Basic Car Maintenance for Women: Things Every Woman Should Know How to Do

Not many people like dealing with their car at all – but it’s especially annoying when something goes wrong. For women on the road, it can be dangerous when your car breaks down. It’s very important to know how to do basic car maintenance so you can be safe and get on your way!  

Here are some ideas of basic car maintenance every woman should know how to do – and it’s not as hard as you might think!

How to change a tire. 

According to Town Fair Tire, about a quarter of Americans don’t know how to change a tire. This is a skill that everyone should have. Even though the process of changing a tire is intimidating, especially when you think about the possibility of doing it on the side of a busy highway, it’s actually not as complicated of a process as most people assume. 

Most cars have a spare that you can use in a pickle. It’s important to also carry in your trunk a car-maintenance tool kit for emergencies. This should include a car jack, which is essential in safely and efficiently changing your tire. All you have to do is pull the spare out of the back of your car, jack your car up, and take the damaged tire off to replace it with the spare. The only thing you really need to do you really need to know is where to place the jack and how to remove lug nuts. It’s important to practice this so that you’re ready for an emergency. 

How to change your headlight and taillights. 

You don’t want to have to rely on going to a mechanic every time your lights go out on your car. This is actually a fairly simple task that you can learn very quickly. In most cars, you can access the headlight panel by pulling back the lining of your car. From there, you’ll just change the old light out for a new one. If you’re not sure about what kind of bulb you need, you can take the broken light out and take it into your auto shop. When you show them the bulb, they’ll know what you should buy. 

Changing windshield wipers. 

Windshield wipers should be replaced every year or two to keep your window clean enough to drive safely. When you go in for an oil change, it’s common for the associated to ask you if you want them to change your wipers as well – don’t fall for this. They normally charge you way more than it costs to buy them at a store and change it yourself. 

It’s very easy to change windshield wipers. You simply lift the wiper off the windshield and into an upright position, then press the little tab on the bottom of the joint between the wiper arm and the wiper blade.

Once you’ve done that, it’s easy to slide the old wiper downwards, taking the blade right off. You then position the new wiper blade under the same hook from where you removed the old set. Press the new wiper blade into the hook until you hear a clicking sound which means that the wiper has been secured in place. After you’ve lowered the blades onto the shield, turn your car on to test them. There are a lot of little steps, but it’s easy! 

Checking your oil. 

One of the most important parts of car maintenance is checking your oil. Oil provides lubrication for your entire engine, so checking your oil levels often is one of the best things you can to do keep your car running for a long time and cut down on the costs of invasive repairs later on. While this seems like a big deal given the importance of changing your oil, it’s very easy to check. Your car is already equipped with everything you need!

Make sure your car is turned off – then open the hood. Locate your engine’s dipstick and pull it out. Gently and thoroughly wipe off any oil with a clean, soft cloth or paper towel. You will then put the dipstick back into its compartment and push it all the way down, then pull it out again and make a note of how much of the stick is coated with oil. 

Every single dipstick  will have some clear way of indicating where your oil level currently is versus where it should be, like and indicating the max line on the stick. If your oil levels are within the right limits, you do not need to schedule an oil change. If they are not, you should go as soon as possible.

There are many different things that go into taking care of your vehicle to keep it running for an extended time, and some of that does, unfortunately, mean going into the mechanic. But anything you can do to rely on yourself for simple repairs keeps you safe and keeps costs of car maintenance down. 

At Women’s Motor Fest, we encourage every woman to learn more about taking care of their car. At Women’s Motor Fest, we love cars and women who love cars! We check out our upcoming events in Detroit and Columbus. Our Detroit Auto Show for women takes place on June 18, 2022, and our Columbus Car Show happens on September 10, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.