DIY CAR MAINTENANCE TIPS

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If you master the requisite skills, DIY projects can be a great hobby to pick up which can save you lots of money you would have otherwise paid someone to do the job for you.

One expense that costs a lot of money every month is car maintenance. Unfortunately, you can’t just forego maintaining your car because you can’t afford it. Servicing your car ensures the mechanical and electrical components are in the best working condition for your safety when driving and economical consumption of fuel.

Instead of skimping on car maintenance, you can save money through these DIY car maintenance tips.

Air filter

An air filter prevents foreign materials like dust and other debris from getting into your engine which improves your engine performance in addition to prolonging its life.

After a year or about 12,000 miles of driving, your air filter is worn out and needs replacement. Now, you can take your car to a repair shop and foot hundreds of dollars to have it changed, a job which takes at least half day. Alternatively, you can get a new air filter, open the casing, get the old one out and install the new one. Job done. You don’t even any tool to have it done and it won’t take you more than 15 minutes.

Spark plugs

The function of spark plugs is to transmit electrical current to ignite your engine and start your car. You can find the location of the spark plugs of your specific car model on motoring sites like Tuning Guru but they are generally identifiable with their thick insulation covers.

The number of spark plugs a car has depends on the number of engine cylinders. So a six-cylinder car has six spark plugs.

It’s good practice to replace your spark plugs after about 25,000 miles of driving. For this you need a few tools namely a ratchet, a socket extension and a spark plug socket.

It is important to follow the sequence in which the plugs are installed or else they will malfunction. The best way to go about it is to replace one spark plug at a time. Remove the first spark plug suing the socket and ratchet and replace with a new one. Do the same for the rest until you complete.

Car battery

Most car starting problems are due to a faulty battery. This mostly due to oxidation on the battery terminals which is characterized by white particles. All you have to do is clean the white particles and your battery is as good as new.

To do this, first remove the negative terminal followed by the positive to avoid electrical arcing. The using a wire brush and a removal fluid, clean the terminals until all the residue have been removed.

Windshield wipers

Worn out windshield wipers scratch your windshield whenever you use them. Instead of waiting on a long line at your mechanic, you can replace them yourself with nothing more than a screw driver, a new wiper and 15 minutes of your time.

While different car models have different wiper designs, new wipers come with a manual on how to replace the old one and fix the new ones.

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