5 Things Every Driver Should Know

Here are five skills, that every driver should have. Some are maintenance related, others are driving related. Some you’ll use all the time, others you’ll use once in a lifetime. The common theme? All are really good skills to learn.

1. Check Your Tire Pressure - Always check your tire pressure cold and inflate to the pressure recommended in your owners manual (or on your door sticker). Inflation pressure will vary with vehicle load, so be sure to pay attention to this. Even if you have tire pressure sensors on your car (and you do if it was built after 2006), check your tires at least once per month.

2. Check Your Oil, Coolant, and Transmission Fluids -

   Always check your owner’s manual to make sure you know where the oil dipstick, transmission dipstick (automatic transmissions only) and coolant reservoir are located. Do not, under any circumstances, mix up your oil and transmission dipsticks or your coolant and windshield washer reservoirs. Bad, bad things will happen if you do.

3. Change a Headlight Bulb (non HID headlights) -

   Halogen headlights generally last a long, long time, so you won’t be doing this often. First, make sure you have the correct wattage replacement bulb. Next, open the hood and find the back of the bad headlight. Take off the rubber boot, disconnect the electrical connection (generally by squeezing the sides or top and pulling the connector off) and remove the existing bulb and mount (generally by turing counter clockwise until the mount comes loose). Pull out the old bulb and discard. Keep the new bulb in its plastic sleeve (to avoid getting fingerprints on it, which will shorten bulb life) and press it into the mount. Reinstall the mount, reattach the electrical connector, put the rubber boot back in place and you’re done.

4. Change a Tire - It never ceases to amaze me how few drivers actually know how to change a tire. It’s a basic skill, and one you can practice at home in about 15 minutes. First, RTFM; know where your jack, lug wrench and spare tire are located. Next, make sure your car is in “Park” with the handbrake firmly engaged. If you drive a manual, put the transmission in first or reverse, then make sure your handbrake is fully engaged. Put something underneath the wheel diagonally away from the one you’re changing to block it; a rock or piece of wood will do fine.

5. Jump Start a Car With a Dead Battery -

   Sooner or later, you’re going to have a dead battery. Sure, you can carry around one of those portable jump starters, but who’s got room in their car of one? Not me. It’s better to learn the good, old fashioned skill of jump-starting a car.

   Make sure the dead battery isn’t frozen, cracked or visibly damaged before you attempt this. Battery explosions aren’t cool, especially if you’re anywhere near one.

   Since you already have a car with a dead battery, you’ll need one with a good battery. Pull the two as close together as possible, battery to battery. Be aware that not all cars have the battery under the hood, so make sure you know where both batteries are located. Next, get out the jumper cables. Make sure that both cars are turned off and in park, with the handbrakes on. Connect the red jumper clip to the positive terminal of the dead battery. Connect the other red jumper clip to the positive terminal of the good battery. Next, connect the black jumper clip to the negative terminal of the good battery; finally, connect the other black jumper clip to a ground on the vehicle with the dead battery. This can be nearly any exposed metal on the engine.

   I’m old school, so I like to start the good vehicle before I try to start the one with the dead battery. Once the good car is running, try to start the one with the dead battery. Nine times out of ten the car will start right up. If it doesn’t start in the first thirty seconds, it’s probably not going to – time to call a tow truck.

Have a nice Ride.