What is more frustrating than visiting your car mechanic once too often? But if why not to take on some of the problems which you face driving the car on your own rather than relying on your mechanic all the time. Well there is nothing wrong in this and believe it or not it does not take that much effort too. You just need to be little ambitious and try to learn from your peers. Shortly you are going to see some of the best DIY car maintenance techniques that you could use and save your money and time.
Wipers on Windshield
You might need to change wipers after 6 to 8 months depending on the condition but this is very much simple. First of all you need to understand that there is no tool needed for changing wipers and it will only take around 10 to 15 minutes to do it. All you have to do is to buy wipers then follow steps like this. Remove the old blades and closely watch how they were connected. There will be a tab which you will push and it will come out. Now you have to attach new blades and just make sure that you don’t hurt the wind screen during the whole process.
Air filter
This is an essential tool and you got to change air filter after given milage or the time period which varies vehicle to vehicle. You don’t need any special tool for this and just 10 to 15 minutes will do the job. Whenever you are replacing anything try to make sure that you have completely understood how it is attached so you could do the same. Remove the old air filter (take care of its face) and you just have to place the newer one. The air filter is mostly found under the hood area.
Spark Plugs
Another very important tool for your car and if you are just able to change spark plugs on your own then it will be a treat for sure. You need tools like Ratchet or socket wrench and the spark plug socket. Spark plugs are mostly attached near thick wires. There will be many spark plugs in your car depending on the number of cylinders. Remove all of them one by one and install accordingly. You will need spark plug socket to remove the plug (remember do not remove wires of all the plugs at once). Now all you have to do is to fit the new plugs and make sure you don’t over press them.
Oil and Oil Filter
You will need Ratchet, oil filter wrench and oil pan not to forget the funnel too. This will take bit of your time around half an hour. Do not change the oil when vehicle is hot. You will have to go inside your car and unscrew the drain plug, let the oil drain. Now you have to fill the tank with new oil and make sure that you have screwed the oil drainage thing tightly. You are also advised to check out the level of oil using dip-stick. Don’t waster the used oil as you can give it back to gas stations.
Battery Maintenance
Battery is an essential part of your car and keeping it in good form will surely avoid problems. You need few things to maintain your battery such as wrenches, corrosion-removal fluid, wire brush and the rags. This won’t take much time. All you have to do is to remove the battery terminals and then cleaning the posts with any sort of fluid will do. Then you have to clean the posts and let them dry now you just have to replace the battery terminals.
Radiator Flush
Radiator has to be perfectly clean if you want your car’s cooling system up to the mark. This is the method called radiator flush which will make sure the maintenance of your car’s radiator. You need to have tools like Philips-head screwdriver or wrench with rags and the radiator flush solution. One thing which you have to be careful about that your car needs to be totally cooled off. Then find out the radiator’s drain plug and unscrew the drain plug. Then with the help of funnel, add flush cleaning solution and fill the radiator with water. After that you need to turn on the car and begin to heat it. Again refill the radiator with coolant.
Brake Pads
You need to check out the vehicle’s manual to fully understand after how much mileage you need to actually replace the brake pads. Get ready with the tools; lug wrench, C-clamp, open-end wrench and the hammer. Remove the wheel like the regular process and find out the brake pads which is around at the top of the tire. You need to remove the bolts and remove them. Just replace the old pads with the newer one and compress the brake piston. You need to tighten up the clamp and make sure it is fully fixed. This is not an easy thing to do for sure but once you become a master it will be a good thing to learn.
Fuel Filter Replacement
This tool may come handy when it comes to protect your engine. It only cost around 20 bugs. You need to first relieve the fuel system pressure and start the engine, then you have to pull the fuse out and engine will turn off. You need to disconnect the lines of fuel from the filter and you have to remove the bolts using wrenches. Remove the old filter using flathead screw driver. Carefully change the fuel filter washers and place the new ones. Well you should not do this if you are not comfortable as it could be really hectic.