Can you change the oil on a car?
By Lindery
@Lindery (853)
Latvia
February 6, 2009 8:10am CST
I mean, these days people get less and less educated about simple things which earlier were everyday tasks. For example, I know men who don't understand anything about cars, I am not talking about full renovation/fixing, I talk about simple things as changing oil, windscreen liquid, etc. I want to believe that they can at least fill a petrol in their cars!:-) LOL
Anyway, what I want to understand... Why people aren't interested anymore of things they are using daily, they don't care of the process they are getting. I am not saying that I am a car expert but as a woman I know few main things I should know about my car before driving in it.
4 responses
@maezee (41988)
• United States
6 Feb 09
I think you mean "check your oil", not "change your oil" - because changing your oil is actually a difficult process that usually has to be done in an automechanic's shop (you have to drain your old oil, change filters, etc). So I don't think that's what you meant necessarily - but I do agree that a lot of people (especially girls!) don't know how to do the most simple things - such as checking oil, adding more windshield wiper fluid, and so on.
@egdcltd (12059)
•
6 Feb 09
I can check the oil level and put more oil in if necessary, and top up all the fluids in the car. I couldn't do a complete drain of the existing oil and replacement. Not without looking up how to do it anyway, and there's too many things you need to learn to try to learn everything.
@wonttakelong (3555)
• United States
6 Feb 09
it blows my mind how many people especially women dont know basic car maintenance
I am not a mechanic or anything but I can check and change the oil, I can check and fill all the other fluids, I know basic troubleshooting, I can change my own tires.
what impresses my husband the most is when i come to him and tell him that i think a specific problem with our vehicle using actually part names and terminology and actually be right LOL
he loves that i can diagnose the problem and all he needs to do is go buy the right part
I very rarely take my vehicle to a mechanic
if i can diagnose and do the repair why should I pay someone else to do it?
@Tinkerbell7 (160)
• United States
6 Feb 09
I understand what you are saying. My dad wouldn't teach me how to drive until I could change a tire by myself. I can change the oil, check fluids, do all minor repairs, etc. It saves me hundreds of dollars a year. In my area local shops are big on claiming you need extra expensive things that they double charge you for. I don't let them pull any of that on me. I do pay someone to do a tune-up for my truck because the spark plugs are SO hard to get to but other than that I'm the one that takes care of my vehicle.
