Pathways to Success Taking Care of a Car (lesson #13) Discuss some personal car repair expenses. Stress how important proper car maintenance might have prevented the problems from happening. By Sissy Osteen, Ph.D., CFP PowerPoint by Cindy Clampet

Today you will learn: The routine maintenance a car needs How to recognize the qualities of a good repair shop Everyone likes to own a car. Some people do not realize that owning a car means more than just paying for it, buying gas and having money to pay for insurance. You might want to bring in a speaker to show how to check the oil, battery and radiator fluids.

Owning a car costs money Cars require regular maintenance and care to keep running well Regularly perform the following maintenance chores: Check the fluids in the battery, radiator, brakes, power steering, engine and automatic transmission Have engine tune-ups as needed Check the oil. Add extra oil as needed. Change the oil every 5,000 miles Keep proper air pressure in the tires Rotate the tires every 5,000 miles to help them last longer. Replace worn tires. Shop for free rotating service Read slide

More maintenance… Check the lights to be sure they are working properly Replace windshield wiper blades as needed Read your owner’s manual Keep your car clean Dirt on a car will hurt the finish. Salt or chemicals that are put on the road to melt ice can hurt your car’s paint. Wash the underside of the car too. Touch up paint chips and wax the car to protect the paint. Taking care of your car will make it last longer and will save you money You can take a class to learn how to care for your car or ask someone to show you how. Read slide

My car is making a strange noise… When your care makes a strange noise, take it to a repair shop. Have the problem checked out. This may keep a small problem from becoming a large one. It also lets you have time to shop around for the best buy in car repairs. If you wait until the car stops running, you will may not get the best service at the best price. Knowing what the problem is for sure is cheaper than guessing, and if the car can be repaired at home it will be cheaper than someone else doing it. Sometimes cars give us problems that we may not be able to avoid. These problems must be taken care of right away. Discuss pages 5 and 6 of the booklet. Make a list of local repair shops. Have the learner visit a repair shop and ask questions listed on page 7 of the learner’s booklet.

Finding a good mechanic Ask friends for names of good mechanics. Everyone will have a different idea, but knowing some names will help you decide. Before choosing a mechanic, ask others if the service was good and the mechanic was honest. Before getting any work done, ask for an estimate. Call other shops and ask what they would charge. Choose the best. Ask the mechanic to call you before they do any work that will cost more than the estimate. Read slide

Ask these questions Look at the checklist on page 7 of your booklet. Use this checklist before getting any work done on your car. Look at the checklist on page 8. These are ordinary tasks that should be done to keep your car running at its best. Be sure to do these tasks in the time frame that is recommended. Many car repairs can be avoided by getting into a routine of performing car maintenance tasks. Have the learner use the check list on page 8 of the booklet to evaluate his or her own car. Perform tasks on check list as needed. Stress to the learner that the check list could be used over and over again to help insure proper car care.

Take care of your car!! If you take care of your car, it will last longer. If you don’t take care of it, you may have to walk or ride a bike!! For more tips on caring for a car, see www.edmunds.com Lesson summary. Discuss any questions or concerns.