Our cars. We love them and in many ways are addicted to them. We depend on them very heavily, and despite current trends to the contrary, we are looking at continuing to depend on them for years to come.
Maybe you have just bought a car or maybe you’re still looking
. Maybe you’re just concerned with trying to keep Old Faithful running smoothly so you don’t have to go hunting too soon. Or maybe you are trying to increase Old Faithful’s retail value because you’re planning on trading up. Either way, sometimes it’s worth it for the mechanically minded among you to get into a little DIY so you can cheaply keep things in tip-top shape. Here are some of the easiest things to do on a car DIY and save:
-Change the Engine Oil. This is the easiest DIY project. Honestly this is so easy it’s almost a laugh. Honestly, the hardest part about changing your own oil is figuring out what to do with the old oil, which can be a bit of a pain.
-Changing other fluids. Most other fluids need little or no maintenance under normal circumstances, aside from topping off every now and again. Occasionally, you may need to change the engine coolant at 50,000 mile intervals or so, depending on the model of your car. Transmission fluid is the only difficult fluid to be changed, and should probably be done by a professional, unless you feel very confident about your car.
-Rotating the tires. As long as you have the proper tool to get the lug nuts on and off and make sure they go back on at the right tightness, this is a very easy task. Most people do this at the same time they change the oil, as the schedules are roughly the same for the two tasks.
-Changing the cabin filter. This one can be very easy or a royal pain depending on the make and model of your car, but it’s really in any case something that can be done by a non-professional without too much trouble. This one should be done every year or so minimum.
These are some of the most basic things that you can do to save money. If you do all of them, you should save an estimated $1000 or more in labor costs, depending on which market you are in.
Do you have any other routine maintenance you perform regularly on your car? Leave us a comment below.