Vehicles are expensive investments, from the amount you pay to own one to the hundreds you spend every few months on insurance. And then when something breaks down you have another huge sum of money coming out of empty pockets just to keep it on the road. Not to mention the maintenance and upkeep that needs to be done on a regular basis in order to keep major things from going wrong.
It is some of that general maintenance that you can opt to do on your own, depending on your car care skills. Sometimes even a major malfunction can be dealt with DIY, in a pinch. While you probably shouldn’t be changing your own brake lines if you’ve never worked on a car before, you should be able to change your own oil and spark plugs.
Change Your Own Oil
If you’ve been driving a vehicle for a decade or more you can probably remember when an oil change, even the fanciest option, cost like $20 or less. Now you pay $50 or so for that option. Plus, depending on the type of car you have and where you take it you might not have a lower costing option available to you.
That’s why it can be a real money saver to learn to change your own oil (it’s really not that difficult to do). The hardest part is getting under your vehicle. But the cost of some oil, a new filter, and a funnel to put it in can be a lot less than all that extra labor you’re paying for at that quicky oil change place.
Change Your Own Tires
Even if you have roadside assistance on your insurance policy, calling them could jack up your prices. That’s why it’s important to learn how to change a tire. Just make sure you have the proper equipment to do so, and make sure that you are checking your air on your tires on a regular basis, as well as getting them rotated (usually best done professionally) when they need to be (it makes them last longer).
Watch The Videos
From putting in a new alternator to troubleshooting what is wrong with your car stereo (possibly an important vehicle option if you spend a lot of time on the road), you can find videos free online that can walk you through auto repairs of all kinds step-by-step. You can also find videos that will help you determine what is wrong with your car, if you don’t already know, so you can determine if you need to take it in or if it’s something you can fix yourself.
Have The Right Space For Repair
If you want to save money repairing your vehicle at home, you need to have the right space to do it in. Some repairs can’t be done in a driveway, and even those that can will be dependent on the weather. If you don’t have a garage or a neighbor that will let you borrow theirs, you may be better off taking your vehicle into the shop on many occasions.