that may need to be done, but like most of us, I cannot afford to do it all. I try hard to do good preventative care for my car and so far, it has paid off. Given a list of things that needed to be done by the attendant, I knew that they would once again try to persuade me to have them done today.

On the long list of things this that needed to be done, these had stars by them, which indicated that they must be done right away.

Special today:

Injector Cleaner Service 69.99 and up.

Brake Fluid Flush 79.99

Fuel Tune Up Service 499.00

Power Steering Flush 80.00

Engine Flush 80.00

Fuel Filter Service 60.00

In all fairness, they do have checklists and they are all preventative tasks to keep the car running. I added all of them up to see it was well over $600.00. Really? There is no way! They were not as intimidating as the last time I had used them years ago. Maybe because I had my game face on, looked them in the eye, and said boldly, “I am not getting this done now, but thank you!” End of story!

I knew this quickie oil changing shop was known for doing work that is not needed. I immediately drove over to another shop and asked them if they could check the brake fluid, explaining my concern. He told me my brake fluid was a nice golden yellow and even showed me. It did not need changing. I have not felt any problems with my brakes.

I spoke with the nice mechanic who had checked my brake fluid and he said I could buy a good fuel injector fluid and put it in every 3,000 miles when I fill up my tank. He said most gas contain elements already to keep corrosion away but is a good practice. I went to the local automotive store and bought two fuel injection fluids, two for eight dollars to be exact. I put one in now and will put one in when I get my oil changed next.

Below are some of the basic things that I keep track of with my car. I am happy that by doing some of these maintenance preventatives, my car has not been in the shop very much at all. This is not to say things do not happen no matter what we do. There are cars that are lemons and will require a mechanic. They not only want your house but your first born child. I do believe that by doing some of these basic things, in the long run preventative maintenance will save us much money.

Tires

Tires rotated every 10,000 miles- (When you get new tires find a place that will do free rotations for the life of the tire.) This will make your tires last much longer. The pressure in tires can change due to weather changes. Low pressure can cause blowouts, or low gas mileage. I found a neat digital tire gauge. Checking the pressure in your tires once a month is a good practice.

Find out what the pressure should be for your tires. Do not look at the sidewalls of your tire for the pressure as that is the maximum. When you buy new tires, make sure you keep the information in glove box, concerning tire pressure for future use.

Unscrew plastic cap on air valve and put in pocket so you will not lose it.

Put gauge on air valve, if you hear a type of hissing you are letting the air out.

Add air as needed, and do not over inflate.

Recheck with gauge and place valve cap back on.

Flat Tires

Brakes

Brake system checked for color of the fluid. Brake fluid should not be black but a golden yellow. (Check brakes every 5,000 miles as car may need new pads.)

TIP: My dad always told me since I was 16 to ease up to stop signs. Do not ride the brakes. This would make your brakes last longer. I have followed this rule and it has worked. My husband and daughter ride their brakes and both have had to replace their brakes every year.

Full tune up every 60,000

Check the radiator for water levels. Sometimes the water is running very low which can cause a multiple of problems. Never check the radiator when the car has been running, as the water is very hot. Make sure the car has been sitting for an hour or so. This seems like a no brainer but you would be surprised how many do not know this.

Changing the oil

Oil change- every three thousand miles

Sometimes the oil light may come on, check the oil to see if there is enough oil. Make sure you check the engine when it is cold. Find the where the dipstick is. This is a long piece of metal sticking out of the engine with a loop at one end, usually located near the center of the engine. Wipe the end of the dipstick on cloth. Place dips stick back in, and pull out once again and check to see where the oil level is. There are marks at the end of the dipstick. If the level is low, either take to shop to add oil or do it yourself using a funnel. Make sure you do not put too much in.

I will close with these last thoughts.

Men, you are not doing your wife or significant other any favors by doing everything for her. While I commend your “awesomeness,” it is good for her to know these basic things. If she does not want to learn, then I am sorry…there is not much you can do. I do hope she will not hear the words, “I told you so!” We sure do not like hearing those four dirty words.

Knowing what is under the hood can save you thousands of dollars. Think on the bright side, more money for shopping, vacations for the family, or the spa you have wanted to visit. No woman ever wants to be stranded because she does not know how to change a flat tire. We sure do not want to seem ignorant when it comes to a shady mechanic trying to take advantage of us because we do not have a clue about our car. I cannot tell you how many second opinions I have had, and in the end has saved me much money.

I hope this hub has given you something to think about concerning knowing more about your vehicle. I hope you will take the time to learn what is under the hood of your car!

Sunnie