In the twenty-first century, motor vehicles are key essential aspects in transport of the modern man. Cars have become so important to us and some of us may even consider them closer to basic needs.
If you want your car to function well all the time, you need to do some maintenance from time to time. The following are simple DIY car maintenance tips that you can easily handle. If you’re of the same opinion, you must get auto insurance to safeguard your precious cars. To get affordable deals, click on insurancenavy.com now.
1. Replacing your air filters regularly
Proper air ventilation is a key to the laxity of your vehicle. You need to ensure you have replaced your filters for up to a regular interval of about 12 months or when you have traveled for a distance close to 12,00o miles.
This can be done at the comfort of your garage back at home. Simply locate the filters at the hood of your car in rectangular shape held by metal caps. After opening up the filter find out how it is placed before removing it then replace it with the new one.
2. Replacing windshield wipers.
In 15 minutes, you could save yourself time from driving down to a mechanic shop to have your wipers replaced. Simply start by lifting the blades up from the windshield and pay attention to the metal holding them on how old they are.
Attach the new blades carefully to ensure they do not bend and scratch your windshield. As always, a new package will contain a user manual and in case you miss a step be sure to go through it before doing anything on your own
3. Change your engine oil
It is very simple to change your engine oil and although this process is not recommended for new cars, used ones should at least undergo this at regular intervals. You only need to locate the oil panel and drain it.
The new one should be lubricated before being slightly filled with fresh oil .after screwing the filter on with your hand just lower the vehicle and fill in the oil using a funnel to your engine.
Finally for you to be sure you can check your oil levels on your dipstick. Good engines usually run better on new oil.
4. Fitting in new spark plugs
In order to change your spark plugs, you only need important aspects, which are time and patience. Do not rush into processes that if are not followed could end up leading you to a lot of more work.
Always start with as simple as locating the spark plugs which are mainly attached to as much as eight rubber plug wires depending on the number of cylinders your cars is having.
All spark plugs are installed at a certain order, so you should not remove all the wires at once but rather one after the other.
A spark plug socket and an extension from your ratchet should be enough to remove the 1st pug. The next step should be screwing in by hand the new spark plug then tightened by a wrench. Repeat this process to all other plugs.
5. Battery maintenance
For you to have a car that runs smoothly and efficiently, one needs to have a battery that is strong and long-lasting. Just by looking at you battery you may be able to tell of its condition. You can remove your battery terminals starting with you negative able first and if stuck use a flat head screwdriver to jack them out.
Next, clean these two terminals with simple material from your home such as coca cola and baking soda vigorously with a wire brush. Finish by rinsing the terminals with water then dry them up and finally place them back.
6. Cleaning the radiator and cooling system
In a daily car activity, it picks up dirt is deposited to the cooling system and can disrupt its proper functionality. In order to maintain it you need regular radiator flushes which are quick and affordable to keep the system in good condition.
Before you start, make sure your car has completely cooled down. After finding the radiator plug from your manual, place your coolant receptacle in the right position and start draining the coolant. Once you have replaced the drain plug use the funnel to add radiator flush filling in the rest with water.
After replacing the radiator cap star the vehicle and run it till it gets to normal temperature. You will need to turn the car off and allow it to cool down and completely drain all the contents of the radiator then refill it with a fresh coolant.
Always make sure you dispose of the old coolant as it is sweet but fatal to pets.
7. Replacing brake pads
All car users need to replace their brake pads after around every 20,000 miles. You can start by jacking your car up and securely rest it on jack stands. After removing the wheels, remove the caliper to ensure the brake pads slide through and replace the old pas with new ones.
Compress the brake piston and use a c-clamp to screw it to the back off the caliper assembly .be sure to tighten the clamp to a position where the piston is far enough then you can now re-install the brake caliper and simply place the wheel back on.
8. Using waterproof car covers
Waterproof car covers are on sale in just about all the major stores and nearly all online automobile shopping sites during adverse weather conditions such as snow or rainy days, you should consider buying this type of cover to act as a shield. This provides along lasting paint cover and also prevents dents and scratches too.
Conclusion
Taking your car to a mechanic can be extra costly compared to doing it yourself would, therefore, encourage car owners to choose a less costly method to handle their maintenance which is to do these simple procedures.
Maintenance is better than repair as you get to keep most of your original parts which increases the lifespan of your vehicle. We hope you will take care of you car with these DIY car maintenance tips now.
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