Long ago, in a land not too far away, a fair maiden could take her car to a gas station and a smiling, uniformed man would run up and ask her, “Fill ‘er up, ma’am?” In those days, cars were actually serviced, hence the name “service station.” A service station employee would pump your gas, check your tire pressure, and even add oil to your car if necessary. The only thing that you would pay for is the gas. Of course, if your car needed oil, you would also need to pay for that as well, but you did not pay for the “service.”Those really were the good old days! For a lot of today’s women, this is nothing more than a fairy tale, as they cannot remember it ever actually happening. Every woman should have some basic automobile knowledge. This is especially true if she does not have a man she can depend on to take care of her vehicle for her. I had owned a cute, little blue sports car for about a year when I first met my husband. Being a gentleman, he offered to check whether my car needed service. He asked me when the oil had last been changed. “What do you mean by ‘changed’?” I asked. I had never bothered to change the oil; I just added more when it was low. The oil was sludge when he drained it, because I had driven about 25,000 miles without changing it. Now I realize that I must have the oil changed on a regular basis. An easy way to remember is to go by holidays on the calendar. Since I drive 15,000 miles annually, and I should change the oil after 5,000, all I have to remember is to change it at around Easter, Labor Day, and Christmas. The most important accessory for your car it is probably sitting in your glove box – the owner’s manual. Take some time to read through it, because it is full of useful information about your car. You can learn when these procedures are due by reading the owner’s manual and taking the car to a shop for the required maintenance. A lot of these things are simple and can be taken care of at a local service station, or you may even learn to do them yourself! You can learn how much to inflate the tires, what kind of fluids to add, and many other helpful pieces of advice. It is a good idea to use your owner’s manual as a type of journal, wherein you will be able to keep track of when you had maintenance and oil changes done. Drivers should learn how to check the air pressure of their tires and know how to add air to tires when necessary. Learn where your jack and spare tire are kept and, more importantly, learn how to use them to change a flat. Even if you have a roadside assistance policy, what will you do if you have flat tire in a remote area where your cell phone does not work? Perhaps a Good Samaritan will stop to give you a hand. But how will you know if he is an actual Good Samaritan or an axe murderer? At a minimum, you should be able to replace a flat tire if you need to. You must have a portable battery charger in your car to charge your battery in case your battery goes dead. Not only are these chargers much safer to use but you also are not going to need to have another car around to jumpstart your battery.There is a built-in sensor in your brakes that alerts you when they are about to wear out. When the pads are almost worn out, there is a little pin which will make a squeaking sound. This is your signal to have the brakes serviced; putting this off until the pads are completely worn out, with metal rubbing on metal, will be a far more costly repair.The time to find a knowledgeable, trustworthy mechanic is before something goes wrong with your car. Find a reliable auto repair shop that’s good and trustworthy before your car needs a repair not covered by the warranty. Check with friends, family, and neighbors for a recommendation of a reliable auto repair shop so, when the occasion arises, you will know where to go. Until then, maintain your regular maintenance schedules and you can drive without any worries.