Knowing Your Car

Have you ever even looked at your owners manual? Like, before an indecipherable light came on or before you were on the side of the road trying to figure out why your car is smoking? Actually knowing your vehicle, preferably before something goes wrong with it, can save you both time and money.

Everyone knows how to change a tire, right? If you don’t, I am personally shaming you right now. Seriously, be an adult, or ask your dad. He likely has skills that you are lacking, such as adulting in general.

Tire changing skills are relatively simple compared to what can actually go wrong in an automobile. Those little lights (pictured above) may look like very old school, mechanically themed hieroglyphics (ancient emojis). Contrary to popular belief, they are not all ‘check engine’ lights. They can give you all sorts of interesting warnings and information if you know how to read them. Luckily, car manufacturer’s do provide you with a Rosetta Stone called “The Owner’s Manual”. It’s probably in your glove box, go have a look, we’ll wait…

Each strange little symbol can be deciphered. Sometimes your car is in need of an oil change and other times it’s a tire that is low on air. This knowledge can actually save you money. If it’s a tire that’s low on air, you can easily fix that problem yourself at a gas station. A low tire is not a good reason to pull into the mechanic shop and demand they make the stupid light go away. Mechanics will charge you for this service and it will likely cost more than the 50 cent air at the gas station.

Knowing some basic car stuff can also help you to save money. Its an old trope that the mechanic is actually a swindler who is trying to make some extra cash by upcharging you for everything. Whether or not this trope is based in reality doesn’t really matter, especially if you have no idea what the heck is going on under the hood of your car. Basic information can be found on many websites and in many books. Even if you don’t have the time or patience to do that research, you should have a basic understanding of your vehicle and how it works. You know how to put fuel in your car, but do you know how your car uses the fossil fuel (low-key Tesla Flex) that you pump into it? You might want to look into that so that no one can convince you to pay for headlight fluid, like the lady below.

Because no one wants to become a meme, except narcissists and idiots who lick toilet seats, please learn a few things. This is for your own personal benefit, and we know everyone says stuff like that all the time but we actually mean it. We make no money from your personal failures in maintenance. Be suspicious of the guy who does, unless he looks like Sam Winchester, in which case, do EXACTLY as he says.