Car Maintenance Made Easy

We have all been there, over paying for oil changes that we know we could do ourselves if we would have just paid a little more attention in grade 9 auto class. Or when your windshield wiper breaks and as you are driving into the mechanic shop you can see the smile come on his face “easy money.”

What if I told you that I could help solve that problem? That changing your oil really is that easy? That doing routine car maintenance is as simple you think it is but are too scared to actually try.

Here are a few things you can easily do yourself to save some cash and wipe that smirk off the mechanic’s face.

Air Filter

Changing the air filter on your car will take about ten minutes and will only cost you the price of a new filter, which runs usually around $15. Here’s how to do it:

1. Pop open your hood and locate the air filter in your car (typically housed within a black case with metal clips on either side).
2. Open the case and look at how the old filter sits inside of it. By making note of this, you will have an easier time putting the new filter in.
3. Remove the old filter while making sure nothing falls into the bottom of the filter box.
4. Put the new filter in, close the case, and secure with the nuts.

Honestly, even explaining how to do it is more complicated than actually doing this one.

Changing Your Oil

This will cost you about $20 for the oil and the oil filter. Compare this to an oil change place which will often charge you $30 just to change the oil and even more if you’re changing the filter, too. You’ll also need an oil filter wrench and a pan to collect the old oil in. You’ll save about $10 to $20 per oil change, which should happen every 3,000 to 5,000 miles depending on your car and the oil you use.

There are many great videos available on the web that will show you the whole process. Mostly, it’s a matter of unscrewing the old filter, screwing in the new filter, removing the drain plug, allowing the oil that comes out to pour into your oil collection pan, putting the plug back when it’s done, and then adding fresh oil. The individual steps are so easy my seven year old could handle it.

The biggest hurdle in convincing someone they can handle car repair is the fear factor, but here's the thing: It's actually pretty hard to permanently screw up a car. You might break something temporarily, or a fix might not work in the long run, but you probably won't set yourself or your car on fire just because you banged too hard on a valve. Remember your car is durable, and you are not performing brain surgery. So save yourself some money and give these easy repairs a try!

Jim B. St. James has been working on old junk cars since he was a teenager. Most recently he has moved to the state of PA and buys his Used Auto Parts Locally.

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