My friend Jennifer inspired this post.  Jennifer saw a good deal on Groupon for an oil change for $24.00.  She left there spending over $300.00.  What happened?  Most mechanics take advantage of single women who don’t have a man to help them weed through the mechanics bullshit.  Here are some tips for the single ladies courtesy of my daddy along with my expertise as a former owner of a car sharing business and former Fleet Manager of a national auto rental company.
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Related: Â Women Lag Behind Men In Car Maintenance Knowledge
- FIND A RELIABLE MECHANIC. Â This mechanic is preferably someone either your family or friend regularly takes their car for service.
- ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU ARE PARKING. Â Take special note of any leakage under the car and more impportantly, what area is it coming from and what color is the liquid? Â Green is antifreeze, red is power steering fluid and thick brownish color is oil. Â This is important in the event you need to tell your mechanic your car is having trouble.
- READ YOUR CARS MANUAL. Â Many of us are wasting money get an oil change every 3 months/3,000 miles. Â Most car manuals will recommend an oil change at 7.500 miles. Â This is the case for most Hondas. Â Reading the manual will save you money for it will give you a more realistic idea of when you should change the oil and frequency of maintenance.
- DON’T FALL FOR THE YOU NEED A NEW AIR FILTER. Â Air filters are equivalent to your nose nostril hairs accumulating dust and particles. Â Air filters can be RINSED off and put back in your car. Â You can actually do this yourself. Â THIS IS THE BIGGEST GIMMICK MECHANICS TRY AND SELL US ON.
- CHECK YOUR BRAKE LIGHTS. Â You can easily do this by paying attention to the lights reflection when pressing on the brakes while backing in your car. Â You can also have someone stand behind your car and tell you if they are all lighting up. Â Better them than the police.
- TURN DOWN THE RADIO ONCE IN A WHILE. Â How else will you hear your brakes whistling indicating they need to be changed or the rotors grinding saying “bitch stop”? Â Random rattling rumblings under the hood, etc. will all be missed if you don’t turn the radio down (off) every now and then.
- CHECK YOUR TIRES TREAD. Â This can be done by taking a penny and placing it in between the grooves on the tire. Â If you can’t see Lincoln’s head, its time to change them. Â Another sign they should be changed is the metal thread hanging out the tire. Â **take note that if the tread is wearing off more on the sides, you could need your tires balanced**
- LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR CAR TIRES. Â My first day of work as a Fleet Manager, this author found a car in the fleet with a flat tire. Â I was able to remove the tire, using my feet on the crowbar, to loosen the lug nuts and remove. Â I recommend buying a used tire instead of using the doughnut provided. Â You will be able to ride longer and not worry about driving too fast. Â One day you could find yourself stranded without cell service to call AAA.
- GET A AAA MEMBERSHIP. Â EVERY single woman needs this card. Â Not only does it provide the peace of mind of having your car towed, tire changed and/or getting back in your locked car but it also comes with the benefit of having DMV services at their local office. Â There you can pay for your annual vehicle registration. Â NO more extensive waits at DMV.
These tips work well for both USED and NEW cars. Â For more tips on basic car maintenance or if you are looking for an upgrade, visit cars.com for more details!