Car Care 101 with Tricia Hessinger
Ward-off Pricey Car Woes

	$20 now or $2,000 later: Tips to bypass money-sucking car ordeals. Cash up front to keep your car in shape may put a slight dent in your shopping, manicure or weekend movie budget—but it's worth it. Massive car breakdowns due to neglect typically start at $1,000 and up. Follow these basic tips. Both your car and manicurist will thank you. Once a week: take 5 minutes to check tire pressure Every 3 months or 3,000 miles: change oil. Check and replace windshield wiper fluid Every 5 months: have your tires rotated, it will extend their life. Replace if they are old and worn Every 6 months: replace wiper blades Once a year (and whenever they grind or squeal!): get brakes checked No-brainer: don't ignore funny smells or noises—the quicker you get them taken care of—the less money you've wasted Sources: Firestone and CarCare.org

By Corilyn Shropshire

Squatting next to the rear wheel of a forest green sports utility vehicle, Heather, 16, poked a silver pen-like stick into the tire, squinting as she read the pressure. "It's 35ish," she said, looking up at the handful of troop members hovering above her. Kneeling next to her Megan, 17, agreed, "I got 35 too."

The two girls were checking the tire's pressure, which at 35 pounds per square inch, was too high—making this SUV the ideal guinea pig for Troop 306's crash course in car maintenance.

Bloated tires make a car tough for the driver to handle and can lead to an accident-inducing blowout, Firestone Complete Auto Care spokeswoman, Tricia Hessinger explained, as she guided the girls through the vehicle's anatomy during the "Car Care Academy" workshop, hosted at a Firestone Complete Auto Care in suburban Pittsburgh.

Jenn, 16, peered under the car's hood and pulled out the oil dipstick, checking its level and color. "My mom has driven like, 100,000 miles in her car and never checked her oil," she said laughing. "I always check it for her."

"Weekly tire pressure checks, regular oil changes and the easiest, but typically blown-off task—reading the owner's manual—are all part of the quick and easy checklist that can help avoid blown-out tires, engine meltdowns and other money-draining car fiascoes," Ms. Hessinger said.

It's simple: five minutes a week spent getting up-close and personal with the car means more money for shopping and college.

The two-hour crash course on car safety and maintenance is one of about 35 that Ms. Hessinger, a professional figure skater-turned race car driver, hosts around the country.

A group of girls—and a few moms—munched on chips and cookies while chatting with her in the auto shop garage—making it seem less like class and more like a greasy girls-only gab fest. Later, huddling around the cars' opened hoods, the girls tried out their newly-acquired maintenance skills.

Brianna called out "That's my problem!" as Ms. Hessinger riddled-off the signs of transmission trouble.

Weeks from turning 17, she'd been driving for two months and figured she knew a lot about cars, especially the 1999 Ford Escort she helped buy with money earned from her job at a neighborhood pizza joint. But recently, Brianna felt her ride dragging on the road. A 5-minute spot-check of her transmission fluid and a refill, she hoped would provide the fix.

"Realize when you're a new driver, you don't know it all," Ms. Hessinger said. "Driving is like a sport, you get better the more you do it."

Today women buy over 50 percent of all new cars. And like Brianna and Ms. Hessinger, many are speed demons unafraid of a little car oil.

Today's tricked-out cars are also super-complicated machines, said Ms. Hessinger, so it's important that men and women know their stuff. "When these girls leave here today, they'll know more about cars than their boyfriends do."