Auto Maintenance Lessons from Dad

Something Dad did—something I didn’t fully appreciate until after he was gone—was keep one master log book for all of his equipment. Cars. Lawn mowers. Snow blowers. Weed wackers. Anything with an engine had a place in that book.

Inside, he recorded all the important details: the make and model, the type of oil it required, when it was last serviced, and the work that had been done. Oil changes weren’t guesses. Maintenance wasn’t reactive. Everything had a history, written down in his careful handwriting.

At the time, it just felt like one more “Dad thing.” Practical. Methodical. Quietly responsible.

I was genuinely impressed when I found that log book among Dad’s things. Seeing everything so carefully recorded made me realize just how much thought he put into caring for what he owned. It struck me as such a simple idea—and such a smart one—that I knew it was something I wanted to adopt myself.

Now, looking back, I see it differently. That log book wasn’t just about machines—it was about being proactive instead of reactive. About taking care of things before they broke, before they became problems, before they left you stranded. It was his way of staying one step ahead, of respecting the tools that made everyday life run smoothly.

Auto maintenance is one of those responsibilities no one talks about much—until something goes wrong. A missed oil change. A strange noise you ignore too long. A breakdown that turns a normal day into a stressful one. Dad understood that prevention mattered. That the small, unglamorous tasks done consistently were what kept life moving.

I didn’t realize, while he was alive, that Dad was leaving us a roadmap. Not just for his cars and equipment, but for how he moved through life. That log book was his way of caring—quietly, consistently, without ever needing credit. Now, every time I schedule maintenance instead of putting it off, every time I try to stay ahead instead of catching up, I feel him there. Not in a big, dramatic way—but in the small, steady habits that keep things running.

The lesson was never about machines—it was about paying attention before things fall apart. Through simple habits, he showed us how responsibility becomes love.

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