Easy Car Repairs You Can Do Yourself and What You Should Leave to the Pros

February 20, 2020
/ FAQs
/ By Alice Brown

Maybe you don’t want to change your oil yourself. It can be a bit messy, and you might not like working under a jacked-up car, so that 10-minute oil change place is a viable alternative at an affordable price. What about the other maintenance or repair issues though? Suddenly that oil change shop isn’t so reasonable.

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You’ll be charged a premium on parts and labor. You don’t need to have to have any mechanical experience, and you only need some basic tools that you have around the house to do these jobs on your own and save money too.

Change an Air Filter

Just tell the guy at the local auto parts store the make and model of your car, and he’ll retrieve the proper air filter for you. It shouldn’t cost more than $15. Open the hood on your car, and locate the air filter casing. It’s likely to be a black casing with at least two clips on it.

If you have now idea of where it’s at, refer to your owner’s manual or the internet. Flip the clips and take notice of how the filter is positioned inside of the casing. Take the old filter out and drop the new one in. Position it like the old one, close the casing, fasten the clips, and you’re done. You’re good for 10,000 to 12,000 miles.

Wiper Blade Changes

Hundreds of accidents take place when it is raining and visibility is poor. Depending on the climate that you live in, you’ll probably need to replace these at least once a year, if not twice. A pair of wiper blades shouldn’t cost more than $20.

Refer to your owner’s manual or the internet on the recommended blades. Flip each blade up off the windshield. Take a look at how your old blades fit into the wiper bar, and you’ll likely see a tab on the side of the bar that faces the windshield.

Push the tab, and snap one blade out. Snap the replacement blade in, and repeat the process on the second blade.

Cleaning Your Battery

This can cost as little as 59 cents. If you already have baking soda in the house and a small wire brush or even an old toothbrush, it costs nothing. Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of hot water and stir it. You can also substitute the baking soda mix for Coca-Cola.

Unhook the negative battery cable first. After that, unhook the positive cable, and start scrubbing with whatever brush and cleaning solution you decide to use. Dry the posts off with an old rag.

Repeat the process on the battery clamps too. After that, use your finger to put a thin coating of petroleum jelly around the posts and clamps. Reattach the battery cables with the positive cable first. Wash your hands thoroughly when you’re done.

Replace Burned Out Bulbs

You should walk around your car once in awhile at night to see if all of your light bulbs are working.

If anything is burned out, pull the bulb during daylight hours, and take it to the auto parts store, so you’re sure that you buy the correct replacement bulb. Install the new bulb, and put the assembly back where it belongs.

Repair a Chipped Windshield

A chip can turn into multiple windshield cracks before you get to it. Then, you’ll need to have the windshield replaced, and that’s not an inexpensive proposition.

You can purchase an at-home Windshield Repair Kit. Just follow the instructions. It’s going to take about an hour, but most of the time is spent just waiting.

Better to Hire the Pros

If you don’t have the training or experience, stay away from any repair that could cause an accident while driving or permanent damage.

These might include timing belt changes, brake jobs, replacing components of suspension systems, heating and air conditioning problems, airbag replacement and transmission repair.

Some DIYers know better than to approach such issues, and others don’t have enough common sense to stay away from them unless they cause thousands of dollars of damage first

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