What do you do when the red oil light in your car’s gauge cluster starts blinking? Well, there are several options. First, start crying. Maybe, just maybe, that cold demeanor which is your vehicle’s onboard computer will feel its metal heart strangely warmed and, out of sympathy, it will turn the light off, clearing away your worries.

Second, ignore it and just keep driving. The engine ceasing to function will certainly add some excitement to your day.

Third, immediately pull up to the nearest dealer and sign over the mortgage to your house so you can pay for the vehicle’s repair. Or fourth, you could pull over, get out of the vehicle and just check the oil.

I think we all know which answer seems most practical, but for many, checking the oil is a job altogether beyond the realm of one’s vehicular knowledge. In fact, what used to be considered general car maintenance – performed at home – has become a trip to the dealership. What happened to changing the oil at home, checking fluids, replacing spark plugs, maintaining tire pressure, heck, even washing and waxing the things ourselves?

What happens when your tire runs flat out among the vast cornfields and, God forbid, your cell phone is dead? The fault for this ignorance lies in two places: us and the manufacturer.

We have become satisfied with knowing hardly anything about our vehicles; just that putting the lever in “D” means go, and when you push the right pedal it does just that – go. We trust the lights blinking in front of us to tell us when we have a problem and what it is. Then, we rush to have it repaired at a dealership. However, the only thing we know about what goes on there is that they make the lights stop glaring at us. “Convenience” has blinded us.

Of course, car companies love it when we turn to them for these services. They don’t make it easy to do a lot of things on your own anymore, either. Have you looked under the hood of a new car lately? The whole engine compartment is covered with plastic. Forget reaching oil filters on some of those things without special tools – so much for your own oil change. Some auto companies, like BMW, have taken to removing the oil dipstick altogether and rely on that nice computer to monitor fluids for you.

We don’t have to be clueless, however. I understand that it may mean getting a little dirty, taking some time out of your precious schedule, and bending over or getting on the ground to exert some energy. But knowing how to take care of your car is something that will pay off in the long run. It’s not hard to learn. That mysterious white booklet in your glove compartment has a lot of advice about things that you, not the dealership, can do to increase the longevity of your vehicle. The internet is full of sites with easy to understand tips and instructions for basic maintenance. When that fails you, just ask someone who knows how to help you learn.

This way, the next time that light decides to glow red, you can confidently pull over, slide the dipstick out of the tube and top off the oil with an extra quart stashed in your trunk – saving your mortgage from the dealership.

Matt Wier is a columnist for the Northern Star.