Car Maintenance Tasks You Can Do Yourself
The Auto Show on JustMy! | February 22, 2021
Taking your car in for servicing can be both expensive and time-consuming, so you should know what car maintenance tasks you can do yourself.

Cars are always a costly investment, but a necessary one. It doesn’t help when something goes wrong and you have to spend even more money and time heading to a mechanic to have it serviced. To reduce the amount of time you spend at the mechanic, there are several car maintenance tasks you can do yourself to keep your car well preserved.

Air Filters

You’ll need to have your air filter replaced annually, which is luckily pretty simple to replace on your own. You don’t need any tools for this task and it should only take about ten minutes as opposed to surrendering your car to a mechanic for a whole day.

  • To locate your air filter, peer under the hood for a black rectangular box with metal clips on the side of it. If you can’t locate the box, check your owner’s manual to identify where it is.
  • Open the box and take out the old filter. Remember how your air filter was situated in the box because you’ll install the new air filter the exact same way.
  • Secure the metal clips once more and you’re all finished.

Spark Plugs

Not many people realize this is a car maintenance task you can do yourself. After about 30,000 miles, you should replace your spark plugs. This can be accomplished in about 20-30 minutes and you’ll need a socket wrench, 12” socket extension, and a spark plug socket.

  • Locating the old spark plugs should be easy, as they’re attached to thick rubber wires. There’ll be four to eight plugs depending on how many cylinders your car has.
  • Do NOT remove all the wires at once. These wires are applied in a certain order that must be maintained. Remove the wire of the first spark plug only.
  • Install the new spark plug with tools, but first tighten the spark plug with your hand. Use your wrench to then ensure the spark plug is snug, but not overly tight.
  • Reconnect the wire when the new spark plug is installed.

Paint Protection

For maintaining the exterior of your car, you should wash your car by hand regularly. Make use of soaps prepared for specifically washing cars rather than dish soap and ensure the cloths you use are soft and non-abrasive.

After cleaning your car, apply wax to give it a coating that will protect the paint from fading under the sun’s UV-rays. Not only will this keep your paint looking fresher for longer, but it’ll give your car a slick, glossy appearance.

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