Hi everyone, I am a tenth grade student who, for a school project, wants to create a learning tool on basic car maintenance. When I interviewed potential users, they thought a manual would be the most useful type of tool. I would like know where I can find good examples of similar ?how-to? manuals focused on basic car maintenance that practically anyone can do. Any suggestions?
Start with you parents’ vehicles. They have an owner’s manual that will ensure the right maintenance is done.
Since cars differ, you cannot create a universal manual that applies equally to all cars.
Certain things, like oil changes, cooling sytem service are needed for all cars, but the frequency will vary.
So, read the owners manuals of your parents’ cars first. Then come back to us with additional questions.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a manual “focused on basic car maintenance that practically anyone can do” because, in my opinion, many drivers should not be trusted to do even the most basic maintenance. Even with something as simple as an oil change, if you mess up something small, the resulting damage can be catastrophic.
Basic maintenance is a skill that must be learned, and the best way to learn it is from someone who knows, not a written manual. Rather than use a manual, someone who is interested in learning to do basic maintenance should find a knowledgeable friend or family member to show her/him the basics.
If you don’t have a knowledgeable friend or family member, perhaps one of these books would have what you are looking for:
If you want to find more, I found these on amazon.com searching for “idiot’s guide to car maintenance.” You might try searching amazon.com or bn.com for similar books.
Do your own homework.
Thanks, your suggestions were very helpful. A major part of the project is to tap into the information that is already out there, analyze it and then take it to the next level
How about Googling “basic car maintenance”?
The really hard, but most important part will be convincing your readers that they need to read the book and do (or even have someone do) the maintenance. Lack of maintenance is a very expensive thing to do to a car.