Basic Car Maintenance

Pyewacket338

I change my oil and filters every 6 months
It depends what car you have to how difficult some jobs can be.
I was quoted between £90 and £170 to fit a new coil pack to my focus, I bought a new one from my local parts dealer for £26 and it took 7 minutes to fit it, just two screws and connecting the HT leads.

Ebe_Scrooge

LOL at Chutzpah's post !

If you're keen on DIY'ing your car, then the Haynes manual is a very worthwhile investment. And I'll second what others have said about looking for night classes, it'll be really worthwhile if you're a complete novice.

In general, you can do most of the "routine" servicing yourself, there's nothing that's particularly difficult in changing fluids and filters. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time, read through the whole procedure in the manual before you start, and make sure you've got somewhere decent to work. A garage is ideal, but failing that a good level driveway or similar. I wouldn't recommend trying to work on a car at the side of a road.

As you begin to get more familiar with your car you can tackle the more complex jobs.

In terms of tools, most stuff you can do with a reasonable basic toolkit. If you do need a tool that you haven't got, you can often hire things for a day or a weekend. The approach I take is that as long as it'll be used again, then buy the tool as and when you need it. As long as you buy a reasonable quality it'll last for ever. My toolkit now conatins probably many hundreds of pounds worth of tools, but they do get used. And it's taken me probably 15 years or so to build that up, just buying an odd one here and there as needed.

Hope this helps.

Sirbendy

Agreed. I do basic servicing (oil/filters/coolant/auto-trans fluid/plugs/leads/electrical maintenance) on my Astra - also changed brake discs and exhaust system. Normally I draw the line at brakes and suspension as those are "safety critical" and I'd rather entrust those to a proper outfir.

Basic toolkit, set of ramps, 2 tonne jack, impact wrench from Aldi.

I did a basic evening course, "Car care for the over 40's" at a local college when I was 16..covered stripping down and sorting/rebuilding/setting up a mini engine in a frame..servicing, theory of repair, practicals etc...and I've stripped many small engines like lawnmowers in my time, plus I like mechanisms.

I have a Haynes "book of lies" for the Astra, but it's about the level of use of a rubber sledgehammer. They've dumbed them down now...not "Workshop manuals" IMO, more like glorified handbooks.

I did a guide on my website to removeing and overhauling the automatic gearbox selector switch on the Vauxhall AF13 autobox...and I've had SO many Vx owners contact me to say thanks for it..heh. Vx say it's "non-repairable" and charge £250 for it!

Bum to that, I say.