You can gain confidence in your DIY skills, fix your car and save money all at the same time with these clever workshop workarounds...
01 Change your bulbs
For rear lights, the tabs to undo the rear bulb holder can almost always be found behind an opening trim section. Then you’ll either be greeted by a butterfly screw or a 10mm nut.
Undo that, the tray will pop out, and all you have to do is identify the dead bulb and stick in a new one. Simple.
For the fronts, just refer to the owner’s manual. Most headlights slide out with the removal of metals tabs. Others have a plastic access panel on the light unit itself.
Yeah, it’s fiddly, but it’s still not worthy of calling in a pro. Plus, you can always find in the information in the Haynes manual for your car.
02 Wipers
Ah, wipers, the Rubix cube of motoring. People are frequently baffled by these, and that’s silly. Lift up your wiper arm and you’ll see the end of the metal part is folded over into a ‘u’ shape.
Push out the wiper (it can only go one way) then fit the plastic clip the included instructions say is needed for your car, and reverse the process. It’s really that simple.
03 Check your fluids
You should regularly check your car’s levels, and doing so is easy. The oil dipstick will have a bright yellow ring to remove it. The dirty end has markers for low and full. So take it out, wipe it clean with a rag, put it back in, back out again, you can see your level. If you need to add more oil, the filler is right there on top of the engine.
Washer fluid? Normally in one of the corners of your engine bay and handily has a logo of spraying water on it. Engine coolant is normally a whiteish container at the back of your engine. It will have ‘MIN and ‘MAX’ moulded into it. Too low? Add some water or handbook-recommended coolant.
Power steering and brake fluid? Again, these are normally quite prominent, but check your handbook or Haynes manual - it’ll be in there. They both unscrew easily so you can check the levels and top up with brake or power steering fluid as needed. It’s simple stuff that a garage might charge an hour’s labour for.
Find out where to check the fluid levels on your specific vehicle
04 Change your oil
To change your oil, you need a jack, some axle stands and one spanner. Honestly, we’re not lying. You jack the car up, put it on the stands (make sure they go under strong, structural points of the car) then undo the one bolt that is in the engine sump pan.
Let the oil come out (into an appropriate container that you can dispose of responsibly later), stick the bolt back in then remove the filter and replace that with a new one.
It should just unscrew with a bit of effort. Then just top the engine up with the oil suggested in your Haynes manual. Job done. A garage would charge you £50 for this.
Find out how to change the oil and oil filter on your specific car
05 Service reset
Following on from your oil, you’ll probably have to reset your service indicator on the dash. Scour your manual or the internet and you’ll find the sequence of button-pushing you need.
If your car needs a special device to reset it (like some BMWs), you can get these online for a few quid. Easy or what?
Don't miss our one-job manuals for fixing common problems on your specific car!
06 Self diagnosis
If your car has a strange electric gremlin, or a sudden warning light on the dash, don’t run to the garage right away. First of all, learn what that light means from your owner handbook or Haynes manual. Then, head online and buy a basic code reader.
It won’t cost much, and it’s simple to use by plugging it into the OBD port under the dash (99% of cars). Let it scan, learn what the codes mean from the manual and then either reset, or call the professionals if it is something serious.
07 The clutch trick
The oldest trick in the book is this: if you think your clutch is going, or if you’re buying a second hand car, do this. Start it up, pop it into fourth, then try and set off. If it pulls away, the clutch is heavily worn. If it stalls, it’s fine.
08 Maintain your battery
Most modern batteries will have a ‘porthole’ on the top you can look into to check the health. If it’s green, you’re fine.
Red, you need to charge it, while black means it’s time for a new one. Also, check and clean your terminals. Put a thin coat of petroleum jelly on them. It gets squeezed out of the clamp when tight, but coats everything else, preventing corrosion.
Find out how to check and replace the battery in your vehicle
09 Maintain your paint
Do you know what keeps paint looking good? It’s not the miracle product from the garage; it’s just plain and simple hard work. Off the shelf wax and polish applied with time and care will add years to your bodywork.
Not the £5 car wash, not the £300 garage ‘projection’. Simple, solid, graft. And you can do that yourself, and think how satisfying it will be to have a shiny car!
10 Change your own brakes
After those nine steps, you’re ready to change your own brakes. It’s incredibly simple, but a garage will charge you two hours labour, plus parts.
Jack the car up, pop it on axle stands again, remove the wheel, remove the two bolts on the back of the calliper, slide out the old pads, slide in the new ones (copper grease the backs to avoid squeaks) then reverse the disassembly process. Done! It’s that simple.
Discover how to change the front brake pads and rear brake pads on your car