Hi, thanks for reading my article on changing a car tire. I think that this article requires a certain amount of disclosures upfront. First, I am a girl. Second, I am not a 'Grease Monkey Machanic' that will be 'exposing' a magic trick...These are tips that ANYONE can and should use. The truth is that whereas girls and boys are so different, when it comes to changing a tire....hey, you either know or you don't know. What is most important, is your safety. Then comes the speed and effeciency and lastly, your cleanliness (Hello! Flat tires ONLY happen to you when you are dressed-up, running on a tight schedule to a very important date or meeting and obviously when you least expect it)

I do not want to belabor the point of being a female, but...you are kidding yourself if you say being stranded on a dark road in the middle of the wrong place is not more dangerous for a girl. So, I want to write from this perspective first. PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS....Actually look at your tires when you gas your car. Oh, yeah, you could even get the tire gauge (measures how much air is in the tire) at the same time that you gas your car, but that could be asking too much....I am just saying take a look...if a tire looks different than the other tires, that's probably not the greatest safe tire and may be a flat tire soon, get the tire checked out.

MY FAVORITE TIP EVER! Before your SON or DAUGHTER ever gets to drive a car, make them change each of the four tires on the car that they will be driving. What? That's right, have your child actually change each tire on their car at your home in the driveway so that they know HOW to change their tires. Where do you want them to try and figure it out? Side of the road at night in the dark, oh yeah...the lost the cell, or dropped it, or the cell battery wasn't charged, out of cell range, 'whatever'....cause we all know, that NEVER happens, right? Right! (Enter the whiner voice) ...'But that will take hours'....Duh...my point exactly. Think about this for a second...you learned how to drive probably when you were around 15 1/2 to 16 years old with your parent as the teacher and you as the driver...You learned the basics, and then from there, gained the real time experience behind the wheel...What if your parent made you change each tire? Here's how this works...First tire takes an hour....WITH your guidance....the second tire takes an hour without your guidance, the third tire takes thirty minutes, and the fourth tire takes about 10 to 15 minutes....and to all the Dad's out there....this one tip you could do for your daughter will probably protect her and give her more confidence than most anything you can think of.

Safety. If you do not know what you are doing, ask someone that does. Read your owner's guide, ask around (BEFORE YOU HAVE A FLAT) for someone to show you etc...(PS this also applies to jump starting your car) I think that the easiest thing is to go to Youtube and search a video to see it being done, but since we are dealing with your safety, I think it's best to have someone supervising you until you know what you are doing. You see, no 'magic trick' here..there is no magic wand that just changes your flat tire for you instantly. Though there are products such as 'Ready Flat' that can help inflate a tire and stop most leaks long enough for you to drive to a mechanic (I have this myself)

Cleanliness....You have NO idea how dirty you can get changing a tire...the tire is black and very dirty and you will ruin your clothes if you are not careful. Again, preventative tip.....put a pair of gardening gloves (or any glove that allows you to use your fingers effectively) in your trunk alongside your spare tire. So when you need to change your tire, viola! You have a pair of gloves right where you can find them.

In closing: Change your tires (4) times before really having a flat tire. This will give you the knowledge and confidence that you can change your tire in a safe manner in about 15 minutes. Second, and this ties in with number one....know what you are doing...you do not want to be reading 'how to change a tire' at three in the morning, alone, in the wrong neighborhood, and lastly....keep a pair of gloves in the trunk so they will be there when you need them. It's all about preventative messures that are easy and simple to apply before you need them. Now go do the right thing!