Easy Car Repairs You Can Do At Home

Running a car can get pretty expensive. Not only do you have to fork out for insurance, road tax, and a yearly MOT, but you will have to pay for expensive repairs when things go wrong too. A lot of repairs that are done at the garage are for minor problems that can easily be solved by yourself and at half the price that your local garage charge. Here are three easy car repairs you can do at home to get you started.

1. Replace Your Car Battery or Alternator

One of the most common problems why people take their car to the garage is loss of power. If your car won’t start and your electrical equipment (headlights, radio, or clock) won’t come on then you can bet your bottom dollar that the problem lies with your car battery or alternator.In order to test your battery or alternator you will need a multimeter. Your alternator can usually be found at the front of your engine, and your battery is normally found near the front of the car. When you have figured out the culprit you can then replace it.

2. Replace Your Car’s Brake Pads

Keeping your car’s brake pads in tip-top condition is a must to ensure you limit the risk of having a road accident, and not only causing damage to your car but to yourself too. If you can hear a screeching or grinding noise or your pedal vibrates when breaking then chances are you need to replace your brake pads pronto. The first step to replacing your break pads is to ensure you have the correct tools such as a car jack, a g-clamp and a suitable spanner.First you will need to use your car jack to lift the car so you can remove the wheels to locate your disk brakes. Use your spanner to undo the guide pin bolt, then unbolt the calipers to remove the break pads. Replace and re-attach to your car.

3. Change Your Car’s Oil

Changing the oil in your car is probably one of the easiest do-it-yourself procedures you will perform. In order to change the oil in your car you will need to first find out the make, model, year, oil type and engine displacement size of your car. When you have this information you can then find out what type of oil you will need to purchase for your car.When you have the correct oil run your car for a few minutes to warm up any remaining oil left in it – this will make it easier to drain out. With the engine turned off, lift the car with a car jack and drain out the remaining oil from the drain plug. Then remove and replace your car’s oil filter and refill your oil.