Easy Car Repairs That You Can Do Yourself

You are finally getting that desired road trip vacation you always asked from your boss. You got your things ready for that weekend of pure relaxation. Everything went smoothly as you glide towards nowhere when suddenly your car stopped unexpectedly. The next thing you see is a black smoke coming out from the hood of your car. You stared at it, gripped the steering wheel, and uttered a series of curse words under your breath. Now you are stuck in the middle of a remote place waiting for a miracle.

This is the type of day wherein you wish you could have known a few tricks and skills with your wrench. Now, your desired trip is ruined for good because you are now spending the day in a deserted area. If you don’t want this to happen to you then you need to put your car in warranty or why not learn to repair a broken car yourself. If you really put your heart into it, you will realize how seriously easy this is. To start, here are few easy car repair tricks that you can certainly do on your own:

Relaying on technology

Being a neophyte in the world of repairing cars is like answering an exam without having any idea on what the coverage is. You will be left confused and lost in the process, but this should not scare you. Like any other activity, we all start as wandering individuals unable to do the exact thing we are expected to do. In car repairing, it is also the same. Today, we are now living in a world of advanced technology, so it is best that you take advantage of it. In fixing your car, you can always bring with you a tab, or relay on Google as a guide. You will be surprised at how vast the collection of information that internet has. Try to visit the sites AutoMD and AutoRepairYourself. DIY repairs will never be so frustrating anymore because of how reliable these sites are. You can always download a video or two when fixing the car, or save an article that you can read once you start fixing it. Don’t get scared of not doing the fixing perfectly in your first try, this is actually pretty normal and cars are pretty resilient, so it is okay to tinker unknowingly. Having a reference by your side really helps a lot too.

Tools to own

Before we get into the specifics, let us determine the tools for repairing a car first. This is a must because you have to shop for your repair kit. Don’t worry about picking the right tools, most cars are using basic apparatuses for it to get repaired. These are the frequently used tools that you have to purchase:

• A set of sockets

Certainly a basic set to own, sockets are always handy when facing problems with bolts and nuts especially when you are going to take them apart. Visit a reliable shop to buy these tools. Usually they come in kits, so you really don’t have to worry about picking the sizes and types.

• Wrenches

This is a repairman’s best friend. It is even commonly seen in logos related to repairing. Wrenches are great with bolts and nuts when you want to do some twist and turns. Wrenches come in a lot of varieties, but you will only need two important ones in your kit. Mostly, people only buy themselves the basic wrench with a size of 10mm-19mm and a standard one with a size of 3/8 in-3/4 in. Having these two will suffice a basic repair.

• Screwdriver Set

Don’t purchase a single screwdriver because you will need the rest of its varieties. There are different types of screwdrivers and it is best to own them all. There may be instances in which you will have to turn a screw to fix a part of your car, so keep yourself prepared.

• Jack and Jack Stands

This pair usually comes with your car, but if you don’t have one, include this on your list. Jack and jack stands are used to lift your car. Lifting your car is inevitable when repairing, so never allow yourself to disregard this in your kit.

Your Common Car Problems

• Drive Belt Problems

You hear squeals the moment you start your car and you wonder where this noise comes from. When a moment like this occurs, this might be because of your drive belt. A drive belt is a piece of rubber belt located in the front that is responsible for connecting the pulleys and the loops of the engine. These belts are the ones that control the accessories of the car.

When this happens, inspect the belt if there are damages like cracks and look for signs of looseness. It is advisable to make a visual check on your belt once in a while because there are instances in which it doesn’t make any noise. When broken, replace your belt. When it already becomes too loose, tighten it up.

• Alternator and Battery Replacements

The moment your car cease to turn over and when its accessories fail to come to life, your battery or alternator must be replaced. With a multi-meter, you will be able to check the status of your battery or alternator. Once you are able to locate the problem, before you replace the parts with a new one, jump start your car first. Usually, this will do the trick. To prevent problems like these, make sure to do clean-ups. You can simply use water, baking soda, and a little touch of grease to clean it up.

• Broken Brake Pads

When you step on the brakes and hear a squeal from below, your brakes need fixing. Change its pads to get it fixed. On the other hand, when a grinding sound comes instead of squealing, the rotors are the ones that you need to repair. Brake pads are easier to manage, but rotors aren’t, so if you can’t deal with it, bring it to a repair shop.

• Leaks from Coolants

If a puddle starts to form under your car, your coolant is probably the reason why. Leaks can happen and you must address this to prevent further damage. A leak may come from the exterior or interior part of the car. Hopefully, it will be located on the exterior part for easy repairs. Your goal is to find the leaking so that you can change it with a new hose, but if you can’t, it might be problems located interiorly. If you aren’t experienced enough, leave it to an expert. Interior problems may be related to radiators, so unless if you are skilled enough, leave the radiators to a repair shop. Also, keep in mind to stay alert when dealing with leaks. It might be hot to the touch, so be careful.

• Tuning up

A car needs to be tuned up after 2 years or after you reached a 30,000-mile run to check if it has problems. When it does, apply the necessary maintenance it needs. You can easily learn tuning up because each part is tuned up separately. Therefore, you can learn each process at a time. To tune a car, you need to check if the oil needs change and see if its fuel and air filter, wire and spark plugs, rotor and cap distributor are not damaged. Once you conduct a tune up, your car will certainly last longer.