By Leah Ertel
The Girl Scouts are known for their famous Girl Scout cookies as well as their many projects to serve their communities, making them a better place. When the Scouts are not busy selling their cookies, you can find them working on various badges throughout different organizations. On September 25, I, Leah Ertel, a Girl Scout Ambassador in the Vista service unit troop 4647, along with three other fellow Girl Scouts from the San Marcos service unit, troop 4233, participated in earning the Car Care Badge from Vista’s local auto repair shop, T.J Crossman’s Auto Repair.
As a 16-year-old who is in the middle of earning her driver’s license as well as learning how to care for a car, this opportunity to earn this badge served an important purpose. Hands-on experience from the lovable owner of T.J Crossman’s, T.J helped the three other girls and I throughout several lessons on basic car maintenance and up-keep. We learned how to check and change the oil and air filter, rotate tires, and check the tire pressure. Crossman gave great advice on the importance of using jumper cables correctly and how purchasing a portable jump starter is safer than using basic jumper cables to hook up to a random stranger’s car.
Knowing these useful and fundamental tips, I was excited to try his recommendations on my own automobile. One tip I can apply right away is the baking soda and water trick that helps remove corrosion on car battery terminals. Who would have thought?
T.J Crossman is a successful businessman that does great things for the community. Besides the fact he owns an auto repair shop and fixes cars, his company has had city wide recognition from giving away cars to teaching multiple Girl Scout Troops about car care.
Crossman told me, “If you were able to learn one thing from this experience, I have done my job.”
Using a hoist, we were able to work with our own hands and view the underside of a car. We left greasy but satisfied, having learned so many new skills and experiences.
One of the significant highlights that was shared mutually was how Mr. Crossman took the Girl Scouts, Kianna Monaco, Aida Lopez, Xyra Krehan and their troop leader, Kimberly Monaco and I for a ride in his yellow 1929 Ford Model A courtesy shuttle around the neighborhood to end our exciting car care badge lesson.
By earning this badge, especially as a young woman, proves car care is not just a man’s job. Knowing the sights and sounds of an unhealthy car can save anyone’s life, no matter what age or gender.
