Responsibilities When Servicing Cars

As owner of a car, you have certain responsibilities to the vehicle. These responsibilities primarily come with the maintenance and upkeep of the car for the safety of you, your passengers, and other drivers on the road. It is up to you to make sure that your car is in proper working order.
Servicing your car is relatively easy as long as you follow the maintenance guidelines that come with every vehicle. Of course, some repairs are far beyond that of the casual car owners. In instances such as this, you will have to take the car to a repair garage which presents a whole other set of responsibilities.
At Home Service
When performing car repair at home you need to have a rather detailed knowledge of your car and of the standard servicing practices. Many car owners are able to do at least a few of the more standard servicing needs.
These can include:
-Checking oil -Checking tire pressure -Changing brake lights -Changing the oil -Changing a flat tire
As far as a car owner's responsibility in this situation it is mostly going to be centered on safety. Many of the casual car owners are not familiarized with common safety practices. Proper disposal methods will also need to be followed such as where to place the used oil and old tires.
At The Garage
Should you need to take your car in for servicing you will need to understand your rights to prevent any unscrupulous garages from taking advantage of you. Now, not all garages will attempt to pull the wool over your eyes, but since there are a few you will be well advised to not put your full trust into anyone.
When you take you car in for repair you enter into an agreement with that garage. It is your responsibility to know what the garage is supposed to do and to make sure they follow through. You standard rights include that the garage will have skilled and competent workers that will work on your vehicle, that the charge of the repairs are fair for what work was accomplished, and that the time the work was completed in is not an unreasonable length. Now, these rights can be modified. If you agree upon a set time with the garage then you have to abide by that modified agreement.
While every car has a standard set of responsibilities in regards to servicing such as checking the oil some vehicles require special attention. Hybrid vehicles require special care and attention and it will be up to you as the owner to undertake them. Right now, there are few garages and shops that understand the special needs of these cars. While you will not be able to do much to your Hybrid there are a few servicing needs that you can meet. You will need to take a look at your particular Hybrid's car manual to find out what these are.
You have a responsibility to keep your car in safe operating condition. Should you have an issue that you are unable to resolve at your own home you need to take the vehicle to an auto repair shop.