Two Auto Repair Jobs You can Do at Home

Written by: Toolsmith Direct

When you’re about to buy a car, it’s common to overlook the cost of maintenance involved with ownership. Your car will have both mileage and time requirements that dictate when certain jobs should be done. For instance, brakes are normally replaced once a year while oil changes are done quarterly. Doing these jobs out of your own garage will save you a ton of money in the long term, and both of these jobs will take no longer than a few hours of your time. Even if you’re inexperienced.

Grab your mechanics tool set and get ready to save some money.

Tail Light Changes

You won’t need many automotive tools handy if you want to do this job right, and it should go fairly quickly. The first thing you want to do is locate the screws that hold the tail light into place. These are usually housed behind your trunk, but may vary by car model. The screws are usually Phillips-head, so a standard screw driver will do the trick. Once the colored light shield is off, you can work on pulling the lights from their sockets. Most of the time, the lights will come out with a little bit of effort. Be careful that you’re not pulling too hard on the wiring of the light, or else the wires may come loose.

Sometimes, the light needs to be turned slightly and unscrewed from its socket. Replace the bulbs and retrace these steps from end to beginning to finish the job.

Oil Changes

You should consider adding a crescent or socket wrench to your tool set so you can perform oil changes out of your garage. You will need to get your car up on a Powerbuilt jack so that the engine side is elevated. Slip beneath the car and locate the oil pan. You will find a bolt there, which you must loosen with a crescent or socket wrench. The oil pan will begin draining immediately, so place a bucket below to catch the run off. Once the pan is completely drained, locate the filter itself and twist it off to remove it.

The replacement filter will need to be oiled (you can do this with your finger) and then it is ready to be fit to the engine. Once the filter is attached again, pour new oil into the fill hole using a siphon to control spillage.