My kid didn't know how to use the washer fluid.

[Sequoiasoon]

With 3 daughters no boys when I'm gone I don't know who's going to keep a eye on their car's. There all with college white collar guys don't know anything about car's

Daughters old boyfriend thought he knew about cars as he helped his dad often. Their older cars were always breaking down. I had to rescue them a couple times stuck in places.

Her current boyfriend is interested in learning just didn't have the opportunities as much or guidance. I showed him a couple things, my daughter did also. He at least checks tire pressure and oil level a lot more often now. He told my daughter that he needs to check it before he comes over because he doesn't want to get caught and be embarrassed with oil or tire pressure low when I do check it.

I'm up earlier on weekends and whatever is in my driveway or in front of house gets tire pressure, oil, washer fluid, battery checked as well as coolant/brake fluid levels in reservoirs. Tires may or may not get checked with depth gauge.

@captainbeandip check out streetsurvival.org for her. It's a hands on emergency vehicle type class, not your normal drivers education. Search on my name with street survival, I have links with pictures/videos from my kids (and now daughter-in-law) doing it. Full day class with 1/2 in car with an instructor in YOUR vehicle since that's what your kids are driving. Class room time also and includes lunch.

Yes, my kids had to change a tire with just the factory provided stuff, at least on a dry sunny day. I got them all better breaker bars for the really tight from a shop lugs. Mine all get torqued correctly in driveway. My son helps with the winter tire changes, oil changes and other repairs like brakes. My kids have OBD2 readers in glove box and use them as needed to help friends also. Both my kids are happy and proud that they know all these things and don't need to rely on others for help. General life prep skills.

My old fire department had some International Ambulances. The diesel fill was next to the washer fluid. Yup, washer got filled multiple times with diesel.

 

[captainbeandip]

I have been trying to teach her stuff about cars, and she has seemed to be interested, but she may have been just pretending and/or just doing it to spend time with me.

I have showed her around under the hood before, and I even had her dump oil into the engine after she helped me with an oil change. A few months ago she ran over a screw and I showed her how to use the factory tools to lower the spare, loosen the lug nuts by jumping on the lug wrench, and to jack up and change the tire. She wasn't strong enough to lift the wheel onto the studs, and I told her how dangerous changing a tire can be, so I'm OK if she never tries to do that again.

Don't worry I wasn't overly mean to her. We both had a little laugh about it immediately afterwords. Then I introduced her to the owner's manual and told her she should read it (and even showed her the pages that explained how the wiper stalk worked). I'm pretty sure she completely ignored me, but who knows?

 

[Carlostrece]

Hope you don't normally scare her and make her feel bad for not knowing what she hasn't been taught. Make it a positive interaction and she'll be more inclined to ask about things she doesn't know.

Right on.

No offense to the OP, but if she wasn't taught anything about car stuff before she's 18, that's on her dad. It's his responsibility to teach her basic car stuff (with kindness and patience). He should have started before she got her learner's permit.

At this point he's 3-4 years late getting started, but it's not too late. Get started, be kind, patient, and do 1 brief lesson per week. Try to make it fun, or do something fun after so it's a positive experience.

Why, where and how to check and add washer fluid is a good 1st lesson.

Why where and how to check and topoff motor oil would be a good 2nd lesson.

Why, where and how to check and topoff coolant would be a good 3rd lesson.

Why, where and how to check and adjust tire pressure would be a good 4th lesson.

That's about all the average woman needs to know, unless she wants to know more.

If she wants to know more, then why, where, and how to check and topoff PSF & ATF would be good final lessons.

 

[WobblyElvis]

People [kids] are all different.

One of my sons went to university and is now a teacher. Can't start a lawnmower.

My daughter wanted a car with a manual transmission and now she drives trains.

 

[Carlostrece]

With 3 daughters no boys when I'm gone I don't know who's going to keep a eye on their car's. There all with college white collar guys don't know anything about car's

Offer to teach them (daughters and/or boyfriends) basic car maintainence. Cars have become so expensive enough that a lot more ordinary people now care more about their cars than they used to and might be willing to learn the basics if someone was willing to teach them.

 

[Carlostrece]

When I was a kid... My dad was a real estate broker and developer. He kept his car very clean. He washed it weekly. Starting when I was in junior high, he had me wash it weekly and vaccuum it every 2 weeks.

Other than washing and waxing, he never did any maintenance, except to dump in a quart of oil once a month (whether it needed it or not). He never checked the dipstick. He didn't know what the oil level was.

He never did any maintenance on my mom's car and neither did she. They didn't take much better care of their kids either. When I was young I didn't know they neglected their cars and kids. I thought this was normal.

When I was 12 my grandpa taught me why and how to read the dipstick, and add oil oil. I started doing this. My dad's Oldsmobile oil level varied from 1 qt low to 1 qt high when I checked it. I convinced him to stop randomly dumping in a quart and just let me check it and keep it at proper level. Progress.

My mom's car was so low on oil that no oil showed on dipstick when I first checked it. I added 2 quarts and it was then almost at Full mark. Good enough. Progress.

Their oil & filter still wasn't getting changed on a schedule. I don't know if it ever got changed.

When I was 13, I taught myself how to change oil and filter with some advice from autostore and a neighbor. I succeeded, but at that time I didn't yet know to check to make sure the gasket from old filter wasn't still stuck on engine. I got away with that ignorance until I was 16 and the old filter's gasket staid stuck to engine. I didn't know it. I put on new filter. Then there were 2 gaskets stacked together. I didn't look under car for leaks with engine running because I wasn't properly trained.

My mom drove away in her 76 Coronet with 318 engine. Within 10 or 12 blocks from home all oil had leaked out and oil pressure was zero. I saw this on the guage and asked her to pull over. She angrily snarled and refused to pull over. The fool then went on a freeway entrance ramp and onto I-5 freeway at 70 mph with no oil pressure. She drove 1.5 miles at 70 mph with no oil pressure. When the engine started making loud noises, she finally pulled over. It was a long walk home.

I learned to check-verify that old gasket came off with old filter. I also learned to always look for leaks after changing oil. Never had that problem again. The Chysler 318 survived unscathed.

Years later as an adult, I learned to prefill oil filter. As an adult, I also learned there's more to car maintenance than just motor oil. I did a lot of my learning as a young adult from Chilton and Haynes maintenance manuals. Later on I learned from forums.

I wish a knowledgable old man had taught me more when I was young. It's difficult for a young person to learn without a mentor. It took me many years of painful learning experiences, lonely hours reading manuals, forums, and watching Youtube videos to self teach to a competant level for useful basic knowledge.

A gray haired old sage (or a bald old sage) could have jump started my learning process so I could have learned decades faster.

I think a lot of young people are open to learning from older generations if the lessons are kept brief and done with kindness and respect. Basic car maintenance is one area that many younger folks need help with and would appreciate it. There's also areas where young people have a lot of expertise, such as how to get the most from a smartphone.

 

[xspeedy]

I raised my sons working on light car tasks whenever possible. Fluid changes, brakes, belts…. Today we just did an ATF dump and fill a few times over on my wife’s car. I think many of their peers don’t know much about cars. I feel like one of the very few of my generation in my neighborhood that does anything automotive DIY, and that trickles down to the kids. Many teens these days don’t even care to get a license. I remember when we all went to the DMV on our birthdays, and not a day later.

 

[Carlostrece]

Totally get it! After near 50 years of marriage, about the only thing the wife and I get into fights about is the vehicles.
She is so very hard on them. I have told her I would buy her a surplus army tank or a car made out of nerf material if I could.

You are so right about not for the faint of heart. I catch the wife in all sorts of situations like you describe. I can't help it, I scream too as she nearly destroys them. She gets so upset and tells me "how am I supposed to know, no one ever taught me!?" Which is true. I just
get so very anxious when it comes to anything automotive. Not only OCD about oil changes. OCD about trying to keep any vehicle I
own like new. Most cars or trucks I finally give up are always nearly 20 years old and in a few more years could be considered "antique or survivor" class.

One of my favorite parts of any goof ball comedy movie is when the fiancé absolutely smokes the court room with her automotive knowledge in that movie My Cousin Vinny. LoL. What a woman! "yeah, I did tune ups, rebuilt trannys, break jobs etc..." I know its fake but who wouldn't like a cute female grease monkey!?

If your wife knows nothing about basic car maintenance, whose fault is that?

It's only partly her fault. Her father and husband should have taught her years ago. Is she willing to learn a few basics? Are you willing to teach her (and be patient and kind)? If so, limit it to one brief lesson per week so she does get bored or overwhelmed with too much info, and so neither of you get frustrated. Then do something fun afterwards to ensure it's a positive experience for both of you.

 

[Arc]

If women ever do figure out how to do everything they won't have any need for us guys anymore. My girls refused to learn how to fix anything when they were still at home and they still can't fix anything 25 or 30 years later, they will under no circumstances get their hands dirty. Turn the key and go is all they know.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Ha ha ha. Marisa Tomei! George kissing the pillow and gets seen doing it by Susan!

“So tell me, how is it that a man like you, so bald, so quirky and funny, how is it you’re not taken?“

 

[dadto2]

The OP is doing something right... Has somehow managed to keep a 2003 Ranger alive in Minnesota for 22 years!

 

[The_Jeff]

So my 16 y/o kid hangs out with a group of 18 y/o "met in drama club" kids. Nice kids. They went for pizza in their Nissan Rogue and it got stranded at the pizza shop, wouldn't start. A nearby friend of the friend group tried jumping but it didn't work. They call me. I respond and find one of those awful bolt-on universal battery terminals and a corroded main wire. Dismantle it, clean the corrosion as best I could with the tools at hand in fading daylight. Asked them for an emory nail file and one of them had one, LOL. Anyway I never met these kids so I ask "whose car is this" then debriefed the owner on what I did and how they really should go to a mechanic and get a real cable from Nissan.

It's still trucking around on my repair months later (owner's broke) and I feel I gave a proper turnover and lesson on car repair. Word gets back to me that I was "intimidating." I just figured I presented myself as being "on."

 

[Sequoiasoon]

I have been trying to teach her stuff about cars, and she has seemed to be interested, but she may have been just pretending and/or just doing it to spend time with me.

I have showed her around under the hood before, and I even had her dump oil into the engine after she helped me with an oil change. A few months ago she ran over a screw and I showed her how to use the factory tools to lower the spare, loosen the lug nuts by jumping on the lug wrench, and to jack up and change the tire. She wasn't strong enough to lift the wheel onto the studs, and I told her how dangerous changing a tire can be, so I'm OK if she never tries to do that again.

Don't worry I wasn't overly mean to her. We both had a little laugh about it immediately afterwords. Then I introduced her to the owner's manual and told her she should read it (and even showed her the pages that explained how the wiper stalk worked). I'm pretty sure she completely ignored me, but who knows?

Lift option is just a block of wood or 2 with taper to roll up on if needed or the lift type thing below.

 

[PF52]

My dad was a real estate broker and developer. He kept his car very clean.

Other than washing and waxing, he never did any maintenance, except to dump in a quart of oil once a month (whether it needed it or not). He never checked the dipstick. He didn't know what the oil level was.

He never did any maintenance on my mom's car and neither did she.

My dad was the same way. He never raised the hood and checked the oil. He was cheap, so to him money spent on maintenance was just money being thrown away. When I eventually got my first car (the car I was expected to share with my brother, but that's a story for a different thread) he'd see me tinkering on it, adding oil, checking the brake pads etc, he'd just shake his head and mutter that I'd been "ripped off" for buying such a junker. To him a car that needs regular fluid checks and maintenance was a car that was unreliable.

 

[xspeedy]

Not the greatest audio. You may have to turn up the volume. For context, Jill gets an oil pressure light on the vintage wagon she daily drives and basically ignores it (not knowing what it was) until the engine seizes. She says she thought there would be a buzzer, and Tim responds that it isn't a washing machine (I'm remembering this from thirty years ago).

 

[svtrit]

My 18 year old daughter has been sharing our spare vehicle since she got her license a couple of years ago. It's a 2003 Ford Ranger. She drives it almost every day.

About a week ago I told her that I changed the wipers and filled up the washer fluid and asked if she noticed a difference.

She said the wipers work better, but she doesn't know how to use the washer fluid. I said Really? That's something you should probably figure out. Especially since we live in Minnesota where salt and winter slop often makes the washer fluid a very important requirement.

Today I followed up and asked if she figured it out yet. She said she tried for about 15 minutes, but couldn't figure it out, so I went out and showed her. Turn knob on stalk for wipers, push in for juice.

Then I went over how to open the hood and asked her to show me where the new fluid goes. She pointed to the oil fill cap. I yelled NOOOOOOO!!!!! She said I scared her. I said yeah, you scared me too!

So anyways, I just felt like sharing this story. Trying to teach car stuff to daughters is not for the faint of heart.

I tried so many times to get my daughter to put an effort into learning maintenance. She had a brief moment right before she moved out, but when visiting last week I asked her when she last checked the oil and tire pressure, and she stared at me blankly. This was a month after the last time I asked and got the same response.

It's a good thing it's my old Camry and I know the car well enough to know it's OK, but I keep telling her that 260,000 miles means she better pay attention or she will be buying a car, and not the latest TikToc fashions and school tuition.

 

[nomas]

Wonder if the embossed wiper symbol on top of the fluid container can be "highlighted" in contrasting paint. Do that one and leave all the other fluids alone.

Sharpie pens come in all colors .

 

[nomas]

For the love of God , at least teach your daughters to look at the display to check for CHECK ENGINE lights or SERVICE ENGINE SOON or however it's labelled . Tell them to at least let you know .

 

[97prizm]

My 18 year old daughter has been sharing our spare vehicle since she got her license a couple of years ago. It's a 2003 Ford Ranger. She drives it almost every day.

About a week ago I told her that I changed the wipers and filled up the washer fluid and asked if she noticed a difference.

She said the wipers work better, but she doesn't know how to use the washer fluid. I said Really? That's something you should probably figure out. Especially since we live in Minnesota where salt and winter slop often makes the washer fluid a very important requirement.

Today I followed up and asked if she figured it out yet. She said she tried for about 15 minutes, but couldn't figure it out, so I went out and showed her. Turn knob on stalk for wipers, push in for juice.

Then I went over how to open the hood and asked her to show me where the new fluid goes. She pointed to the oil fill cap. I yelled NOOOOOOO!!!!! She said I scared her. I said yeah, you scared me too!

So anyways, I just felt like sharing this story. Trying to teach car stuff to daughters is not for the faint of heart.

Could be worse. Years ago I read where a guy said his daughter went off to college and called one day and said her car died. He asked what happened she told him not sure a funny red light cane on so I taped over it. "How long ago ?" "weeks ago" it was the oil light.

 

[andrew_j]

Realistically this falls back on the person who taught her to drive and operate a vehicle. Not saying it’s you.

I taught my daughter to fill gas first time and forgot to tell her to stop squeezing nozzle(asssumed she would stop) when pulling it out. She sprayed the pump , car and was upset about her flip flops I told her to throw out . Dropped $80 on new flip flops at surf store near gas station.

I reflected and realized I did not properly teach her.