Car Care aware academy

The Car Care Aware Academy is designed to teach car care basics to new drivers, college bound students, Girl Scouts of America & Boy Scouts of America seeking the Car Care Merit Badge and Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge, as well as any individual desiring to become more knowledgeable about the basics of car care. Knowledge IS Power!  It is empowering to understand a topic more in depth and it helps to reduce the fear and anxiety that can happen when car problems occur. 

We start the class out covering basic maintenance for vehicles. Here's a snapshot: 

• Fluids: How to check levels 
• Wipers: What to look for 
• Fuel Efficiency: How to get it
• Tires: Types, how to read, tread depth, federal minimums, tire pressures, specs
• Alignment: What and why
• Preventative Maintenance
• Jump Start
• Professional Inspections

Besides basic maintenance, our students learn about manufacture recalls and major safety systems in vehicles. We discuss vehicle insurance types and coverages. We encourage students to bring their insurance information so they can compare their limits and coverages. We run them through scenarios and ask them to explain to us what their coverage looks like and how it impacts their wallets in each scenario.

Our third topic in class entails researching safe driving practices. We talk about required equipment to drive on roads, traffic laws, cell phone use, parking, locking cars, and engine safety.

Every driver has the potential to find themselves in an emergency on the road. We discuss many facets of emergency planning including remaining calm and avoiding panic. who to call, ensuring high visibility, and what should be in an emergency roadside kit.

Finally, we discuss the impacts to our wallet and our world of driving green. We learn about emission ratings, miles per gallon, air flow in the vehicle, fuel quality, the type of fuel used, maintenance that impacts fuel efficiency, and how students can utilize their cars more efficiently.