Unprepared's Guide to Roadside Emergencies: Part Four

Error codes, fuses, oil, and jump-starting.

Welcome back from the holiday break! I hope none of your pipes broke during the cold snap. We had a frozen pipe that eventually thawed on its own with no apparent damage. We were very blessed, as I knew many people who had burst pipes, and no amount of dripping or leaving cabinet doors open seems to have helped.

And then the entire family came down with strep throat. And while we were recovering from that, our freezer died after all. So now we have a new one. Sometimes, even three isn’t enough, proving that money is the best prep of all.

With that out of the way, this is part four in Unprepared’s Guide to Roadside Emergencies:

• Part one (free to all) covers basic maintenance to prevent emergencies.

• Part two (subscribers only) covers more basic maintenance.

• Part three (subscribers only) outlines mechanic scams, vehicle kits, and roadside assistance.

Part four here covers your car’s warning lights, how to read your car’s error codes yourself, why and how to change fuses, how to check and add oil, and how to jump-start a dead battery.