Cars need regular maintenance to help improve the overall performance and to safeguard its longevity. While taking your car to the professionals for servicing and an annual MOT is crucial, there are a few car maintenance jobs that you can do yourself at home. Let’s take a look at them.

Here are 4 basic car maintenance jobs that you can do yourself at home.

4 DIY Car Maintenance Jobs You Can do At Home

1. Windscreen care and maintenance

An essential part of car maintenance is checking your windscreen, and it can be done so easily from your home. You need to regularly check for chips, as these can be repaired relatively inexpensively by using windscreen resin. Spotting chips before they turn into cracks can save you money – full window replacements are expensive!

Alongside checking for cracks, you can also check the condition of your windscreen wipers, giving them a wipe if necessary. Why wait for wipers to be replaced or cracks to be flagged during the annual MOT when you can DIY?

Windscreen wipers are an important safety feature of your vehicle, driving is compromised and dangerous if these aren’t in effective working order.

2. Tyre checks

Another car maintenance job that you can do at home is checking your tyres. You can check your tyres for damage, inspecting and monitoring their condition and ensuring they are road safe. In conjunction with this, you can also check the tyre pressure and tread depth. 

Top tip: tread depth on your tyres should be at least 1.6mm. To check this, you can use a 20p coin and insert it into the grooves of each tyre. If you can see the outer band of the coin, then your tyres may well be illegal and unsafe to drive.

Tyre pressure can also be checked and rectified at home. Make sure that your tyres aren’t under- or over-inflated as this can become dangerous when driving.

3. Oil and coolant checks

Another car maintenance check you can carry out is making sure that your vehicle’s oil and coolant levels are correct. This is often overlooked but it is incredibly simple to check. If an engine doesn’t have enough oil, it can become unlubricated, making it prone to overheating. It is recommended that you check your car oil every couple of weeks, and especially before long journeys.

Alongside oil checks, you also need to check your coolant levels on a regular basis. Coolant is used to prevent your car’s radiator system 

4. Battery maintenance

The car’s battery is the lifeforce of the entire electrical system inside the vehicle; it is essential to starting the engine. If not properly maintained, faults can occur and the performance of your vehicle will suffer, leading to breakdowns and electrical issues.

From your home, you can easily maintain the car battery. Firstly, you can check whether the battery terminals are clean and tight, paying close attention to signs of corrosion or leak damage. 

Contact Longbridge Tyres

If you’re interested in replacing your tyres and buying a new set, please don’t hesitate to contact our expert tyre fitting team by calling 0121 457 7582. Alternatively, you can fill out our online enquiry form, and we’ll be in touch with you.