Chances are, your car is the most important thing you own, given that it gets you everywhere. Maybe you don’t know much about cars and want to learn. This article is intended to help provide a little more confidence in your abilities and teach you the basics of simple auto-maintenance.
Find an ASE certified mechanic if you need some repairs. An ASE certification means your mechanic has a minimum of two years’ experience in auto repairs. This certification also requires that he or she passes a written test. This means a top professional is doing your repairs.
Battery Charger
Keeping a battery charger in your car is a good safety investment. A dead battery is more common than you think and you will be able to help other broken down drivers if you have a battery charger with you. Locate the points the battery charger should be connected to so you can easily jump start your own vehicle.
Don’t underestimate how important it is to keep an emergency kit inside your car. This kit should have the tools to change your tires in the case of an accident. Blankets may be added, some batteries and a flashlight for if you have a trouble with your car at night.
Read the manual for your car and make notes of important pages. When you have to get repairs done on your car, you are going to need to be knowledgeable about your car’s information. The issue may be very simple to fix, saving you time and money.
You should always test drive your vehicle after getting some repairs done on it. This way you can avoid paying for repairs that were not finished correctly. If you don’t, you may find that you paid for nothing.
Before bringing your car to a mechanic, attempt to figure out by yourself what’s wrong. You can save lots of money if you can diagnose the problem yourself. It also ensures that the mechanic won’t try to pull a fast one on you. Experience shows that mechanics sometimes falsely claim a problem exists and do an unnecessary repair, to increase their earnings.
It is a good idea to keep a small set of tools in the back of your car for minor repairs on the road. You’re going to need to have some tire changing tools in this kit at the very least. A car jack and a lug wrench are essential tools to have. A few good screwdrivers, wrenches and a socket wrench can also come in handy for any unexpected road-side issues. Never buy cheap tools. Instead, buy better quality, sturdy tools that will not break when you need them to repair something.
Your wiper blades should never be forgotten about. If you don’t have wipers that work well or streak your windows, you need to purchase newer ones. You need to replace the wipers on your car about every year or even more often if there is a lot of rain where you live.
Memorize each light and symbol on your dash instrument panel. When one lights up, it helps to understand what you’re dealing with. They are intended to give you a warning when you need it. If you keep ignoring them it’ll make the problem worse.
You need to learn more about different car parts before taking your vehicle to a repair shop. Parts have classifications, including salvaged, new, and re-manufactured and reconditioned. “New” means that they just arrived from the manufacturer, meeting the standards set out by that company. If a part is rebuilt or reconditioned, it has simply been fixed or restored. However, salvage is simply another word for a used part.
In conclusion, it’s important to care for your car. Just by learning some basic auto repair tricks, you can save lots of money. When your car isn’t running right and you think it may need repairs, remember these tips.