Do Your Own Car Repair: Simple Maintenance Tasks You Can Handle

Are you looking for ways to save money on car maintenance and gain a sense of accomplishment? Embracing the “do your own car repair” approach for simple tasks is not only cost-effective but also empowering. You don’t need to be a seasoned mechanic to perform basic upkeep on your vehicle. Here are a few straightforward car repair tasks that any car owner can tackle at home.

1. Smooth Operator: Lubricate Your Car Window Tracks

Sticking car windows are more than just an annoyance; they can actually lead to costly repairs. When freezing water seeps into the window tracks, it creates friction, putting strain on the window regulator cables. Repairing these cables can set you back almost $300! Luckily, preventing this issue is easy. Regularly lubricating your window tracks is a simple “do your own car repair” task that can save you significant money and hassle.

To lubricate your car window tracks effectively, you’ll need spray silicone or dry Teflon spray lubricant. Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing your own car repair and ensuring smooth window operation:

1. Lower the Window: Begin by lowering the car window completely to expose the window tracks.
2. Apply Lubricant: Take your spray silicone or dry Teflon lubricant and carefully aim the nozzle into both the front and back window tracks.
3. Saturate the Tracks: Apply a generous amount of lubricant, ensuring it drips all the way down the length of the track. This ensures thorough coverage.
4. Work the Window: Operate the window by running it through several open and close cycles. This action spreads the lubricant evenly along the entire track mechanism.
5. Clean Overspray: Use a glass cleaner and a paper towel to immediately wipe away any lubricant spray that may have landed on the window glass itself.

By performing this simple lubrication as part of your “do your own car repair” routine, you can prevent window drag, protect your window regulator cables, and avoid potentially expensive repairs.

2. Brake Fluid Refresh: A Simple Fluid Swap

Maintaining your car’s braking system is paramount for safety. Many car manufacturers recommend replacing brake fluid every two years or approximately 24,000 miles. However, some manufacturers don’t explicitly mention this in their maintenance schedules. Regardless of recommendations, regularly checking and refreshing your brake fluid is a crucial aspect of “do your own car repair”. You can easily test your brake fluid quality at home using readily available brake fluid test strips.

While a complete brake fluid flush requires specialized equipment and is best left to professionals, you can perform a brake fluid swap yourself. This “do your own car repair” task involves replacing a significant portion of the old fluid with fresh fluid, making a noticeable difference in your brake system’s performance.

Here’s how to perform a brake fluid swap:

1. Extract Old Fluid: Use a turkey baster to carefully suck out the old, dark brown brake fluid from the brake fluid reservoir. Important: Remember that brake fluid and power steering fluid are incompatible. Always use separate basters for each to avoid contamination.
2. Recycle Old Fluid: Squirt the extracted old brake fluid into a designated recycling bottle for proper disposal.
3. Refill Reservoir: Refill the brake fluid reservoir with fresh, new brake fluid to the recommended fill level.
4. Mix and Repeat: Drive your vehicle for about a week to allow the new fluid to mix thoroughly with the remaining old fluid in the system.
5. Repeat Swap: Repeat the fluid swap procedure several times over the next few weeks. Continue this process until the brake fluid in the reservoir consistently retains its light honey color, indicating a good level of fluid freshness.

Important Note: Brake fluid can be corrosive and may damage the rubber bulb of the turkey baster. Avoid sucking the fluid all the way into the bulb to prolong the baster’s life and prevent contamination.

3. Power Steering Fluid Change: Keep Steering Effortless

Power steering fluid is essential for smooth and easy steering. Unlike brake fluid, there are no readily available test strips for power steering fluid. Therefore, it’s important to rely on your vehicle manufacturer’s service recommendations or a general guideline of changing it every two years or 24,000 miles as part of your “do your own car repair” maintenance.

Utilizing the turkey baster method, similar to the brake fluid swap, is an effective way to change your power steering fluid at home. This “do your own car repair” task is straightforward and can help maintain your power steering system’s health.

Follow these steps to change your power steering fluid:

1. Remove Old Fluid: With the engine turned off, use a turkey baster to suck out as much of the old power steering fluid as possible from the reservoir.
2. Refill with New Fluid: Refill the power steering reservoir with fresh, new power steering fluid to the correct level.
3. Circulate Fluid: Start the car engine and let it run for approximately 15 seconds. This circulates the new fluid through the system.
4. Repeat Swap: Repeat the fluid swap procedure multiple times until you have used up almost a full quart of new power steering fluid. This ensures a significant portion of the old fluid is replaced.

Critical Notes: Never substitute a “universal” power steering fluid for the specific type recommended by your car manufacturer. Also, strictly avoid adding any “miracle” additives or stop-leak products to your power steering system. These products can cause more harm than good by clogging the fine mesh filter screens within your steering system, potentially leading to expensive and avoidable failures.

By incorporating these simple “do your own car repair” tasks into your regular car maintenance routine, you can save money, extend the lifespan of your vehicle, and gain valuable hands-on experience in car care. Start doing your own car repair and enjoy the benefits of a well-maintained vehicle!