Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care, Maintenance, and Repair (Hardcover)

Everyone who has a vehicle (and doesn't know much about cars) should have a copy. It's a short and concise introduction to car history, facts, and maintenance. It's not chock full of details, but it directs you to resources to get those if you're interested. The pictures are not pretty, and the layout reminds me of middle school workbooks, but the content is solid.Before this book, I never did anything with my car except drive it, fill the gas tank, check the engine oil (maybe 2 or 3 times in my life), take it regularly to get it serviced, and watch my husband change a flat tire.Since I've read through the book, I've called out a swindling mechanic, changed wipers, changed cabin air filters, topped off antifreeze and window washer fluids, checked the engine oil, steering and transmission fluids, know generally what goes on at servicings, and feel a lot more comfortable with my car.

Great overview. I purchased for a 10 y.o. boy. I think that he finds the book a bit overwhelming and their are no color illustrations. For the appropriate age/ individual this may be great. I needed a book to inspire interest...this one would be great if the interest was already there.

Got it for an into to auto repair class for a local college as a required text, but it was not used all that much. Amazon of course cost 1/2 the school's price. It gives a good overview of how cars work and contains info car drivers should already know, even though most don't. Some of the later chapters go into details but most are limited. I now know why cars have breaks and windshield wipers, both which are covered. It tells about things and why to do it, but doesn't really tell you how to it. I read the whole book in less that 2 hours.

Great deal on a book that is 80$ at school

This book is very helpful to learn the basics about auto technology because it explains about how a vehicle works and how a car engine works.

As a Homeschooler these are a blessing and a much needed course for your Juniors and Seniors!I would have given it 5 stars if it came with a teacher's manual for grading.Money well spent!

I spend a lot time like most Amazon shoppers reading reviews on items before a purchase. The reviews on Auto Upkeep were pretty solid. However, as a DIY, I found Auto Upkeep to be a great teaching tool for young adults or a family in general. But the book to me is nothing more than a study guide if you will. If you want more detailed hands on information about auto repair...look elsewhere. Otherwise, this is a good book for educating the family about the basic in and outs of owning a car.

I first read about this book from a review at The Old Schoolhouse (homeschool site) and decided to buy this curriculum for my 15 yo daughter. Though I was hopeful from that review that it would be useful, I also wasn't holding my breath as it came from a public school background.Every once in a great while, I find a homeschool gem. This is one of those.It is a solid high school level. In the homeschool market, all too often we see curriculum marketed for high schoolers that is substandard, full of grammatical errors or typos, and that is more appropriate for middle school in an effort to be accessible. Likewise, we also often find curriculum marketed for high school that tries so hard to be rigorous that it is really college level (do any public high schools really study 3 Shakespearean plays a year, every year?). This is one of those rare finds that is neither -- it's solid high school material.It is basic car care and maintenance, not vehicle specific. 'Basic' meaning what every car-literate person should know. The author manages to convey basic, thorough information in an interesting manner without talking down to the student.Though it was developed for public schools, it converts perfectly to homeschools. The homeschool resource CD (available from the website) has power point presentations, tests, answer keys, grading rubric, and a suggested schedule. The study guide that's available has study questions and all the activities step-by-step and with pictures. They assume no prior knowledge, so, for example, unlike another life skills resource I have which simply instructs the student to check all fluid levels as an activity, this one breaks it down step by step, which fluids the engine should be running for, etc.We are solid Charlotte Mason-ites and found it easy to use our way. Each test has both multiple choice and essay answer questions, which I often used as narration prompts. We often will discuss the chapter at the dinner table, thereby including Dad in the conversation. The text is engaging and easy to read. Those who are more textbook oriented will find this perfectly suited to them, and those who want plenty of hands-on will also be thrilled (hands on activities are available either on the website or in printed form via the workbook, also available from the website). The essay answers provided were thorough enough that even I, who have no knowledge of the internal workings of cars (I'm one of those women who think when I turn the key, the little fairies in the engine magically bring it to life) was able to see if my daughter understood the material.My daughter's confidence has soared using this book. I wish I had known about it when my son was still living at home -- it would have saved him several thousands of dollars from costly mistakes where he thought he knew what he was doing (changing the transmission fluid by using engine oil because he didn't think there was a difference, and subsequently having to replace his transmission comes to mind).On another note, this is not merely suitable for high schoolers. As I mentioned, I don't know a thing about cars. I've found the book to be easy enough for me to understand without feeling like I'm reading a book written for kids. It's chatty without being childish, and full of helpful blurbs that offer extra tidbits and explanations without distracting from the text. I've read several sections for my own information and hope to find time to read the whole thing. We have used it as a reference book more than once and I plan to keep it easily accessible on our shelves.We just bought a new-to-us 2003 Durango, and we are using this book as a guide to check out all the systems to be sure both I and my daughter are completely familiar with this car. Even though my husband is a mechanic, he assumes we have more basic knowledge than we do. By using this book I'm able to make sure that we don't miss that foundational knowledge. (edited to add: the activities are found in the workbook, available from the website, but are also completely online for free from the AutoUpkeep website.)In addition, the customer service provided by author Michael Gray is outstanding. He is very accessible via either email or Facebook (search for AutoUpkeep). I've even asked him to give me an opinion on one of my daughter's essay questions, to see if he agreed with the grade I'd given her, to which he gave a prompt and thoughtful reply.I have no reservations whatsoever about recommending this as an excellent homeschool high school elective. Highly recommended!Edited to add: The Complete Homeschool Kit consists of this book, a resource CD, and a workbook/study guide/activity guide. If you aren't going to use tests or the powerpoints, you can skip the CD, and if you are willing to use the computer for all the activities and the study guide, then this book is all you need. I wanted the workbook in hand so I bought the whole thing. This book listed on Amazon is only the text, not the resource CD with tests & powerpoint.