LEWISTON — If you clean the top of your car battery with water, baking soda and an old toothbrush, it will cut down on the amount of electricity it discharges and help it last longer.

Another tip: All tires have “wear bars” so you can check to see how close the tires are to flunking an inspection.

Everyone who owns a vehicle should pull out the dipstick and check the oil every other fill-up, or at least once in a while.

And all drivers should know where the spare tire and jack are, and how to get a tire off and on. Why not just call AAA? Not everyone has AAA, and your cell phone may not work everywhere you go.

You can learn more about car care from “Automotive Basics in a Day,” which will be taught Oct. 30 as part of Lewiston Adult Education’s Super Saturday workshop.

It’s an introductory car-care class that will teach participants how to check fluids, change lights and get tips on things to watch for in their vehicles. The teacher is Steve Bergeron, an automotive technology instructor at the Lewiston Regional Technical Center. This is the first time he’s offering a one-day car-care workshop.

Many drivers don’t know how to care for their cars; they just get in and drive, and that makes him sad.

“They put gas in. That’s all they do,” Bergeron said. “That’s all they do.”

In giving a demonstration of what he’ll teach, he looked under the hood of a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo.

Keeping the top of the battery clean was his first lesson. “Wet the top of the battery down with water. Sprinkle baking soda on it. It’s going to fume. Clean it with an old toothbrush.”

When a battery is dirty, it passes electricity. “It’s slowly going dead,” Bergeron said. “A clean battery doesn’t do that.”

Next, Bergeron pointed to the left side under the hood, at the anti-lock brake system. Pointing to the right, he said, “This is the brake master. Right behind here, the power brakes.”

Didn’t he just say the brakes were on the left?

“That’s the anti-lock brake system,” he said, showing where the fluid for the steering and brakes were.

Another good thing to do, especially before a road trip, is to check the fan belt. Grab it gently, turn it over and look for cracks. This Rodeo’s belt looked good; no cracks.

Why bother checking? His answer was as scary as the cost of a new transmission.

“If the fan belt breaks, you have no coolant,” he said. “Your water pump stops. The fans stop turning. The engine’s going to overheat. The alternator’s going to stop charging. The lights come on, lighting up the dashboard like a Christmas tree. That’s not good, especially if you’re half-way someplace.”

On to tires, a less intimidating subject.

Anyone can determine if an alignment is needed because of how the tires wear, he said, peering at the tread. Many of us don’t want to be looking for things that need fixing; we’re broke enough. Bergeron countered that when you know a car repair is looming, it can not only keep you safer but is less of a shock on the budget.

On every tire is a “wear bar,” little bars that run horizontally between the treads. On a good tire, the tread is higher than the bars. When the tread gets down to the bars, the tires won’t pass inspection.

Motorists should also occasionally walk around their cars, checking the ground for leaks. If there are leaks, pay attention to where they’re coming from: the back, the front or the middle. Those details can make it easier for a mechanic to figure out a problem and save you money.

Good car care is like maintaining good health, he said. “A lot of it is paying attention.”

[email protected]

Some spots are available in “Automotive Basics in a Day” class. For more information or to register, call 795-4141, or go to www.lewistonadulted.org

Other Lewiston Adult Education “Super Saturday” workshops on Oct. 30 include computer skills, basket weaving, quilting, exploring skilled trades, photography.