5 Must Know DIY Tips for Car Maintenance and Repair
The moment your dream car stands majestic in your front yard with you on the side reveling its beauty is an unforgettable moment. This is true for everyone around the globe. After all, if an average car itself is a significant investment, then a dream car is simply priceless. To show the appropriate love for your priceless dream car, it is necessary to know all about car maintenance and repair 101.
It is not enough to just buy your dream car, you should also maintain the car so you can revel in its beauty for longer. It gives you peak performance and longer life. Maintenance is a key factor to prolong the life of any car you may buy. A well-maintained car runs more efficiently and saves money on gas. For all the environmentalists, maintenance reduces your environmental footprint.
Maintenance is not the only knowledge you should possess. You should also know a bit about repair as well. Do you know how to change the tires of your car? Do you know how to add coolant to the radiator? There are many car repair tips that you can learn to take care of your car better and also avoid spending unnecessarily on automotive workshop for every minor repair.
Table of contents
- #1 A short lesson on the fluids
- #2 Long road trips with right tires
- #3 Breaking into the brake system
- #4 Battery health - 100%
- #5 Clean it up
Car Maintenance 101 and Car Repair Tips
This article will discuss the basic car maintenance and repair 101 that every proactive car owner must know and can easily do on their own. The information presented here can help you save a lot of money in the long run, prolong the life of your car, attain the peak performance, and help you out in situations where you have car trouble.
#1 A short lesson on the fluids
This is one of the most important factors when it comes to extending the life of your car. There are different types of fluids in a car. You must learn the basics of these fluids and where to locate them in your car. You need to replace the fluids at regular intervals to ensure smooth and efficient running of your machine.
Engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant and windshield washer fluid are the fluids present in a car. Out of these you can deal with engine oil replacement, coolant refill and windshield washer fluid refill can be handled by yourself.
To do any refill the first thing to learn is locate where the fluid is situated and how to check the level of the fluid. Then you must how to top these up and replace it when it gets over.
For example, engine oil must be replaced regularly, if not your engine will deteriorate faster. You must learn to check the the engine oil level in your car and how to replace the engine oil. Engine oil can be found in the engine bay housed in the bonnet of the car. You must locate the dipstick, pull it out, clean the oil from it, put it back in and then pull it back out to gauge the level of the oil.
Replacing the engine oil can be tricky as it is drained out through bottom of the car by loosening the oil drain plug. You will have learn how to do it step by step. Note that this can be a messy job with the oil spilling all over your garage floor. It would be better to invest in the right tools like an oil drain pan to complete you oil change without any spill out.
Recommendations:
Car repair tipIf you feel like your car is giving low mileage, making a lot of noise than before and has decreased in performance, it could be due to low engine oil. Many new cars will alert you if the engine oil level is low. If you have learnt how to DIY then you can go ahead and do that. It is simple enough once you get an hang of it. The only hard things are sliding under the car, carefully unscrewing the oil drain plug and collecting the oil in an oil drain pan. |
#2 Long road trips with right tires
Tires are an important part of your car that is constantly subject to degradation. They take on rocky roads, gravel, sudden breaks, etc., and experience and significant amount of wear and tear and pressure loss. First thing to learn when it comes to maintaining tires is checking air pressure.
There is a recommended tire pressure for your vehicle which can be found in the manual. If you feel like you have less control of the car or it takes more acceleration for the tires to spin or its swerving to one side, then you have less pressure in your tires.
You can buy a digital tire inflator which is a pocket seized and portable machine that can be stored in your car. You only need to pop open the cover of the tire valve, enter the pressure you want your tire to have into the inflator, fix the nozzle of the inflator on the valve, and then wait for the magic to happen. You can always use a pressure gauge to inspect if the tire inflator did its job.
Next step in the inspection cycle would be to check the tire for wear and tear. You can check the tread depth and understand the wear patterns of your tire. An easy way to check tread depth is to place a penny into a tread groove with Lincoln’s head facing down and towards you. If the top of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread, your tires have enough tread. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, it’s time to replace the tire.
Properly inflated tires with adequate tread depth ensure that the vehicle has better stability and control. Tires with lower pressure create more rolling resistance, causing the engine to work harder and consume more gas.
Car repair tipAnd of course, the car repair tip here would be something that you would already know, changing a flat tire or a worn out tire! Make sure you always carry a spare tire in your car and the toolkit required for changing tires. In case you notice that your tires have lost its tread depth, then you must be able to change the tires on your own. This is one of the basic skills in the chapter of car maintenance and repair 101. |
#3 Breaking into the brake system
Brakes of your car is crucial for the safety and performance of your machine. You might have often noticed vehicles on the road squealing and squeaking under the pressure of the brake being applied. This sound means that the brake need to be checked. If you hear a grinding noise, it means the brake pads are completely worn out, and the metal parts are rubbing against each other.
While braking, if the brake pedal or steering wheel vibrates it could indicate warped rotors. Your car will alert you with a brake warning light on your dashboard when your brakes need attention. You can do three things to determine what is wring with your brakes.
1 - Look through the wheel spokes to see the brake pads. If they appear less than 1/4 inch thick, they need replacing.
2 - Locate the rotors and check them for grooves, cracks, and other noticeable degeneration.
3 - Locate the brake fluid under the hood of the car. Low or dirty brake fluid affects braking performance.
It is recommended to leave the braking system to professionals because this is an intricate system that requires some serious car knowledge and experience. If you know about cars a bit, may be you can learn how to check the brake fluid and replace it.
#4 Battery health - 100%
To be clear, seek professional help while dealing with batteries. You can of course learn the signs to know if the battery of your machine is weak and how check your battery health. But that should be it.
Unless you are an experienced mechanic, it is advised to not get excited YouTube DIY videos and try and repair it yourself. This is another important lesson under car maintenance and repair 101. If you don’t know what you are doing with your battery, it might end up catching fire. All it takes is a loose connection!
These are the signs that your battery health is low:
● Engine cranks slowly when starting.
● Dimming headlights and interior lights
● Problems with electrical components in the car like you are not able to power windows, weak radio, or weak dashboard lights
● If you frequently need to jump-start your car
Looking for a failing battery is easy. Locate the battery in the hood of you car. A swollen or bloated battery case indicate overheating and a failing battery. If you notice white, ashy deposits around the terminals it can indicate that the battery is corroding.
You might get the smell of rotting eggs which means there is a hydrogen gas leak out from the battery. You might observe cracks on the battery case as well. These all point to the fact that your battery is deteriorating, you will need to get a new battery.
Note that only wet batteries tend to corrode and leak. Most new cars are equipped with dry batteries. These don’t corrode or leak. But the other signs like the headlights dimming can still be seen when dry batteries undergo failing health.
Car repair tipLets say you go on a lot of road trips with your car. Naturally your battery is going to die out eventually. In these cases it better to know how to bring your car back to life rather than be stranded in the middle of the road. |
#5 Clean it up
The easiest maintenance tip to follow from chapter of car maintenance and repair 101 is cleaning both interior and exterior of the car. Please to dabble in browsing for car shampoos and waxes online and get the perfect one. This will help you maintain the glossy finish of the car and extend the life of the paint.
Here are some tips for taking care of the exterior of your car:
● Wash your car every two weeks to remove dirt, dust, bird droppings, tree sap, etc.. as this can damage the paint
● Use a high-quality car wash shampoo, a microfiber wash mitt, and a two-bucket wash system where you have one to hold soapy water and one with clean water for rinsing the mitt
● Before washing the car rinse the car thoroughly. Ensure that you remove loose dirt. Rinse the car again after washing.
● Rinse your mitt frequently to avoid scratching the paint.
● Choose a high-quality car wax and use a foam applicator pad. If you remember the ‘wax on wax off’ philosophy of Mr.Miyagi, then you know to apply the wax in small, circular motions.
Cleaning the interior of your car also requires care and you might need to do it more often than tending to the exterior of you car. Here are some tips:
● Wipe down the dashboard, center console, and other hard surfaces with a microfiber cloth and an interior cleaner.
● Clean around buttons, knobs, and other controls with cotton swabs
● Clean the door panels, handles, and armrests with the interior cleaner and a cloth
● Use a leather cleaner and conditioner to clean the seats
● Remove the floor mats and clean them separately.
● Use a vacuum to clean the interior of the car thoroughly making sure you get the nooks and crannies.
Regular maintenance is more than just a routine. It is a proactive approach to car care that leads to a reliable and safe car with the added bonus of saving money and time, money. Whether it is checking the health of your battery or something as simple as keeping your car clutter free, these steps will help you drive knowing your vehicle is in optimal condition.
Make car maintenance a priority and enjoy the benefits of a well-maintained, dependable and efficient machine that can live on for years without giving you any starting trouble!
