When it comes to taking care of your car, the professionals at Signal Auto Repair Shop, St. Paul MN are there for you when you need them. They enjoy helping their customers no matter their gender or age. One thing the staff excels in is teaching people a bit about their cars and helping them to understand what repairs are needed or how they are done. The following are some basic maintenance procedures that they feel every driver should know how to do. One of the best things young people should learn, both male and female, is how to perform these simple things before they are allowed to drive.

Information you will need.

Aside from your registration and insurance information, you should keep your owners manual in your vehicle. If you don’t have one you can easily request one from the manufacturer or find a replacement fairly cheap online. These handy little books tell you everything you need to know about your vehicle. What you need most for these things is the fully labeled diagram of your engine the manual has.

For your coolant: As a reminder from your auto repair shop, St Paul MN, Only check the coolant levels when the vehicle is cold and turned off. The compartment that you load the fluid, which is used through the water pump and radiator is often clearly marked and opaque. The lids used for them are easy to unscrew and often the largest of access points for the engine. They are also usually clearly marked as the coolant lid. Simply opening it up and checking to see if the fluid level is below any of the indicator lines will tell you if it is low. Only use the type of coolant that the manufacturer recommends, this too is often printed on the cap as a reminder. There are many different types of coolants available so pay attention before buying the wrong kind.

Checking and replacing oil: While your friendly auto repair shop in the St. Paul MN area are always happy to check and top you off, there is really no reason to not know how to do so yourself. The dipstick for the oil is often tipped in a rounded yellow handle. Simply pull it out, wipe it off with a rag or shop towel, replace or dip, and remove again to check. At the very bottom you will see the oil level as indicated by the oil clinging to the bottom. A series of levels are marked out to tell you if the oil is full, partially full (some with quart indicators), or dangerously low. Remember to replace the dip stick when you are done. If the oil is very low you should take it to the shop for a check up, especially if its not yet time for a change. When it indicates there is almost no oil left, you should add at least one quart before taking it in to your auto repair shop in the St. Paul MN area.