Basic Car Maintenance and Repairs You Can (and Should) Do Yourself

I have never been particularly interested in cars — they are merely things that exist to get me from point A to point B, and are often overpriced and beleaguered by expensive problems.

I was long intimidated by the idea of taking my car to a mechanic, because I knew I wasn’t leaving without spending $2,000, and mechanics had a way of making me feel guilty about not green-lighting their every proposed repair. So I had to learn to do a few things myself — and I discovered a lot of basic car maintenance and repairs are surprisingly easy for anyone to tackle.

I still don’t like cars, but now that I feel confident digging into mine to fix things when they go wrong. I also feel empowered as shit, and my knowledge has made me a better consumer. Mechanics don’t intimidate me anymore.

Be prepared to handle your own maintenance

Car experts agree: There are certain car maintenance and repair tasks everyone should learn to handle themselves. Most of this is preventative maintenance, and you can use it to stave off a much pricier repair.

To start, you’ll need to know your VIN and your exact car model. Since this is sometimes confusing when you get down into the minutiae (Did I buy the LTD? How many cylinders does my engine have?) you can use the VIN to look up anything you’re unsure about.

When you need a part, go to an auto shop website and enter your car model. It will tell you the part you need for your specific kind of car. You’ll also use that model to look for videos showing you how to perform the maintenance task at hand. (I can’t imagine anything being as big a boon to Napa Auto Parts as the rise of Youtube.)

You’ll likely need some basic tools, including a cordless power drill with a basic bit set and socket set, or a set of wrenches, or a set of plastic tools that will help you pop off dashboard facades. I find its best to wait until a repair is at hand to bother getting parts or tools for it — you’re going to be heading out to the store anyway, so better to get everything you need at once rather than buy tools for a repair you might never need to make.

An added benefit of auto parts stores is that you can often do the repair in the parking lot, and staff might even have tools they can lend you to accomplish it. On that note: Your auto parts store staff is generally invaluable — did you know they’ll come run any check engine light code for you? Drive up, ask them to come out, they will plug in a little machine called an ODB and tell you the error code so you can research how to deal with it yourself…all for free. While they can’t do repairs for you, they are often knowledgeable and will be able to give you some guidance.

The maintenance and repairs you can handle yourself

How To change headlights and taillights. This was the first solo repair I embarked on. I realised my backup lights weren’t very bright, and rather than take it to the dealership or a repair shop, my “car friend” (you probably have one too) encouraged me to just buy the brighter LED bulb he recommended and install it myself. When the garage I frequented told me they didn’t have time to “take apart my front end to install a hard to get to headlight” later that year, I decided to listen to my friend. I googled it, found a YouTube video that showed me exactly what to do: Lie on the ground, reach up, and screw in a bulb.

Talk about high reward — this repair is an almost guaranteed success, it’s inexpensive, and it requires few tools. You’ll start by googling your car model and “replace headlight.” A million videos should pop up; watch a few to ensure you know what you need, and then use an auto parts website to order correct the bulb and tools (if needed).

How to check your tire pressure. Too low or too high tire pressure could be costing you precious km per litre, or worse, risking your safety when driving in the rain or snow. To make sure this isn’t happening to you, you need to make sure you know the right tire pressure for your particular car and type of tires. This info is typically located on the inside of your driver door panel. It’ll tell you your tire size, and the appropriate pressure level.

To test your tire pressure, you’ll need a tire pressure gauge. They’re inexpensive, and there are now electronic ones that are basically idiotproof. (Though not an idiot, I prefer them.) Keep the gauge in your driver or passenger door pocket so its easy to access while on the road. If your tire pressure is off, you can let out some air, or hit up a gas station to add air until your air pressure is right.

The real pro-tip is to get your own portable tire gauge/inflator and keep it in your car. That way, you don’t even need a gas station, and you can rescue yourself if you have a flat. You might be able to inflate enough to get to a gas station.

How to replace your wiper blades. Perhaps you live in a city where it rains less than 364 days a year, but I don’t. My wiper blades are a major functional component of my ride, and I was suspicious of how much they were costing me when peddled by the guys changing my oil at Jiffy Lube. The most expensive wiper blades available online are around $100, and most are under $30, and both are really easy to install. You should replace your blades once a year, or sooner if they’re showing signs of wear.

How to check your oil level. I suspect most of us with older cars are suffering from some sort of oil leak. Since leaks are one of the most expensive fixes in a car, from diagnosis to resealing, and most of us can’t afford expensive repairs, we require a little extra oil between oil changes. The only way to know if and when you need more oil is by learning how to check it yourself, which means keeping a shop towel or tissues in your car to help you do it, plus an extra few quarts of oil in the trunk.

Use your car’s manual to locate the oil gauge, and then remove it entirely. Wipe it clean, and then dip it back into the oil tank. Remove it again, and now you’ll be able to see the level clearly. If it is low, you just need to top it off with the right oil.

(Did you know that the major chains like Jiffy Lube will top you up for free between visits? So long as you’re under the recommended mileage on your reminder sticker, you can roll through and have them check you out.)

How to jumpstart a dead battery. I didn’t buy jumper cables until I was in my 40s, shortly before I set off on a long roadtrip, and it felt like a weirdly large commitment. I had no idea how to use them, and could only hope the other party involved — whether that was the car parked next to me in the parking lot or the car full of axe murderers I’d flag down on the freeway — would know how to handle things should I ever find myself with a dead battery.

But the truth is, its absurdly simple to jumpstart a car, and the hardest part is honestly getting the two cars close enough together for the cables to reach. (If I could go back, I’d buy the longest cables I could afford.)

From there, the steps are simple. Write them down on a piece of paper, laminate that paper, and then stick it inside your car someplace, like the glovebox. Don’t lose it, in case you find yourself with a dead battery someplace without wifi.

1. Dead Car: connect red cable.
2. Alive Car: connect red cable.
3. Alive Car: connect black cable.
4. Dead car, connect black cable, but not to the battery — find an unpainted metal part of the hood big enough to clamp to.
5. Turn on the Alive Car.
6. Wait 2 minutes. Turn on Dead Car. The engine should start right up. (If it doesn’t, you can wait a little longer, but you probably have bigger problems.)
7. Dead Car: disconnect black cable.
8. Alive Car: disconnect black cable.
9. Alive Car: disconnect red cable.
10. Dead Car: disconnect red cable.
11. Leave the formerly Dead Car running for five minutes, and ideally drive it for at least 15 minutes to recharge the battery.

That’s it — but you don’t even need a second car if you have the right equipment. If you like to go on solo adventures (camping, road tripping in the Catskills), spend $100 on a portable jump starter so you have the means to save yourself.

How to refill your windshield washer fluid. This is as easy as buying the fluid, at your local auto parts store, and looking up the right port under the hood in your manual*. Use a funnel, pour it in, put the top back on, and that’s it.

How to check your engine’s air filter. First, it’s important to know you have a few different air filters. Cars always have an engine air filter, and they usually have a cabin air filter. These are the very expensive things they try to sell you at oil changes.

The cabin air filter is less intimidating, because it is usually located in the car cabin. Again, use your manual* to locate it. You can purchase filters in bulk online or at your local car part store. Add it to your calendar, and replace them every six months. Don’t pay the markup at your next oil change for something you can easily handle.

Your engine air filter can be found under your hood, and unlike everything else we’ve done so far, you might actually need to remove some parts to get to it. It’s usually attached to the engine by some clips or a cover. Don’t be intimidated; just google to find a Youtube video for your model. You can do this outside an auto parts store. Bring the old filter inside, find the correct replacement, and make the swap. You can even choose a reusable filter, and just clean it when necessary.

Going beyond the basics

Modern cars are as much computerised as they are mechanical That means there’s more to break, and many breaks tend to require expensive fixes. It was the price of fixing the seat heater/cooler in my “new” used truck that led me to investigate how hard it would be to handle myself. It was then I learned that almost everything you need to fix your car is a replacement part and a Youtube video away.

I, a woman who had for years responded to the question “what kind of car do you have” with “green,” have removed an entire passenger seat, disconnected an old controller and harness, individually married twelve wires to their mates under the glovebox, sealed everything back up, and ridden rode home with an ice-cold butt and a gigantic smile on my face. The cost for my DIY repair was $83. The lowest quote I got was for $1,800.

I also replaced the A/C blower last year — another $500 job that I managed for $38. (The A/C blower was behind the glovebox. Did you know the glovebox comes out?) Last week, I replaced an A/C blend door actuator (again, google is your friend), which required taking apart the dashboard. The shop wanted $400, but it cost two hours and $40 to fix myself.

That’s the real reason that I’ve learned so much about my car — it has saved me so much money. I still take it in for oil changes — I haven’t learned to do them and don’t really want to, even though I am sure I could. And I’m not professing to be a mechanic or anything; my car just got back from the garage, where they fixed a part far too complicated for me to easily google, and requiring too many specialised tools I don’t have. I’m not saying one must become a full time grease monkey to be a real driver; I just like knowing I can at least try to fix something myself, and save some money where I can.

That’s why now, when the garage tells me a proposed fix, I googling it myself to see if it’s simple enough that I can do it, or to see how much the parts are so I know if I’m getting a fair deal. I have saved thousands of dollars simply by becoming a more informed consumer.

*A note about your car’s manual

Your car has a manual. It’s that bulky thing in the glovebox. If you bought your car used, it might have been lost before the car came to you, but you can still buy a replacement. Until last year, I had never read the manual. Like ever.

While replacing the backup light, I had to consult the manual for the schematics, and I was shocked to find out it wasn’t just a boring book of charts. It was chock full of legitimately useful information. I had no idea about the difference between 4L and 4H, or even how to get my car into four wheel drive mode.

The manual told me where each and every single fuse in my car is, so if something goes wrong, I can find, test, and replace it (you’d be surprised how many fixes are a changed fuse away). The manual explains how to do not everything, but a lot of things, which is why I am going to make a bold recommendation: Read your manual. Like, actually sit down and read the damn thing. It will teach you a lot.