Four Cheap Car Fixes You Can Learn on Your Own

There are few things worse for a driver than discovering their car needs repairs. This can mean a lot of wasted time and money if the repair is extensive. So why would you go in for repairs when you can fix certain simple problems yourself? Here are four cheap and easy car fixes anyone can do.

Replacing Your Spark Plugs

The spark plugs in your car are essential for it to start properly and should be replaced every 30,000 miles in most vehicles. While it can be intimidating to work with something this technical, the steps to replacing spark plugs are actually quite simple.

You will need:

• A ratchet or socket wrench
• A spark plug socket
• A 12" socket extension

Start by opening the hood of your car and looking around your engine. Your spark plugs will be easy to spot, as they will be attached to thick wires around the engine. There will be either four, six, or eight spark plugs, depending on how many cylinders are in your vehicle.

Once you have located the spark plugs, remove only the first one. Your spark plugs need to be changed in a specific order so be sure to do this one at a time. Use the spark plug socket and extension to remove the plug, then install the new plug and tighten it in with your wrench. Repeat this process for each spark plug.

Replacing a Blown Fuse

If your car’s headlights will not turn on, you may be dealing with a blown fuse. For this repair, you won’t need anything for this except the replacement fuse.

Find the fuse box in your car, which is usually to the left of your steering wheel. Open it up and see which fuse is blown. You will be able to tell because the blown fuse will be gray or black. Simply unscrew this fuse with the car turned off and replace it with your new one. If your blown fuse is the result of a crash, it might be better to go to a Cascade Collision shop to be sure nothing else in your fuse box is damaged.

Changing Oil

You should be changing your oil roughly every 3,000 miles, and who wants to go into a shop for all of those changes? If you know what to do you can easily do this repair yourself. You will need:

You will need:

• A ratchet
• Oil filter wrench
• Oil pan
• Funnel
• Clothes that you can get dirty

Begin by getting under your car and locating your oil pan. Unscrew the drain plug and allow the oil to drain into the pan. Once this has been done, you can replace the drain plug. Go to your engine and replace the old oil filter with your wrench. Use new oil to lubricate the rubber gasket on the filter. Fill your new filter about 2/3 of the way with oil, then screw in the new filter. Use your funnel to fill your engine with oil, check that you have enough in, and you have officially changed your own oil.

Replacing Your Air Filter

This is one of the most important repairs for keeping your car running smoothly. For this repair, you will only need know-how and your new filter. Find the long, plastic home of your air filter along the side of the space under your hood. Unscrew the bolts that are holding it shut then slide out the new filter.

Make sure to slide your new filter in the same way and tightly screw everything back into place. This is a simple repair that you should never pay for.

Conclusion

Owning a car can be expensive so don’t waste your money on these easy repairs. By following these guidelines, you will be able to keep your car running without spending money at a body shop.