Twenty-six of the greatest lessons I was ever taught.

This is a chapter from The ABCs of Dan M. Wilson.

For whatever reason, I was not in a hurry to get my drivers license. Sound familiar? My 16th birthday came and went without me making a mad dash down to the license bureau to become street legal. I, like you, had the mentality that I could just bum rides from my friends. Eventually, however, I made the journey down to take my test and passed it. That was more than two decades ago.

Take care of your car and it will always take care of you.

Your grandfather worked for more than four decades in the automobile industry as the comptroller (financial controller) at several different car dealerships. Ironically he knew very little about the mechanical aspects of automobiles. And yet, he still passed on a plethora of tips and tricks on how to best care for a car.

“Take care of your car and it will always take care of you.”

The following list contains everything Grandpa Dan told me to do in regards to caring for my car:

• Change your oil every 3,000 miles
• Rotate your tired once every year
• Replace your windshield wipers each year
• Fill your gas tank up once every six months with the top of line fuel as it will clean your tank (I’ve since learned that this is a crock)
• Check the air in your tires every couple of months
• Make sure your spare tire is aired up every couple of months
• Learn how to change a tire
• Keep a blanket in the trunk
• Keep an extra jug of windshield wiper fluid either in your trunk or in the garage at home
• Carry an umbrella, so that you may use it in the event that you have a woman riding with you to keep her dry

A car should ultimately be viewed as “something that can get you from Point A to Point B,” but remember that from time to time you will have others riding with you and it’ll be your responsibility to make sure that you all reach your destination safely.