If you like to do your own car maintenance, well then, good for you. It is not a daunting task. You can save lots of money doing your own car maintenance. You know how much these mechanics want to charge to just change your oil, so if you can do it yourself, then treat yourself to a night out! If you think about it, you could save hundreds of dollars a year just doing the work yourself. And you can do all the other fluid checks, tire pressure, etc., that the mechanics hope to charge you for.
But to do this, you pretty much need to have an interest in maintaining your car, or you will never get it done. But if you do, then give it a try; you just get a bit dirty, but it is not a difficult task. You will be so proud of yourself when you’re done, and you will have saved yourself some money.
If you are going to do your own car maintenance, these are things like your oil changes, checking your spark plugs and changing them if needed, and topping off your fluids, such as transmission oil, power-steering fluid, antifreeze, and window washer fluid. You will only need a couple of simple tools to do this, so give it a try.
If you decide to change your oil, then you will need the following:
- – A socket/spanner to undo the sump plug
- – Oil filter clamp (these are very cheap)
- – New Oil (use the same weight you usually put in)
- – New filter (make sure it is for your make and model)
- – Tray to empty oil in (this cannot be discarded in your personal garbage; it will need to be dropped off at a station that takes oil)
- – Funnel to pour in new oil
Now you are ready to go! This really will only take a few minutes. You will need time for the oil to drain, seal up the sump plug, and refill the oil.
There are other very simple tasks that you can do yourself, such as changing your engine coolant and checking your spark plugs. To replace a spark plug, there are certain sockets that fit into your socket wrench. You will simply unscrew the rocker cover that covers your engine.
You will then unscrew the spark plug and pull it out. If the connection looks burned out or white, then you need to change it. One thing to be very careful of when you are replacing a spark plug is to get it back in straight without hitting the tip on anything.
If your spark plugs have oil all over them, then you need to show your mechanic, there may be something wrong with your car that he will be able to identify.
Coolant changes are another important part of our car care tips. This needs to be a part of your maintenance schedule and should be done once a year. The coolant prevents your car from overheating. Ever see a car on the side of the road with the hood up and lots of steam coming from the engine? Well, they are overheating.
Changing your radiator fluid can easily prevent this. You will do this by unhooking the hose and letting what fluid is there drain out. Reconnect the hose, make sure it is connected well, so it won’t leak.
Then refill your radiator with coolant to the fill line. See how simple this can be? And it can save you so much money. Check the price of a radiator flush the next time you are at the auto mechanics. It is not cheap.
