Kids and parents alike packed into San Dieguito’s Auto Shop for a Family Auto Basics class to learn about vehicle maintenance and safety April 18. Two auto technicians from Mossy Toyota informed attendees of proper ways to put on and take off a tire, check engine oil, and determine that car batteries are in working order.

One of the experienced technicians, Adrian Torres, said that the Mossy Toyota Family Auto Basic’s program aims to “implement a program that teaches kids what to look for in a car: warning lights, how to change tire, and jumpstarting a car; the basics.”

The responsive crowd was intrigued by what the Mossy technicians and SDA auto shop teacher Curt Erales had to say. After Erales gathered the crowd around some of the beat up shop cars, he began a rapid fire Q & A.

A father inquired about how the AC system worked, a teenage girl was curious as to how she should change her engine oil, and a fellow auto fanatic cracked jokes and nearly impossible questions about strange old cars, reminiscing on his glory days in the auto business. Erales laughed while answering the most challenging of questions.

Before taking off, Torres said that he loves coming out to teach local communities about cars, but he hopes “more kids to come out so they can become useful to themselves.” He added whimsically, “Hey, and you never know, you might just like it and be able to make a career out of it.”

If you missed Tuesday’s class, the auto shop will be hosting two more on May 16 at 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.