Car maintenance may seem challenging at first, the key is to start small and gradually climb the repair ladder as you progress day by day. There are several maintenance tasks you can do on your own which do not require you to call for the service of a mechanic. They include:
Wiper Blades Replacement: You can easily replace your wiper blades if there’s a need for a replacement. One simple way to detect if the wiper blades need replacement is by pressing the washer button and observe if the blades wipe clean. If the blades streak, they are due for replacement. You can get new wiper blades from auto parts store around you. Read through the installation guide on the package. Be careful and at alert when removing the old blades, hold the wiper arm firmly the moment you have successfully removed the blade. If it slips from your hand, it can hit the windshield and crack it.
Shake PVC Valve: New and latest model cars are designed with a PCV valve. It is advisable to always remove the PCV valve each time you change the car oil. Most often, the valve can be seen on top of the engine, directly connected to a vacuum hose. Gently pull the vacuum hose from the valve and unscrew the valve. Shake the valve, if it produces a metallic sound, that means it’s still in good condition but if it doesn’t make any noise it produces a faint sound, it is due for a change. Most PCV valves can appear very dirty, this doesn’t mean they are due for a change. Thus, never change the valve on appearance alone.
Replacing the Engine Air Filter: You can inspect and replace the air filter on your own without the assistance of any mechanic. Simply remove the clip from the air filter box retainers and bring out the old filter. By holding a shop light behind the filter, you can determine how much light passes through it. If the filter blocks more of the light, you should change it. But, if otherwise, fix it back. Place the air filter box gently in place and you are good to go on using the car.
Replace That Broken Antenna: It’s very easy to replace a broken antenna. Get a replacement from a reliable auto parts store and unscrew the old mast. Disconnect the antenna cable from the radio and link it with a heavy string at the end. Unscrew the antenna mount from the pillar and pull both the antenna and the cable straight out. Fix the new antenna cable to the string, pull the cable into the vehicle and connect it to the radio. Screw the antenna to the pillar.
Non-Headlight Bulbs: Remove the screws and the lens to access the fog light bulb, the burned-out license plate, and the side marker. Pull out the bulb gently from the socket. Hold the new bulb with hand gloves or a paper towel to prevent skin oils from staining the glass. Skin oils can damage the bulb. Fix the bulb into the socket gently until it clicks and also fix the lens back.
In conclusion, you can as well diagnose car problems without the help of a mechanic using auto code reader. This is easy to do by plugging the reader to the car’s computer system and then interpret the trouble code to know what the exact problem is.