Repairing Your Car by Yourself? Consider These Tips

Author: Sultan Asad from We Buy Cars DXB

How many times have you had to face a broken car in the middle of nowhere with no nearby mechanic or repair shop?

This situation is likely to happen to you at least once in a lifetime if you’re a car owner, and you don’t have any choice but to fix it all by yourself, so you must have a little pinch of skill and a big cup of knowledge to be always prepared for such sudden situations.

Don’t be overwhelmed, you don’t have to be an expert or something, by just learning the basics you can actually help yourself out to get out of this unpleasable problem.

Keep in your mind that a simple toolkit can do the job and save your day and journey. So continue reading to educate yourself on how to manage these problems.

Pre-preparation is a key

Read a ton

What you need to do first is to read a lot about your car, its strengths and weaknesses, and all the likely damages that could happen to a car on the road especially your car. If you’re into social media, Reddit can really help you out through various and different communities. You can find many car owners with the same car as yours to ask them whatever you want. Or you can simply open Youtube to watch some videos of people going through the whole repairing process.

Get a manual or write your own

Try to keep notes on your mobile or a notebook and write down everything you learned to keep everything in one place when needed.

Or you can simply buy a beginner’s manual to guide you through the whole process of repairing.

Just don’t forget to search specifically for your car’s make and model when purchasing a manual unless you’re going to sell your car.

Purchase a toolkit

This is the most crucial step because all the knowledge you have obtained won’t save you without the proper tools, even the cheapest ones can prevent a lot of hassle, so don’t stress yourself about buying expensive tools.

What you can add to your savor kit is a flashlight, jumper cables, wrenches, pliers, flares, penetrating oil, a rubber mallet, jacks, and screwdrivers.

Also, you can check your local auto parts store rental programs to see if you can borrow any unaffordable tool needed.

What you can do

Before listing the most important things that you can do by yourself, read the owner’s manual to know about the recommended repair schedule for each part.

Replace your air filter

In general, you need to change the air filter every 12 months, or every 12000 miles.

The process is quite easy and fast! Just open the bonnet, turn a few screws, then open the air filter housing to swap out the old, and finally replace the screws and you’re ready to go in just 10 minutes!

Replace windshield wipers blades

Windshields typically last from 6 months to one year and the process takes only a few minutes, all you need to know is written on the packaging of the new windshield wipers blades, but in case there were no restrictions, do this:

• Remove old wiper blades by lifting them up in the way you usually wash them;
• Push the tab to gain access to the blades;
• Attach new blades carefully and pay attention not to break the wiper arms or scratch the windshield.

Change your oil and filter

Experts advise car owners to change the oil every 3000 miles, but actually, you can get away with changing it every 5000 miles. Anyway, keep in mind not to change the oil when your engine is on or hot:

• Empty all the oil inside the drain plug and replace the drain plug after unscrewing it;
• Remove the old oil filter with a wrench;
• Add some engine oil to the new oil filter rubber gasket;
• Fill the new oil filter about two-thirds, then screw it back in and tighten it firmly;
• Fill the new oil filter while checking the level with a dipstick.

Change the battery

It’s recommended to check your battery now and then to determine whether it needs to be replaced or not to make sure that your car runs properly and smoothly.

Battery changing is the easiest repair one can do, and all you need is a set of wrenches!

Remove the battery and any connectors that secure the battery to the holder, then install the new battery on the holder and lubricate the terminals.

Many car owners feel reluctant to spend their wages on repairing their cars when there is a sudden major problem because it can actually eat deep into your budget, so what you can do here is to take some auto expenses off your wage to be able to take your car to the repair shop when it’s necessary.

Car maintenance is one of the most crucial steps to maintain your car value, and because you can never run from the regular maintenance, try to become more proactive about checking your car by yourself to fix any minor issues.