Car Talk 101, Maintenance

Look after your car and it will look after you

Newer cars really don't need much work, do some simple jobs yourself and save time, money, and life on your car.

There seems to be a stigma out there that new cars are being built to not last as long as older cars. 

There are two main reasons why cars are not lasting as long as they used to.

1. People want a new car sooner so they just get rid of them faster, the accelerating technology also aids to the want of a new car and impression of the old car not working properly. 
2. People are not taking care of their cars like they used to, they are getting lazy. Because people can lease and trade in a car after just a few years they feel like they don't need to put any work into it because it will be someone else's problem later.

For those of you that are in the #2 category, shame on you. If everyone kept their car for just a few more years the amount of material saved from not having to make as many new cars would be staggering. It would also mean that less material is ending up in the landfills and junkyards. 

You actually end up spending a lot more money if you constantly lease cars rather then drive them until they start falling apart. And its not that hard to fend off the day when your car just isn't worth driving anymore.

Lets go over some simple things that anyone with a driveway can do to help keep their cars longer (sorry condo and apartment people, you do need decent room for some jobs).

Change the oil and the filter!

In every car manual it will tell you exactly when you should change the oil and the filter, and what types to use. It is the #1 thing you can do to keep your car running well, it is also one of the easiest things you can do on the car. 

In short, you buy the oil and correct filter, if you can't figure out what to get, ask the guy at the counter from the place you are buying the stuff from, or ask Google. You will also need a drip pan, a wrench set, some paper towels, and most likely a funnel. You also want old clothes you don't care about because you will get a little dirty.

Run the car for a few mins to the get the oil warm (NOT HOT or you will burn yourself) if the car has been sitting overnight, just driving around the block once should be enough. 

Changing the oil is a bit different for each car, so the best plan is to read your manual or just search your car on YouTube and add "oil change". There should be step by step instructions on where to locate your car's drain plug, filter, and oil filling spot.
The basics are:

1. Lift front of car up a bit so you can get underneath a bit to look around (every car should come with a jack so it shouldn't be a problem). Make sure the parking brake is on!
2. Locate the drain plug, put drip pan underneath, unscrew the bolt.
3. Let drain.
4. Unscrew the old oil filter (may be very tight...)
5. Put drain plug back in.
6. Put new filter on (put some new oil around the rubber ring on it first).
7. Fill with new oil from the top on engine.
8. Check oil level with the dipstick, add more if necessary.
9. Clean up and take the old oil in some sort of container to a hazardous waste drop of spot

Change a flat tire (or all 4 if moving to a winter set)

Honestly most people really don't need to do this any more as almost everyone has some sort of road side assistance package but if you don't:

1. Locate spare tire (usually in trunk under the floor or underneath the car held on by a bolt or two)
2. Find car jack (usually in the trunk by the spare tire)
3. Put the car in park, with the parking brake on. If you can, find a large stone or block to put behind at least one of the other tires to make sure car doesn't roll away. 
4. Jack it up.
5. The jack points are usually close to each of the wheels underneath the doors (look at the manual)
6. With the jack there should be a metal rod with a open end that will fit over your wheel bolts.
7. Unscrew the bolts in this order:
   
8. Put the new tire on following the same steps. (hopefully you make sure it is fully pumped up at least once a year)
9. Pack everything up, remember that stone or block by the wheels. Get that tire fixed or replaced as soon as you can, like in a day.

Changing the brake pads (disk brakes)

Almost all new cars have 4 disk brakes which are much better than drum brakes and are much easier to replace by yourself.

Once again check your manual for the type or Google, or the guy behind the counter on what type of pads you need or should use. They are usually around $40 for a pair (every wheel needs a pair).

The brake pads are a bit trickier than just wheels to replace so watching a video is the best way to learn how to do it. Once again, just go to Google or YouTube and type in how to change brake pads for a (your car name). 

It is quite a dirty process so make sure you have plenty of paper towels or rag cloths and clothes you don't care if you get dirty. 

Basically, just google some simple work you can do on your car. There are bound to be plenty of YouTube videos about it and save some money on your car. Doing work on your own car will also help you understand and feel when your car is no longer working at its peak so you can get it fixed before a small problem becomes a major one.

Have fun!

J.K.