Girls auto clinic glove box guide : maintain your ride, think like a mechanic, get down and dirty under the hood

As featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross A do-it-herself guide to auto maintenance, roadside emergencies, and the real scoop on how women can get honest car service at the garage, from engineer turned auto mechanic and award-winning entrepreneur Patrice Banks. Do you feel lost when explaining your car problems to a mechanic? Do you panic when something goes wrong with your ride? Have you felt like you were being overcharged or pressured into unnecessary add-ons at the auto shop? Fear no more: The Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide has got your back. So many women feel powerless, nervous, or embarrassed when taking our cars in for a repair, and yet we outnumber men both as drivers and as customers at auto repair shops The time has come for us to grab the wheel and finally take control of our cars. Filled with easy-to-follow illustrations and instructions, great tips, and lifesaving rules of thumb, The Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide will help take away the confusion and mystery surrounding cars, teach women what they need to know about how their cars work, and what they need to do to keep them running smoothly. Patrice Banks was once like most of us: a self-professed "auto airhead" who was clueless about car maintenance, yet convinced that mechanics were taking advantage of her. Now she's an auto pro devoted to empowering women to learn basic car repairs and knowing what to do in an emergency. So whether you get a flat tire when you're stranded in the middle of nowhere, your car overheats, or a mysterious dashboard light suddenly starts blinking, help is just a reach-in-the-glove-box away. Pop quiz : check your auto care IQ Introduction Part i. Get to know your vehicle. Changing your vehicular relationship status Must-know facts about your car Get to know your dash Your primary care technician High maintenance DIY #1 : Under the hood DIY #2 : Check and add windshield washer fluid Part ii. Everything you need to know about how cars work. Anatomy of a modern car The "three E's" : engines, exhaust, emissions DIY #3 : How to check and add oil DIY #4 : How to check and add coolant Motion electric : the electrical systems and computers inside your car Transmission : an orderly transfer of power Brakes : the most important system in your car DIY #5 : How to check brake fluid and power steering fluid Keep 'em rolling : tires and wheels DIY #6 : How to check air pressure and tire tread DIY #7 : How to change a tire Steering : navigating your chariot Suspension : giving you that smooth ride Heating and air conditioning : keeping it cozy Gas : the joys and pains Part iii. Common roadside problems (and a mini buyer's guide). Buy, sell, ditch : how to avoid a clunker (or tell when your car has become one) and buy a car you can afford What to do in an emergency DIY #8 : How to jump-start a car.