Learning to drive is significant in life, especially if you pass your test while you’re a teenager. Now you’ve got the whole world at your feet, and all you need is a car to get in to access it! If you’re the parent of a teenager who’s on their way to becoming a new car owner, you’re probably going to help them foot the bill of their first car purchase.
Let’s get as much value out of the purchase as possible. There’s a pre-buy checklist to go through after your teen passes their test to ensure they get the best car for them, but it’s also a good idea to pass on a few tips about car care and maintenance. Doing so will keep their first vehicle in the best condition for as long as possible.
Don’t Run the Battery Down
Running down a car battery is horrifically easy to do. Short journeys, turning the vehicle on and off in short succession, and keeping systems running without actually driving the car can drain power away from the battery. Your teen might even get in the car one day and it won’t go anywhere, thanks to a flat battery they never saw coming.
Of course, they probably already know a bit about keeping the battery in the best condition but remind them of the danger here. A drained battery can be an expensive thing to replace, and seeing as you’re likely to buy a second-hand car for your teenager, it’s likely the battery is old and more susceptible to power loss, too.
Chips in the Windows Need Addressing Immediately
A chip on a car window should never be left, even if it looks small and is easy to forget. That chip could grow into a crack at any point, meaning windows may split, crumble, and fall in while the car is in motion. That’ll immediately make the vehicle unsafe to use, and you don’t want your teen on the roads with poor window integrity!
Make sure you hammer this point home for them. If there’s a chip, they need to take the car in for windshield replacement, no matter how expensive the job may be. If they don’t, the vehicle may become unusable, and they’ll lose all sense of their independence. That’s a total nightmare for a 16+ year-old!
Keep an Emergency Kit
An emergency kit should be in every car. If your teen hasn’t prepared one for their vehicle yet, remind them of it again. There should be a few useful items, such as a flashlight, blanket, water, jump starters, and a spare tire. All of these things will be essential in a crisis! It may take some effort to put the kit together, but it’ll be worth it to prevent the need for breakdown rescue.
If you’ve got a newly qualified driver in the family, pass on tips like these for safe traveling.
