Maintaining your car is essential for its longevity and your safety on the road. While professional servicing is important, it’s also… expensive. But worry not, as there’s still a lot you can do yourself to keep your vehicle in top condition. By taking an active role in maintaining your car, not only will you save money, but you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of your vehicle’s needs.

In other words: welcome to our guide on DIY car care, where we’ll walk you through essential tools and maintenance tasks you can handle on your own! ;

Essential tools

The first step in DIY car care is to complete a proper toolkit for your vehicle. Start with the basics: a socket wrench set (or loosening and tightening bolts), a screwdriver set (for various fastening tasks), and pliers (for gripping and manipulating parts). It’s good to also have a jack with stands (some basic kits areavailable on Amazon and start as low as under $100) – for safely lifting your vehicle during repairs

Specialized toolkits

You might stop there, or you might want to invest a bit more ; in specialized tools that can expand your car maintenance capabilities. For example, a tire pressure gauge helps you keep your tires inflated to the correct pressure for optimal performance and safety. Likewise, a multimeter is another helpful tool for testing electrical parameters in your car. It might bea bit of a learning curve to use it, but once you master it you will find it extremely useful. Same goes for another specialized set of tools – if you are ambitious enough to try and replace your brake fluid yourself, you will need a few items that can be found under the term “brake bleeder kit”. It might sound daunting, but the Internet is here toguide you step by step through the process.

And last but not least, it’s good to have a buffing compound and a rubbing compound on hand for those pesky scratches. Small scratches can be easily dealt with by yourself instead of going to a detail shop. There are plenty of compounds on the market, so it’s important to shop around to find ones that will suit your needs. ;

A must-have gadget

Nowadays, having a dash cam installed in your car is considered almost as indispensable as having a first-aid kit. Beyond capturing crucial footage in the event of accidents, hit-and-runs, road rage incidents and more, it also serves as a proactive tool for your overall safety. Aflagship BlackVue dash cam comes with built-in LTE for Cloud connectivity (you can check on your car from anywhere, anytime, replay and download footage), crystal-clear 4K image quality, Parking Mode for recording when you are away and many more. ;

Above all, a dash cam can give you peace of mind while you’re on the road and even when you are away from your vehicle.

Maintenance tasks

Let’s start with fluid checks and changes, a fundamental aspect of car maintenance. Regularly monitoring and replacing engine oil and filters are paramount to prolonging your engine’s lifespan. Additionally, keeping an eye on coolant levels prevents overheating and engine damage, while brake fluid checks guarantee reliable braking performance, crucial for your safety on the road. Don’t forget about washer fluid–it may seem minor, but a clear windshield is essential for visibility. ;

Routinely checking tire pressure ensures optimal traction and fuel efficiency, while regular rotations promote even tire wear, extending tire life. Testing battery voltage periodically gives you insight into its health and performance, allowing you to address issues before they leave you stranded. And when the time comes, don’t hesitate to replace an aging or failing battery–avoid the inconvenience of unexpected breakdowns by staying proactive.

When it comes to your dash cam, after proper installation, make sure to stay up to date with firmware and app updates to ensure smooth performance. BlackVue recommends periodic microSD changes as well to avoid file corruption. Dash cam’s main feature is loop recording, which means constant writing and re-writing on the microSD card. Even the sturdiest microSD cards will eventually fail, so it’s best to keep up the maintenance by replacing them after some time. It can be a while, though; some brands claim that their high-endurance microSD cards can withstandup to 20,000 hours of constant recording (that’s over two years!). Luckily, BlackVue dash cams will warn you repeatedly if the microSD card fails to write data so you can avoid bad surprises. And just in case, it’s a good habit to keep a spare microSD card in your car.

To sum up…

As a car owner, your proactive approach to maintenance will be the key to ensuring your vehicle’s longevity. Moreover, by embracing this DIY approach to car care and equipping yourself with essential tools, you’re not only saving money but can also rest assured that in an emergency, you can handle a lot of the problems by yourself. With that being said, as you now embark on this journey of DIY car care, remember the importance of regular maintenance, the value of proper tools, and the benefits of modern technology. At the same time, don’t get discouraged if you can’t do something by yourself – you are not a professional, after all. Don’t forget that regular checkups at the car shop are just as important!