photo credit: girlsautoclinic.com I found out about Patrice Banks through the local radio station 107.9. She was a guest on the morning show and shared some great information on handling the maintenance of your vehicle for females. I immediately went to her website and have learned a wealth of information on how to take care of my aging vehicle. On May 17th she hosted a “free” workshop at Crest Auto Center in West Philadelphia. Patrice is a very thorough instructor she talk the attendees about serpentine belt(what wear looks like), bushings(that are part of suspension system) worn vs. new, wheel (sometimes called hub) bearings, spark plugs(how these work in a 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder vehicles), rotors(worn vs. new), brake pads(worn vs. new), and air filters. Patrice taught us how to check the measurement line on our oil dip stick(how to use a funnel to add more oil, turn on car to get the oil moving and check the dip stick, one quart at time), the color of coolant(the composition of the fluid : water/antifreeze), brake fluid(cannot be topped off), the importance of the engine and cabin filter and how often it should be changed. I rode around for about three years with a tire air pressure gauge and never learned how to use it. Here is Patrice to the rescue she taught us what a correct air pressure should be between 30-33psi. You can check the side of our driver’s side door for your tire size and air pressure specifications. She taught us how to check the tire pressure and how to release the air if there is too much. Did you know that you can use a penny to check the wear on your tire? Take the penny head side down and if the treads are worn the head will disappear. Did you know if the brake pads are replaced the rotors should be also? Do you know how to properly jump start a car? She covered hooking up the cables. The importance of an oil change for your specific vehicle, a lot of new vehicles have a maintenance schedule. The type of gas was covered especially when it comes to foreign vehicles that require premium gas and specialized oil. The workshop covered a lot. Patrice is currently looking for a location so she can open her own garage that caters to the female consumer. Manicures will be one of the services offered while you wait. If you want to check out the next workshop, visit the website girlsautoclinic.com to subscribe and receive monthly blog posts on vehicle maintenance. Follow her Facebook page GirlsAutoClinic, on Instagram @girlsautoclinic
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