Haynes manuals, the bible of home car mechanics, are branching out to take on a particularly tricky and temperamental model – the teenager.

The publishing company, which specialises in step-by-step guides to vehicle repair, has swapped horse power for hormones in an attempt to broaden its market now that cars are all but DIY-proof.

Instead of gearboxes, clutches and carburettors, the handbook covers puberty, sex and relationships, diet, school-work, and underage drinking.

The manual was written by Patricia Spungin, a lecturer in child psychology at Middlesex University. She believes that the key to dealing with troublesome teenagers is listening to what they have to say and telling them what is acceptable, rather than laying down the law.

Dr Spungin said: “Talking reasonably doesn’t mean giving in. Parents need to draw lines in the sand that they won’t cross, like education, and disregard things that are less important, such as piercings and hairstyles.”

She admits that it is difficult for parents to balance giving their children independence while maintaining some control. Issues associated with the difficult teen years were starting earlier and earlier.

She said: “Even if you are the parent of a 10 or 11-year-old, now is the time to think about their teen years. As children grow older younger, so the teen years often start well before a child reaches 13.

“Children today push for greater freedom at a younger age. Perhaps you were 16 before you went inside a pub or went to an allnight party, but today your 14-year-old may be pushing for the same privileges.”

The range was produced partly in response to a drop in the number of people willing to complete basic car maintenance at home. Over the past 20 years, the increasing complexity of car engines, computer chips and the use of sealed units that have to be replaced rather than repaired have made life difficult for home mechanics.

The book was produced as part of the firm’s “family” range, which include guides to men, babies, the brain and cancer. The range has proved very popular, with more than 100,000 copies of the “man manual” sold since 2002 and more than 70,000 of the baby guides sold since 2004.

Matthew Minter, editorial director of Haynes, based in Sparkford, Somerset, said that many people were put off even the most basic car maintenance jobs, such as oil and filter changes, because there was a myth that they were hard to do.

“Our core market remains car and motorbike guides but the market is not what it was,” he said. Thirty years ago you could tune your car by tinkering with your carburettor in the garage but these days those are things that are done by computer.

“But there is a myth that you can’t do anything at home, so people end up paying £150 to a garage to change their oil. “This guide is hopefully proof that looking after a teenager successfully is not rocket science. A few practical tips can go a long way to solving the mystery.”

The Haynes Teenager Manual will be published on July 2.

DIY at home

Criticism A good rule of thumb is not to pass the kind of personal remarks about your children that you wouldn’t pass about your friends

Discipline Be prepared to concede on points that are important to them and stick to ones important to you

Rewards It’s better to give privileges slowly. You’ll find it much easier to allow more freedom than to rein it in when you feel things have gone too far

Health Keep lots of fruit in the house and encourage sport to keep them healthy. It will also help against spots

Family meals Family meals should be an opportunity to catch up at the end of the day. Don’t discuss problems or row at the dinner table

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