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In an unscheduled trip to the garage, the worse news you can have is finding
out that your expensive engine re-fit could have been avoided had you just gotten
your car serviced. This is like rubbing salt in your wounds, a lot of expensive repairs
are easily preventable with proper maintenance and care of your vehicle.
But if you’re anything like me, you put the job off. In much the same way that
I avoid washing my car, I shun the important job of looking after it. Any
number of procrastinations can keep you from the easy and simple jobs that
could save you a painful outing to the mechanics.
Servicing your car isn’t the go to for all problems, if your power steering was
on its way out then a new air filter isn’t going to change that. But the best car servicing (air filter, oil change and spark plugs) will
alleviate many problems and keep your car in a good working condition.
Oil Change
This is the messiest and probably the most mechanical aspect of servicing your
car, so you can either do it first to get it out of the way with or leave it
until last if you’re lazy . You have two options for performing this,
each with their own risks and rewards.
The safest option is to do this when the oil is cold and you haven’t started
the engine. This will avoid the chance of scalding yourself with burning motor
oil, but you won’t get the cleanest empty.
If you’re confident enough in your ability to not get hurt, changing the oil of
your car when it’s hot is a more dangerous but more effective procedure. Due to
the fact that the oil has circulated the engine, it has become less viscous and
will have picked up any of the residue that has been sitting in the pits and
pipes of your car.
Jacking your car or driving it onto a mechanic’s ramp, you want to locate the
sump which should be somewhere beneath the driver’s seat. The sump nut will
normally require an Allen key, but a socket set will be sufficient. Loosen the
sump nut and get ready with a bucket or a tray to catch the oil, when you’re in
position remove the nut completely and watch the filthy oil cascade.
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Once the sump is empty, you want to unscrew the oil filter located to the right
of the sump (there will be a small amount of oil in here too) and replace it
with a new one. When the new oil filter is on and the sump nut replaced, fill
your car back up with beautiful clean oil.
Air Filter
This is the easiest job of them all. The air filter will often sit right at the
top of your engine in a large plastic case which is connected to a tube. Remove
the screws holding the casing down and take out the air filter; it will either
be a cylinder like your oil filter or a round tube. The cylinders will unscrew
whereas the tubes will just pull out. Pop in a new filter and replace the
casing. Done.
Spark Plugs
This will be a different job for each car, and can be immensely tricky. Whilst
not a difficult task, the position of the spark plugs indicate the complexity
of the task. Little fingers will be best here (but don’t get your kids to do
it!) When the engine is cool, remove the air filter casing and search for the
spark plugs. Most cars will have four, and you can trace electric wires to
their positions. Pull the wires from the plugs, to a satisfying pop, and you’ll
unearth the metal of the plugs themselves. You want to dig out your socket kit
and find the right size, hoping that you have the right angle to remove them.
