'Broke-o' inspires automotive repair knowledge

I was never interested in cars.

I didn’t care if my car was cool looking or had high horse power. I just wanted something inexpensive to get me from A to B.

This lack of interest unfortunately meant I had no idea how to fix a car or diagnose an issue. A series of unfortunate events caused me to change my thinking.

I was a junior in college when I finally purchased my car. I knew I wanted it when I took it for a test drive and it felt like the perfect fit.

For two years my Ford Focus didn’t give me any problems. Now it seems to break down on me so often, my best friend has nicknamed it, “Broke-o.”

Since my move from western Washington to Moses Lake, my car has had issues I had never even heard of. My car’s left front tire exploded, two different fuel caps leaked at different times (I didn’t know there was more than one) and my keys became locked in my ignition.

I was so clueless about cars, I didn’t even know I had a spare tire in my trunk until the automotive repair guy told me. Yet it wouldn’t have made much difference, since I didn’t know how to change a tire.

Thank goodness for good samaritans.

The worst break down was the first time my fuel cap busted. My car died in the middle of the road.

I called AAA and waited for a tow truck, expecting angry drivers to honk at me. But I was wrong.

Cars stopped and people came out of their cars, asking me if I was OK. People helped me push my car into a parking lot out of traffic.

My co-workers all volunteered to give me rides and went out of their way to help me out. I would have been forced to walk many miles if it wasn’t for them.

All this help was great, but I realized something important. I needed to learn the basics of automotive repair so I could take care of myself the next time Broke-o failed me.

I decided to start by learning how to change a flat tire. Here are some tips I learned and thought I’d share:

• Check the spare tire: look in your owner’s manual for the recommended tire pressure. Use a tire pressure gauge to make sure the spare is aired up correctly.

• Don’t leave home without: A jack, a small chunk of wood to put behind a tire to help keep the vehicle from rolling while it’s up on the jack, and all the other tools you need to change a flat tire. A simple flat tire kit is gloves, flashlight, road reflector and an old blanket you can put down to keep from getting dirty while you change the tire.

• If you have a flat tire pull off the road. If you’re not in a safe place, immediately get to a spot where you know you won’t be hit by passing cars. If you’re alone and need a little help lifting the spare onto the hub, lean it against the hub and put the long end of the L-shaped tire tool underneath the tire. Pull upward, using the tool as leverage to raise the wheel far enough to slide over the bolts on the hub.

Sarah Kehoe is the health and education reporter for the Columbia Basin Herald. She seems to be learning about motor vehicle maintenance the hard way. She forgot the rules about friends. Make as many as you can to help when your car breaks down.