Riley’s Auto Parts

When she was 13, Riley Schlick wanted to save money to buy her first car. But in her home state of Florida, teens can’t get jobs until they’re 14. Riley’s dad, who fixes up classic cars as a hobby, suggested she look for something to do in the garage. Riley wandered into the garage and grabbed a carburetor. That’s the part of some cars that mixes and sends air and fuel to the engine. Riley’s dad taught her how to make the old carburetor as good as new, a process called rebuilding.

Early on, Riley advertised her rebuilding service on eBay and rebuilt two or three carburetors per week. Soon she had saved enough to buy a Jeep. But everything changed in July 2022, when she posted on Facebook about looking for more carburetors to rebuild and it went viral. News outlets and auto parts companies got in touch.

The Riley’s Rebuilds social media following exploded. Her garage filled up with boxes as people from across the country mailed her carburetors. Soon, she had more than she could possibly rebuild herself! So Riley hired four of her friends as employees and taught them what she knew.

Thirteen-year-old Riley Schlick wanted to save money to buy her first car. But teens can’t work until they turn 14 in her home state of Florida. Riley’s dad fixes up classic cars as a hobby. He suggested she look for something to do in the garage. Riley wandered in and grabbed a carburetor. The part mixes air and fuel and sends it to the engine. Riley’s dad taught her how to make the old carburetor as good as new. The process is called rebuilding. 

Riley named her business Riley’s Rebuilds. She advertised her service on eBay and rebuilt two or three carburetors a week. She soon saved enough to buy a Jeep. In July 2022 she posted to Facebook looking for more carburetors to rebuild. Her post went viral. News outlets and auto parts companies called.

Riley’s Rebuilds social media following exploded. People from across the country mailed her carburetors. Her garage filled up with boxes. Soon, she had more than she could possibly rebuild herself! Riley hired four of her friends and taught them what she knew!

When a carburetor gets grimy, it can keep a car from working as well as it should. Having it rebuilt costs less than buying a new one. It also keeps old car parts out of landfills.

Riley and her friends rebuild carburetors on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. There’s three main steps to rebuild a carburetor. First, they break down the carburetor into its separate parts. Next, they clean all the parts. Finally, they reassemble the carburetor.

A car does not work as well as it should when its carburetor gets grimy. Having the piece cleaned and rebuilt costs less than buying a new one. Fixing the carburetor also keeps old car parts out of landfills.

Riley and her friends rebuild carburetors on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. First, they broke them down into separate parts. Next, they cleaned the parts. Finally, they reassembled the carburetors.

A perk of running her business is “being with my girlfriends and being able to hang out and talk with them while working,” Riley says. But she’s still the boss. Running a business has taught Riley to lead without being bossy or mean. She’s also learning the ins and outs of paying taxes for her business.

A perk of running her business is “being with my girlfriends,” Riley says. She gets to hang out and talk with them while working. But she is still the boss. Riley has learned to lead without being bossy or mean. She is also learning how to pay taxes for her business.

Key Math Idea:

Using Algebra to calculate Earnings

Riley pays her employees per task completed. By evaluating the algebraic expression below, she can calculate the weekly pay for each employee.

$15b + $15c + $20r

b = carburetors broken down

c = carburetors cleaned

r = carburetors rebuilt

Key Math Idea:

Using Algebra to calculate Earnings

Riley pays her employees per task completed. By evaluating the algebraic expression below, she can calculate the weekly pay for each employee.

$15b + $15c + $20r

b = carburetors broken down

c = carburetors cleaned

r = carburetors rebuilt