Car Maintenance: Ten Things You Can Do By Yourself
Visits to a garage or service centre can be expensive. Why is why, when it’s safe, it’s useful for drivers to take their car’s maintenance into their own hands…
Lubricate Window Tracks
Electric or not, your car’s windows can become stiff and rigid. An application of silicone spray or Teflon is all they need to rise and descend freely. Make sure to keep on top of this during the winter; when they’re most likely to get stuck.
Cleaning The Interior
Alright, cleaning your car can be a real chore. The interior can be particularly tricky with all of those nooks and crannies. But a bit of effort can save a lot of money. Do you think that cleaning team next to the petrol station has a particular set of skills? No, they just profit out of people’s laziness. A bit of vacuuming and a polish go a long way.
Change Engine Coolant
There are few things more important to your car’s maintenance than engine coolant. Engine coolant, you guessed it, prevents your engine from overheating. An overheated engine can become irreparably damaged; replacing them can cost thousands. Again, like power steering fluid and wind screen wash, topping it up just means lifting up your bonnet and applying some fresh coolant.
Tyre Pressures
Keeping on top of your tyres’ pressures is crucial in keeping yourself safe and your car moving. It’s arguably one of the most basic forms of car maintenance. You need to make sure they’re not too low or too high. All you really need is an accurate pressure gauge. Given how frequently you should be checking your pressures (once a month), learning how to check them yourself makes sense.
Replacing Wiper Blades
There’s not a lot of point in having wiper blades if they can’t wipe anything. Whether it’s due to age or a break, faulty wiper blades can prove fatal; having reduced your field of view when you needed it most. Fortunately, the process of removing them and fitting a new pair is fairly straightforward. All you need are some accurate measurements.
Replace Your Engine’s Air Filter
Your engine’s air filter plays a crucial role in keeping your vehicle moving. It prevents detritus and harmful matter from getting inside of your engine and mixing with fuel. The process of swapping or cleaning it is simple. Your vehicle handbook will explain how to get to it. All you typically need to do is remove a few screws and give it a good clean.
Change Interior Light-bulbs
How many motorists does it take to change a light-bulb? One. There’s a reason why you can buy interior light bulbs for your car in so many hardware stores; they’re simple to change. In fact, they’re designed so that they can be easily accessed and replaced.
Chipped Paint
Ok, this largely depends on the extent of the damage. But for small chips or scratches, you can usually deal with them yourself. All you typically need to do is clean the chip with some alcohol and purchase a touch-up paint kit; you can get most colours online.
Power Steering Fluid
Power steering is a device that makes steering a car straightforward and easy. Without it, your arms would be getting a workout every time you went for a drive. Changing it is about as straightforward as changing most other fluids in your car, including oil levels and windscreen wash.
Cleaning Air Vents
We tend to take our air conditioning for granted. Why? Because practically every car now comes with it. But if you’d ever driven a car without in the heart of summer or the thick of winter, you’d look after yours more. Simply keeping the air filters free of dust and debris can make a massive difference in keeping them running.
What To Do After A Car Breakdown: https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/what-to-do-after-a-car-breakdown/
Introducing Autoserve’s Accident Management Service: http://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/introducing-autoserves-accident-management-service/
