With soaring inflation, it is vital to be conscious of how you spend your money and save wherever possible. This can mean doing tasks yourself at home, which you would otherwise go to a professional for. Now we don’t recommend that you do every complicated procedure yourself, but there are a few tasks around the house you can do, like caring for your HVAC system and maintaining your car.
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AT Home Car Maintenance Tips to Save Money
In this article, we’ll take you through the basics of the latter.
1. Deep Clean
The first and the most straightforward task you can perform by yourself is deep-cleaning the car. A car that is cleaned regularly will look new for years to come, and you don’t need to go to the car wash every time. Invest in good car cleaning products such as microfibre towels, ceramic shampoos, and graphene-infused shiners. We recommend you invest in quality products from brands like ethoscarcare.com to ensure you get the best work done. This will help you maintain the paint job and resale value of the car.
2. Make Timely Replacements
Two components you need to replace timely are the air filters and the windshield wipers. The function of an air filter is to filter out the dust, dirt, and debris from the air intake system. This is why it is crucial to change them regularly, at least once yearly. Rather than going to the mechanic, you can do this at home by spending a couple of dollars on air filters and a few minutes of your time. Look under the hood for the air filter box, open it with a latch, and remove your old air filters to install new ones. This can help you avoid critical damage to your engine and keep your air intake system’s performance efficient.
Prone to needing replacements, in the same way, the rubber of the windshield wipers can wear off due to summer’s heat and winter’s snow. Change your wipers depending on the weather conditions; in case of extreme conditions, you might have to change them up to twice a year. Luckily this is one of the simplest tasks you can do at home. Just buy a wiper blade that fits your car and clasp it in. Going to a mechanic can be costly and time-consuming.
3. Maintain Fluid Levels
Your car’s fluid levels should never be low, or it can break down in the middle of a drive, causing inconvenience and expenses. Check the brake fluid, engine oil, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid every two weeks and your engine coolant every four to six months. This is an easy yet essential preventative that can detect leaks timely and keep your car working optimally for more extended periods of time.
4. Constantly Assess Tire Pressure
You need just the right amount of tire pressure, too much can make your tires stiff and wear faster, and too little pressure will cause more friction with the road and cause faster deterioration. For guidance, you can look at your car manual for the recommended air pressure. If you don’t have a tire gauge pressure or an air pump, you can find one at your local gas station. This simple task will prevent you from spending hundreds of dollars on new tires every few months.
Endnote
Regular car maintenance at home can prevent severe damage to your vehicle, keep it in good condition, and save you thousands of dollars from going to the mechanic. Remember not to take on a task beyond your expertise — don’t risk taking apart parts that you can not put back together. Instead, ask for help, otherwise, this can end up costing you more than what you intended to save.
