• Home & Family
  • Travel
  • Life Hacks
  • Technology
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Real Estate
  • About
On Tap Blog
Technology

DIY Car Maintenance Tasks Literally Anyone Can Manage

By Dean Shaw · On May 9, 2017

Petrol heads spend every weekend tinkering under the hood of their car. They like nothing better than to emerge from beneath the engine, plastered in oil, and with a glowing sense of satisfaction. The rest of us are more likely to send our car to the nearest auto shop and pay an eye-watering bill to have it fixed. In many cases, though, we could just do the job ourselves.

Car maintenance is not always that complicated. Despite the increasing prevalence of complex engine management systems, there are still a number of basic car maintenance tasks anyone can do with practice. A DIY oil change, for example, isn’t rocket science. As long as you are willing to get your hands dirty, you should have no problem maintaining your vehicle. The following tasks are literally so simple my dog could do them with a blindfold on.

Car-Service-and-Maintenance

Change Windscreen Wipers

Auto stores will change windscreen wipers for you – at a price – but this is one job that is dead easy to do at home. The hardest part is buying the right replacement wipers, so spend some time checking the new wipers are for your make and model of car. In most cases, new wiper blades come with fitting instructions, so if you can’t figure it out, take a look at the diagram on the packaging.

Changing the Oil and Filter

Changing the oil and filter should take around 45 minutes. Jack the car up, loosen the drain plug and drain the old oil out into a container. Replace the filter and fill the engine with fresh oil. Used engine oil can be recycled.

Change Spark Plugs

Spark plugs should be replaced every 30k miles. You will need a socket set to extract the old plugs and fit the new ones, but aside from that, it’s an easy 30-minute job. All cars have between four and eight spark plugs, depending on the size of the engine. Find out where yours are located and replace them one at a time.

Change an Air Filter

It takes around ten minutes to replace an air filter. An air filter is normally replaced as part of an annual service, but you can easily do it yourself. Check your vehicle’s manual to find out where it is located. Take out the old filter and clip the new one in.

DIY Car Maintenance Educational Resources

Haynes Manuals used to be the go-to book for any budding mechanic. Haynes published manuals for every make and model of vehicle, old and new. If you needed to service your old Ford or tune up a Mini, your Haynes Manual was the only resource you needed. Haynes still publishes workshop manuals for a wide range of vehicles, both in print and in digital formats, but you can just as easily find the information you need on YouTube. In fact, for many people, watching a video is the key to understanding what to do.

Once you have mastered the above tasks, have a go at changing your brake pads and performing the annual service. It will save you a lot of cash.

Share Tweet

Dean Shaw

You Might Also Like

  • Technology

    Customer Service During Covid-19

  • Technology

    The Basic Variables of Internet Speed

  • Technology

    How the Internet has changed our lifestyle

Latest News

  • 6 Tips on How to Start Your Construction Business

    January 31, 2023
  • How to Break Through a Training Plateau

    December 16, 2022
  • Legal Help with Disabilities

    December 13, 2022
  • Is Gaming Expensive? Hidden Costs and In-Game Purchases You Should Know About 

    November 29, 2022
  • Customer Service During Covid-19

    November 21, 2022
  • About
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Home & Family
  • Life Hacks
  • Technology
  • Travel

Recent Posts

  • 6 Tips on How to Start Your Construction Business
  • How to Break Through a Training Plateau
  • Legal Help with Disabilities
  • Is Gaming Expensive? Hidden Costs and In-Game Purchases You Should Know About 
  • Customer Service During Covid-19

OnTap Blog on Facebook

© 2018 OnTapBlog Website