By Christopher Dudley
Many years ago, as a young boy, cars were commonly worked on by the average person. They were relatively basic and the tools to work on them were not complicated or expensive. If you had the knowledge and mechanical aptitude, you could do a complete tune up on a Saturday afternoon. I clearly remember my father changing the oil diligently every 3000 miles on our family’s vehicles. He would let me “help” too, which is a memory I cherish to this day.
Flash forward 35 years and I have my own child, a daughter who is currently 12. I was a stay-at-home dad for the first year of her life, and so we have developed a strong bond. Where this oil change idea connects, is what is going on in middle school currently. They all take a “Tech” class which goes over various concepts like engines, motors, electricity, solar power, etc. The other day we were talking about how I needed an oil change and how when I was a kid I helped my dad change his oil. I asked her, “Do you want to help me change the oil in the truck?” She exclaimed, “SURE!”
Now, in today’s world, we stop in at VIP Auto or some quick lube place and 20 minutes later we drive away for $25 with our oil changed and pay a little extra for air filters and such. We stopped at the local NAPA Auto and I handed them a list of what I needed for filters and I grabbed oil off the shelf that was on sale and some windshield washer fluid. I figured we would do it all! Then he told me how much it was, $55!! (Good thing I had the proper wrenches at home) I paid the bill and we left. We got into the truck and I said, “Sammy, please know that you better be all excited Friday afternoon when you get home from school to change the oil, because we just spent WAY more than I normally spend on an oil change and WE ARE DOING ALL THE LABOR!!!”
At 3 p.m. my daughter got off the bus and from halfway down the driveway, she exclaimed with great excitement, “DADDY!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO CHANGE THE OIL IN YOUR TRUCK!!” And then she said much quieter and with a little sarcasm, “Was that excited enough for you?” Isn’t she a riot? So she went inside and changed all on her own into old clothes (it seems she might actually be listening to us here and there!) and we headed out to change the oil. She settled right into being under the truck, once I killed the spider that dropped on her shoulder. I gave her the task of finding the filter and drain plug, after she popped the hood of course. I let her loosen the drain plug with a little help from my muscles. She got to learn how to properly adjust a wrench and had the pleasure of taking the drain plug out and getting oil all over her gloved hand. That was funny really.
Once the filter was off and all the oil drained, I taught her how to smear clean oil on the filter gasket. Then we installed the filter and the plug and went back up top. I had to get a ladder for her to see in the engine compartment and she filled the oil without spilling any! Wuhooo!! Then she filled the windshield washer fluid and we went for the air filter replacement.
This is where things got really interesting and a bit gross and maybe a little sad as well. After struggling to get the air filter cover off, immediately we noticed chewed acorns and a mouse nest!! And the gross and sad part, 6 dead baby mice. “GROSS!!!” was the response of course. To my surprise, while I was retrieving the shop vac, my daughter had reached in and removed all the baby mice. Good thing we had surgical gloves on. She then chucked them in the woods.
The only thing left to do was fire up the truck to make sure it worked! And it did of course. Phew! I’m pretty sure I let her do way more than my dad had let me do back when I was a kid. Not much you can break or mess up on a Ford F250 pickup though. After we finished, the best part was when she asked enthusiastically, “Dad, can we change the oil together every time you need it done?” I must say, it’s probably worth the extra $15-20, the time spent, the messes made, and the learning going on under the truck. How else would a 12 year-old girl learn that when the hubs are not locked in, you can turn the drive shaft in front, but not the one in back?
Christopher Dudley describes himself as: married, saved at 40, one daughter, love hunting, fishing, hiking, etc., and build custom furniture for a living