The other thing nobody teaches

A car is the first expensive, dangerous thing a teenager gets handed, and most of them are handed the keys without ever being shown how to look at it. These classes start at ten, not six — the rest of the course runs from six.

Check first. Fix second.

AgesCar classes start at ten, not six. Wiper blades from twelve, the oil change from fifteen.
The ruleIn the walkaround, nobody adds air, oil or coolant. They look, read and report, and an adult decides what happens next.
Under the carNobody goes under the car but me. Students watch from the tape line and talk me through it.
Your carThe wiper and oil sessions are on your own car, with an adult from your family at it the whole time.

A gloved hand pouring used motor oil from a drain pan through a red funnel into an empty oil jug. — From our own oil change, Oct 2026. Used oil goes through a funnel into a sealed jug for recycling — the last step of Special Session I.

Car Basics 1

The Five-Point Walkaround

60 minutes · Ages 10–18 · On my car

Pilots walk all the way round an aircraft before every flight, in the same order, looking for anything different from last time. A driver can do the same in five minutes. Tires, lights, glass, fluids, dashboard — find the tire sticker, check tread with a penny, read the fluid levels, sort the warning lights by color.

The rule is check, don’t fix. Nobody adds air, oil or coolant. Nothing gets topped up, tightened or repaired. They look, read and report, and an adult decides what happens next. The hood is adult-opened and the only thing a student pulls out is the dipstick.

Take homeThe Walkaround Check Card, and their penny.

Special Session H

Swap Your Wiper Blades

60 minutes · Ages 12–18 · On your own car

The first time they fix something on a car instead of just checking it — and a deliberately small one. Engine off, hood shut, no fluids. Tell a worn blade from a good one, work out whether your car takes whole blades or refills, get the old one off and the new one on without letting the arm snap back onto the glass, then test it on wet glass.

One family per car with an adult at that car throughout, and I move between them. Everyone writes down their own sizes so the next swap takes ten minutes on the driveway.

You bringNew blades sized for your car, unopened and with the receipt · the owner’s manual · a bath towel. A week before, you get a sheet telling you how to find the right size.

Special Session I

Oil Change: The Top Side

60 minutes · Ages 15–18 · On your own car

The first class where fluids come out of a car. Your teen finds the right oil, amount and filter in the owner’s manual, matches the bottles to it, fills to the line with wipe-dip-read, checks for leaks from the side, resets the oil reminder and pours the used oil into a sealed jug for recycling.

Nobody goes under the car but me. I do the drain plug and any filter underneath while students watch from the tape line and talk me through it. Two cars at most, with an adult from each family at their car. Gas cars with a dipstick only for now — no hybrids or diesels.

You bringOil of the grade and spec in your manual, enough for its capacity plus a spare quart · the right filter, in its box · a new drain-plug washer if your car uses one · the owner’s manual. A week before, you get a sheet telling you what to buy.

Still being written: a flat-tire class and a dead-battery class. The oil-change session is not on the calendar yet — ask and I’ll tell you when it is. Car class prices are set per session — ask when you book and I’ll tell you the price and the next date.

Next step

Come build something

Tell me your kids’ ages and what you want them to be able to do, and I will tell you which class to start with.

Book a class See prices