Check your windshield wipersĮvery few weeks or before some rain is predicted on the news, just look at the rubber on your windshield wipers – it should all be in place and looking decent. The main reason why I like to have some spares with me is that I can pre-buy them online at a low price instead of relying on what gas station or store I find that will probably be a bit steeper. You’d be surprised how many things can sometimes decide to go wrong in the most beautiful parts of the world, on a Sunday in a town where you know no one and with the gas station 30 miles away. You don’t want that great night trip to be a bad experience because one of your headlights has given up, and you’re nowhere close to an auto shop or a gas station. But if you have halogen lamps, I’d have some cheap spares with me at all times just in case. I wouldn’t take a spare Xenon bulb like the DS1 or something like that because they don’t usually go out without warnings (pink-ish light). They don’t take up that much space, and in case of emergency, you can sometimes replace them on the spot. In my trunk, amongst other things, I have 2 x W5W bulbs, 2 x W16W, and 2 x P1W bulbs (bulbs used by my car, a Renault Laguna III, for different lights). I’d advise you to have some spares with you if you know it’s going to be a long trip. Obviously, this is for your and other traffic participants’ safety but let’s also face it: getting pulled over or even fined because of a tail light is kind of dumb. Of course, you can also do this by yourself if it’s needed. The actual checking of your car’s lights is easy: get a helper to operate the light controls, and you can check them from outside. But if it’s a night drive or it’s rainy, I always check all my lights before leaving. I usually check my lights weekly if I’m not driving much that week. Consult your vehicle’s manual! (like oil changing, etc.) Check your lights Of course, do keep a record of your mileage too! Some things must be changed if you reach the required wear. Since using a chart like this, I’ve never skipped everything, and I’m never taken by surprise by a car job or cost. Thanks Canon! Yeah so my printer didn’t quite catch all the lines in the table. It’s free and well… maybe it helps you too! Yeah so my printer didn’t quite catch all the lines in the table. So if you’d like to use my template of the chart, feel free to download the PDF from here and print it out.
But there are some things that are so satisfying to have offline. Sure, we’re in freaking 2022, and there’s an app for everything. For this, I like to use an old fashioned chart that I printed out. The easiest way of keeping things in check, is to take note of what you did when and what’s next to do and when.
But this is the reason some stuff might seem repetitive or overly explained. Their experience can help you avoid surprises.īut some things are just prevention actions or check-ups that you should often do, and some things are things you don’t need to do so often. Especially if once in a while, when visiting a mechanic for something you just can’t DIY (or don’t want to), you ask them for a proper vehicle inspection. But most of the time, if you follow a proper maintenance schedule, you’ll minimize surprises. Of course, there will be the occasional weird problem. I’ve tackled this maintenance article/list in a way to exhaust most of the common maintenance operations needed for a typical car. And if cars aren’t your hobby, well… you can still save a lot of money if you DIY the simple stuff and then just do everything when it’s due at your local mechanic to prevent other problems (that can turn into other costs) and to have a properly working vehicle. Let’s have some fun while saving some money.
It will pay for itself pretty fast.Īs to why you should try to DIY most of these, I guess the most valid answer would be: hey! We’re all car enthusiasts over here. But I do suggest you grab a service manual of your car’s model if you plan to keep it for a while. There are a lot of guides, tutorials, and instructional content on the internet nowadays for most models. And as a novice DIY-er or a car enthusiast, most of the below maintenance jobs can be done easily by yourself.