DIY Vehicle Maintenance

Your house, condo, vacation cabin or beachfront property or whatever your humble abode is, will be the greatest investment or investments of your life.  Your vehicle is your next largest investment.

Whether you own a brand new top of the line luxury sedan, a rugged SUV or a third hand compact, you depend on your vehicle to get you to and from work, to pick up your kids, to go to the grocery store or to take a long drive along the coast.  High end or virtual clunker, your car needs regular maintenance to keep it in top form.

Most people walk their own dogs, cook their own meals, do their own laundry and clean their own houses.  Why not add doing routine vehicle maintenance to that list?  Why pay someone else to do something you can so easily handle yourself? 

Perhaps one of the most basic, as well as most important, steps you can take in preventative maintenance is performing regular inspections.  Check your lights (do you really want to get pulled over and ticketed for a broken head or tail light that you didn’t even know was out?), your tire pressure and tread and your wiper blades.

Learn to check your fluids, inspect and get your timing and serpentine belts replaced when necessary.  Check your oil and get it changed regularly.  Whether your car has a dipstick to check the oil's color and oil level or the dipstick has been replaced with an electronic gauge, you should know how to check it and replace your engine air filter when needed.

Check your battery and clean the contacts and clean it off with a battery cleaning brush if there is buildup.  If your spark plugs are worn out or covered in buildup, your engine isn't working efficiently, so don’t forget to change them according to your owner’s manual.

These are just a few things that every vehicle needs that, with the right tools, instructions and possibly Internet demonstration, you can do them yourself!