Under the Hood

Taking my vehicle into the dealership, even for an oil change, always induces a bit of nerves. It seems as though every time my car goes in, it comes out with problems, no matter how fine it was before that. It's either followed up with a laundry list of expensive repairs that need to be done, or the check engine light illuminates later that week. I'll admit, as a single female, I often feel intimidated on how to take care of these problems or even keep up my end of the conversation - my calipers are frozen...what does that mean? Unfortunately, I've also been given the run around several times by my dealership and it's caused me to have to stand up for myself or they would have been fixing the same costly problem over and over again, instead of the real issue. Well, I'm done with it. I'm trying to expand my understanding and I'm wondering why we let this problem even exist in the first place.

While not everyone drives, especially those in major cities with access to public transportation, there are many people that do. Yet, the average person doesn't know much about the workings of his or her car. It's time driver's education programs start teaching these things. There are so many tasks that should be taught as part of the curriculum. Instead of students just getting behind the wheel, they should get under the hood. 

In my long list of repairs, a few of things were new wipers and adding coolant. Those are surprisingly simple enough tasks that anyone should be able to do. Some people might prefer to pay to have someone else get their hands dirty and take two seconds to change a wiper, but they should still know how to do it. Cars are expensive and dangerous. Anyone who learns to operate them should have a better understanding of how to properly care for them.

There are certain things in life that most people do, and driving is one of them. Why isn't a more in-depth education encouraged? Students are required to study such things as foreign languages, but something that will be a part of their every day life gets neglected. We should be providing the tools for success by learning how to manage something that is an essential part of our daily lives. Our safety and our budgets depend on it.