We all tend to overlook our car care every now and then. To give your car a little extra TLC this weekend, why not change your windscreen wipers, your oil or check your battery? Do these surprisingly simple tasks yourself, and save a wad of cash.
Top 3 Tips for Maintaining Your Car
Tip 1. Change your windscreen wipers
It’s seriously easy and cheap. By swapping your old wipers for brand new ones, you’ll ensure you get rid of ALL of those raindrops obscuring your view, rather than just smearing water over your window, leaving you even blinder than before. Just change them. It’ll take you 15 minutes:
- Lift the blades, as if you were washing your windshield by hand, and remove the old blades.
- Pay attention to how the old blades connect to the metal arms.
- On most models, you’ll see a tab on the underside of the wiper. Push the tab to remove the old blade.
- Attach the new blades, being careful not to bend the wiper arms or scratch your windshield. Line everything up and make sure the new ones are secure and tight.
Tip 2. Change your oil
Also another simple task when it comes to auto maintenance, changing your oil yourself doesn’t take much time. Before you begin, keep these precautions in mind:
- Never change your oil when your engine is hot. Park, wait for it to cool, and then get started. Driving around the block to heat the car and loosen the oil can result in a more effective drain, which is good news, but you must let the engine cool before starting the job.
- You’ll have to jack up your car, so make sure you’re comfortable safely handling a jack.
Now you can safely change your oil:
- Get under your car and locate the vehicle’s oil pan.
- Unscrew the drain plug and drain all of the old oil into your oil pan.
- Once all of the oil is drained, replace the drain plug.
- Go back to your engine and remove the old oil filter with your oil filter wrench. (Be careful, because the oil filter contains some old oil as well).
- Lubricate the rubber gasket on the new oil filter with some new motor oil.
- Fill the new oil filter about two-thirds of the way with new oil.
- Screw in the new oil filter. Hand-tighten it only.
- Fill the engine with new oil, using your funnel.
- With a dip-stick, double check your oil level to be sure you’ve added enough.
- Discard the old oil filter and recycle the old oil (most petrol stations will take it).
Tip 3. Check your battery and clean any corrosion
It only takes a small amount of residue on your battery posts to keep your car from starting. This’ll only take 20 minutes out of your day, and cost you a couple of bucks. If you see hard white residue on your battery, simply follow these steps:
- Remove your battery terminals, which should be a fairly straightforward process. Make sure you always remove the negative cable first. If they’re stuck, use a flathead screwdriver to pry them loose.
- Clean the posts. Most auto shop cleaning solutions are nothing more than baking soda and water, so if you’re feeling extremely frugal, feel free to create your own cleaner. Generously apply the fluid to the posts, and clean vigorously with a wire brush.
- Rinse the cleaning fluid with a little water.
- Dry the posts with rags.
- Replace battery terminals.
If your car is due for a professional service or clean, get it done at one of these Northern Rivers car detailers.
Clean Ride Mobile Detailing
For a quality car wash in the Northern Rivers region, trust the professionals at Clean Ride Mobile Detailing. Their services include:
- Drop off or mobile service
- Pre-sale cleaning
- Cut & polish, and more
With no job too dirty, you’re sure to receive a squeaky clean car when you get it cleaned at Clean Ride Mobile Detailing. Find them on Localsearch.
With a full auto mechanical workshop at their disposal, the professional team at Ballina Car Centre will get your car gleaming in no time. Their services include:
- Full car detailing
- Mechanical services
- Used vehicle sales, and more
A trusted name with the locals of Ballina, Lennox Head and Byron Bay, Ballina Car Centre can cater to all of your auto needs in one convenient location. Find them on Localsearch.
