Essential Auto Mechanic Skills for Every College Student

Navigating college life is a whirlwind of classes, extracurriculars, and the constant juggle of responsibilities; however, it’s also essential to strengthen your basic auto mechanic skills. For college students, who are often far from the safety net of home, a car is an essential lifeline and a source of unforeseen challenges you’ll need the knowledge to maintain. Here are a few must-have automotive skills for every college student to maintain a reliable ride.

Changing a Flat Tire

The difference between a minor hiccup and a major roadblock is knowing how to replace a flat tire. Ensure you carry the must-have equipment for every automotive DIYer, such as wrenches and gloves for convenient maintenance.

Ensure safety for yourself and others by pulling over to a flat, stable location, applying the parking brake, and putting on the hazard lights. Follow these steps to change the tire:

• Retrieve the spare tire and necessary tools from the trunk or under the vehicle
• Loosen the lug nuts, lift the car with a jack, and remove the nuts
• Place the flat tire in the space where the spare was
• Place the spare on the hub, tighten the lug nuts by hand, and lower the vehicle

Once you follow these steps and you’re back on the road, ensure the car is driving as it should; there should be no weaving or imbalance in the steering mechanism, which would indicate the spare is not properly installed. Remember, the spare is not a permanent solution—it’s a temporary fix until you reach a service station.

Changing Oil

Oil is a vehicle’s lifeblood; keeping it fresh ensures proper functioning and longevity. Change the oil by locating the oil pan drain plug underneath the car. Position an oil catch pan on the ground in the targeted area and remove the drain plug, draining the oil.

Replace the washer, reinstall the drain plug, and refill the engine with the appropriate amount of new oil. Be cautious of the engine and oil temperature, and remember to dispose of used oil responsibly.

Jump-Starting the Battery

A dead battery turns a functioning car into an immobile hunk of metal. Knowing how to jump-start a car is an invaluable skill. You’ll need another person’s vehicle with a charged battery and jumper cables.

Connect the red jumper cable to the positive terminal on the dead battery and the other end to the working battery’s positive terminal. Then, connect the black clamp to the negative terminal on the working battery and the other end to an unpainted metal surface on the car with the dead battery; this acts as the ground.

Start the working vehicle, wait a few minutes, then attempt to start the dead car. Once started, leave the jumped vehicle running and remove the cables in the reverse order you connected them.

Mastering these auto mechanic skills for every college student may seem daunting at first, but each one is a step toward ensuring you’re prepared for the road ahead. College is a time to equip yourself with knowledge and skills that serve you well throughout your life—and your automotive acumen should be no exception.

FILE #: 79542546 By NorGal