DIY Car Maintenance Jobs to Think About
Do you find yourself making an appointment with your mechanic for every little thing that goes wrong with your car? If you do, that’s going to cost you a lot of money. Just take a moment and think of all the cash you spent on your car in the past year – you might be surprised when you add it all up.
Although the mechanic is the best person for the job when it comes to many aspects of car maintenance, especially anything to do with the engine, there are a number of different jobs you can take on yourself that aren’t as hard as they may seem at first and that will save you a fair amount of money if you don’t have to hire a mechanic to do the work for you. Read on to find out what some of these car maintenance tasks are.
Replacing Your Wiper Blades
Windshield wipers don’t last forever. Over time they will start to degrade, and you’ll know when this is happening because they simply won’t work as well as they used to – they won’t clear the rain as effectively from your windshield anymore. As well as being annoying, this can be dangerous if it gets too bad as you won’t be able to see anything when you’re driving in the rain. Add to this the slippery roads, and you’re potentially in line for a nasty accident.
Your first thought might be to take your car to your mechanic, but you don’t have to do this. Wiper blades can be easily purchased at a store, and the owner’s manual of your car should have instructions on how to remove the old blades and install the new ones. If not, or if you can’t find the manual, you’ll be able to find instructions online; there might even be a video. It’s a quick job, and will take much less time (and money) than it would to take your car to mechanic, leaving you plenty of time to do more fun things like watch live snooker as a reward for a job well done.
Check the Battery
If you’ve ever got into your car, turned on the ignition, and found that nothing happened, you’ll know how frustrating that is. Again, you might reach for the phone and dial your mechanic in a panic, telling them that your car won’t start. They’ll be able to fix it, but if you can’t drive it then it will have to be towed, and this will cost you a lot more than the mechanic’s bill.
Before you go to this expense, it’s wise to check the battery. Although in some cases you might need to replace it completely (and batteries can be purchased online, so you can buy the right one for your vehicle and have it delivered to switch them over), you may not even have to go this far. Often, a battery will simply need to be cleaned for it to work again. This quick fix is something you will be able to do yourself. Use three tablespoons of baking soda mixed with lukewarm water, and, using a toothbrush, rub this around the battery terminals (after disconnecting the battery).
After drying with a clean towel, smear some petroleum jelly around the terminals before reattaching them. This will act as a barrier and slow down future grime build up.
