8 Do It Yourself Vehicle Maintenance Tips

For those of us who have a vehicle and use it regularly, vehicle maintenance is something that may not necessarily cross our minds often but is something that we all should be thinking about and putting our time and effort into a lot more often. 

Let’s face it, nobody likes it when their vehicle breaks down. 

For one thing, it absolutely sucks having to rely on someone else or the public transportation system to get to point A to point B every day, but it also sucks because, depending on the type of repairs needed, it can get rather costly very fast. 

To help you keep these expensive repairs at bay, we’ve compiled a list of 8 easy vehicle maintenance tips you can use to keep your car running as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Read Your Manual

The first vehicle maintenance tip we have for you is something we should all do when we get a new car, but let’s be real here – nobody really does that. The reason why we absolutely should, though, is simple: the better you know your car, the more likely you are to have at least a decent clue about what’s going on with it if it begins to act funky. 

Within your owner’s manual is all sorts of handy information, such as how often your vehicle needs an oil change, what type of oil your vehicle takes, the layout of the inner and outer functions of the vehicle, and so much more! 

Ever heard that old adage “You should change your oil every 3,000 miles.”? Well, if you’d read your owner’s manual, you’d know that that’s a load of bull-honkey, and the frequency of your regular oil changes can vary widely from vehicle to vehicle…and this is why you should read your manual.

Inspect Your Vehicle

While major repairs definitely require an inspection be done by a trained professional, regular vehicle inspections can be done by you, at home, for the cost of nothing but a little bit of your time. Regular checks you make can be anything from checking to make sure your lights are working to check the air pressure in your tires, to actively listening for any sounds or feelings which are out of the ordinary for your vehicle – and if anything out of the ordinary is found, the best thing you can do for both your wallet and your car is to act on it as soon as possible. 

Seriously – a lot of people will hear a sound the vehicle is making or see that their tread is lower than it should be and put fixing these things off until the last minute, and that’s a great way to break the bank without any preparation to do so.

Learn How to Check Fluids

Though the know-how on doing so isn’t common knowledge among us non-mechanic folk, many of the fluids that go into your engine and help it run are easy to change at home. Even if you’ve never learned before how to change your antifreeze, power steering, coolant, wiper fluid, oil, etc, you can learn, or you can even just learn how to check these fluid levels. Seriously, it’s easy to learn, fairly easy to do, and doing it yourself is much better than letting someone charge you an arm and a leg in labor just to change the windshield wiper fluid in your car. Your owner’s manual will have at least some information on how to check these and how to change them, and if not, the internet is good for a quick education as well. And if you ever notice anything leaking, you should never, ever ignore it.

Inspect Your Timing and Serpentine Belts

This is something else your owner’s manual will provide insight on in regards to how often they should be replaced, and you can either inspect them yourself or have the mechanic inspect them when it gets close to time to change them mileage-wise. If they are still in good shape it’s okay to let them go a little longer, but if they are worn down and the mechanic suggests you get them changed, it’s important to do so immediately; these going out while you’re driving will not only cause your vehicle to break down, but it can also potentially damage other parts within the engine, and that can only serve to make the repair more expensive.

Check Your Tire Pressure

The maintenance of your tire pressure is one of the easiest things that you can do yourself. Ensuring this is well maintained will not only keep you safe but can also help you save a lot of money in the long run. Why? Because if you fail to properly inflate your tires, whether under or overinflated, you’re most likely to encounter issues with your breaks and you’ll have a higher chance of getting a flat tire. On the other side, if you keep your tire pressure correct at all times, they will have a longer life span, and it can even increase your fuel efficiency.

Note that you’ll find the recommended tire pressure on your vehicle’s manual or you can look for the sticker placed somewhere in your side door by your car manufacturer.

Always Clean and Test Your Lights

Another easy thing to maintain – your lights. Though all it requires is a little cleaning and regular testing, this will help you avoid traffic tickets and is also a good preventive action for traffic accidents – especially at night. 

Same with keeping your tires well-maintained, this can also help you save up a little. If you have cloudy headlights, you don’t need to replace them immediately. You’ll only need to get yourself a very handy-dandy headlight restoration kit. You can get this for only under $20 at any auto parts store and you’re good to do the sanding and buffing. Cleaning the lenses and replacing bulbs will be the next steps if this basic restoration did not work.

Check and Clean Your Battery

Typically, once a battery is in the vehicle, it won’t need much attention – it just goes in and does what it does, but it is important to check it every now and then, and clean the contacts if they need them. Your check can include having someone at an auto parts store check the charge on it, checking for any leaks, and checking for mineral buildup on the contacts. You can use a cheap battery cleaning brush to get any buildup or debris off the contacts and invest in a cheap battery tester or jump starter to avoid having to call a towing service if your battery fails while you’re out and about.

Replace Your Wipers When They Streak

Seriously, I know that everyone ignores their wipers until the last possible moment, but it’s so easy to replace them that there’s no reason to wait. Wipers are cheap and easy to replace yourself, and visibility through your windshield is part of being able to see properly in every condition – rain, snow, or shine. While you’re changing them, this is also a good time to clean your windshield itself both inside and out to get optimal visibility. You know, so you don’t wreck and stuff. 

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