4 Easy Self-Maintenance Auto Repairs Air-Filter

Visiting a mechanic requires a great investment of both your time and money.  After paying for parts, maintenance, and any surprise repairs that appear when your car is in the mechanic’s hands, you will drive away startled and with a much lighter wallet.  While your car will likely be in great condition and operating smoothly, you could have saved yourself the cost and a headache by visiting your local Markham aftermarket auto parts store and doing some of the easier automotive repairs yourself.  Below are five of the most straightforward vehicle repairs and maintenance needs that, with a little effort and learning, you will be able to successfully complete yourself.

 Replace Fuel Filter

Your car’s fuel filter should generally be replaced every 10,000 miles, as a dirty filter will compromise your vehicle’s efficiency and reliability.  Most aftermarket auto parts stores will carry a variety of new fuel filters, and by disconnecting your battery, releasing fuel line pressure, detaching the fuel line from the filter and replacing the old filter with a new one you will have easily avoided an unnecessary trip to the mechanic.

 Replace Brake Pads

A squealing sound when you brake is often a strong indicator that your brake pads need to be replaced.  Neglected, worn brake pads can be very costly when they begin to affect other components of the system, but keeping your brake pads new and healthy is not a difficult task.  Using no more than a jack, torque wrench, ratchets, tire iron, and c-clamp you will have new, safe, quiet brakes in no time.

 Replace Spark Plugs

Replacing spark plugs is possibly the easiest maintenance task you can do yourself.  Over time, the metal on the plugs can become coated with carbon deposits – compromising their ability to ignite the fuel/air mixture in your engine.  This, in turn, decreases your car’s efficiency.  Thankfully, buying new spark plugs and replacing the old is an easy procedure that can be done in a matter of minutes.

 Replace Battery or Alternator

Your battery and alternator control the electricity and accessories in your car.  If these are not working properly, you can test both components with a multimeter to see where the problem is.  Once you have identified the culprit, you can buy a new part and (using wrenches, a socket set, and a screwdriver) have your new battery or alternator running in no time. Pro tip: using a little baking soda and water can help maintain a strong connection between your vehicle and battery.

It can be easy to fallback on the convenience of a mechanic, but many of the regular maintenance needs your car requires can be done right at home after a visit to your local aftermarket auto parts store.  By starting with relatively easy fixes such as replacing the fuel filter, brake pads, spark plugs, and battery/alternator you will begin to learn much more about how your car operates.  As you become proficient at these beginner tasks you can move on to more complicated repairs and perhaps never need to visit a mechanic again!