How Dad’s Car Advice has Held Up Over the Years

Dear old dad is a fountain of fatherly wisdom. He knows the best way to grill a burger, the way to properly shave, and even the best route to the airport at all times of day. And when it comes to teaching his teenaged kids how to drive or maintain their car, it is a time for a father’s advice – all given with your best interests in mind – to truly shine.

Let’s take a look at some of the classic nuggets of car-related wisdom that dads often impart on their children to see if they still ring true, given all of the innovation in modern Ford vehicles. 

Pump the Brakes

“Pump the brakes”

While this may have been advice from grandpa more than dad, conventional wisdom for driving on a slippery road stated that if your brakes should lock and the car begins to drift, the appropriate response is to pump the breaks until you regain control. This was sound advice before the advent of the anti-lock brake system (ABS), but now ABS helps you maintain steering control during emergency stops by keeping the brakes from locking. All Ford vehicles are equipped with ABS. When the system is operating, the brake pedal will pulse and may travel further. Maintain pressure on the pedal. You may also hear a noise from the system. This is normal.

Change the Oil

“Change your oil every 5,000 kilometres”

While it is important to keep a keen eye to your oil levels, in new Ford vehicles, there’s a better way to gauge oil health other than your odometer. Ford offers an Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor system in select vehicles, which determines when you should change your engine oil based on how your vehicle is used. By considering several important factors in its calculations, the system helps ensure that your engine can perform at its best while also helping you avoid unnecessary oil changes. Your vehicle can let you know when it’s time for an oil change by displaying a message in the information display. This interval may be up to 1 year or 16,000 km. But should your oil-life monitor reset prematurely or become inoperable, change your oil at 8,000 km and never exceed one year or 16,000 km between oil changes.

Replace Gas Cap

“Don’t forget to replace the gas cap!”

Perhaps more of one of dad’s pet peeves than advice, losing the gas cap is a sure way to frustrate a father. Although many cars have tethered the gas cap to the fuel door to reduce the risk of loss, there is, in fact, a better way. With Ford’s available Easy Fuel capless fuel filler system, there isn’t a cap to lose. You simply open the fuel door, insert the nozzle through the Easy Fuel flap, and gas up.

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“Buckle up!”

This is a piece of dad’s advice that will never, ever go out of style. Seat belts save lives. It’s so important, in fact, that Ford’s MyKey, available in some models, includes Persistent Ford Belt-Minder chimes and mutes the radio to remind teens to buckle up. A message on the instrument panel displays “Buckle Up to Unmute Radio.” So we join in with dad as he repeats this timeless, ever-important piece of advice: “buckle up.”

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“Check your blind spot”

This is another piece of advice that dad got right. You should always check your blind spot whether on the highway or pulling out of a parking spot. But with Ford’s Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), available on some models – or integrated blind spot mirrors, which come standard – you have a bit of help. BLIS uses radar sensors to monitor areas that may not be visible to the person in the driver’s seat. The sensors trigger a warning light in the sideview mirrors to indicate another vehicle is in a blind spot, reminding the driver to look over their shoulder to check their blind spot.