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Car Care Clinic Fuels Kids' Curiosity

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2007

LIVE OAK PRESERVE - Scouts and others - some who didn't know a dipstick from a catalytic converter - converged on a New Tampa automotive center last week to get an educated look under the hood.

Trisha Anne Hessinger, who has hosted three national automotive cable television programs, led the Oct. 23 Car Care Academy at Firestone Complete Auto Care, which drew nearly 100 participants from as far as Polk and Hernando counties.

The free interactive seminar on car care basics began with discussion of a vehicle's vital fluids, how to recognize them by color and ensure safe levels. Monthly checks of such vitals, including tire pressure, will reduce fuel costs and help provide trouble-free transportation, Hessinger said.

The participants - mostly Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts - broke into small groups for the hands-on portion of the session led by mechanics at the 10-bay facility, 20331 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

After a demonstration by Firestone service manager Gregg McCleary and success with her complimentary gauge, 10-year-old Kira Darby was talking confidently about how to check tire pressure.

"You unscrew the cap on the tire and push the tire gauge down as fast and hard as you can," said the member of Girl Scout Troop 634 in Lutz.

In the next bay, Gaither High School freshman Erin Morgeson not only was getting her first look under the hood, she was checking the dipstick on the Honda Civic.

"I don't know anything about cars," the 14-year-old conceded. "I'm trying to learn."

Looking forward to getting her license in two years, Morgeson said she hopes to put the lessons to use.

"I have to be an independent woman, and my parents aren't always going to be there for me," she said.

Alice Hubert of Seffner, whose 7-year-old son, Cody, participated in the 90-minute session along with 10 other Cub Scouts from Troop 797, said the boys had been looking forward to the event, advertised on a Boy Scouts of America Web site. Scouts get a badge for participating in the event.

"It's good to see them having fun and learning at the same time," said Marcus Travis, manager of tire service at the store, as several Girl Scouts squealed in delight as a troop member won a door prize.

As the North American spokesperson for Bridgestone Firestone, Hessinger conducts the Car Care Academy across the country. Tampa was the final stop on her 10-city tour of 2007.

"There's a lot of interest from young girls," Hessinger said of the large number of Girl Scouts who showed up. "They all know they're going to have a car someday, and they're very curious."

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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