Never pay someone to do these six auto maintenance tasks

Car maintenance can often seem like a constant gamble of unexpected expenses, especially when you are trying to keep an older vehicle on the road. Every time you roll into a shop, you spin the wheel and pray the mechanic doesn’t come back holding a greasy part you’ve never heard of.

Fortunately, there are six maintenance tasks that you don’t need to pay anyone to perform because they are simple enough for anyone to tackle without any specialized skills or tools. Go ahead and save money by doing these things yourself.

1. Refill Your Car’s Basic Fluids

While some die-hard DIYers advocate for changing your own oil, I completely understand if you don’t have the space, tools, and inclination to deal with this often messy process. You should, however, be able to check your oil level (take out the dipstick, wipe it, dip it again, and check the line), and top off a quart or so if it’s running a little low.

Topping off your radiator fluid is simple as well (just make sure your engine is completely cool first!). Filling up your car’s radiator is a good first step to try if your heater no longer blows hot air since the heating system is connected to the radiator.

The wiper fluid is the easiest of all three to replace, just pop the cap and fill it up.

Savings from doing this yourself: $10 – $30

2. Replace Your Wiper Blades

Wiper blades have become pretty standard over the last few years, and most of them can be replaced in less time than it takes to wrestle open the plastic blister packs that they come in. Costco, Walmart, etc. all have sections where you can pick up wiper blades for cheap. Don’t know the size? There’s a catalog right at the kiosk that will let you look up your make/model and pick up the right ones.

Savings from doing this yourself: $30 – $60

3. Fill Your Tires

This one is all about knowing where you can refill your tires before they are completely flat. Most Costco auto centers have automatic tire refilling machines where you punch in the max air pressure, and it will do the work for you. Super fun to use, and you don’t even need to flash your membership card since they are located within the parking area. A lot of tire dealers will fill your tires for free if you simply pull up and ask. Do you enjoy paying for literal air? I sure don’t.

Savings from doing this yourself: About $5

4. Perform a Detailed Cleaning

There was once a time that this wouldn’t have been included on the list, but the pricing has recently gotten out of control. A quick check for auto detailing in my area shows that it can start at about $250, up to a staggering $450 for the full package interior detailing job. This is asinine.

Here’s a routine that will have you spending less than one tenth the cost. Head to an automatic carwash station that has a row of vacuum cleaners at the end. Once the exterior wash is done, vacuum the interior. Most stations even have air blowers that will get the dust out of every nook and cranny. Pick up a bottle of interior auto cleaning spray, a bottle of glass cleaner, and a bottle of leather cleaner (if needed), a roll of microfiber towels, and go to town on your car’s inside for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Unless your car is a complete disaster zone, or you’re an Uber driver and someone puked in the backseat, paying hundreds is a big waste. Why pay an exorbitant amount when you can instead pay a little bit, unleash your inner Marie Kondo and realize the joy of tidying up.

Savings from doing this yourself: $200 – $450

5. Replace the Cabin and Engine Filters

There’s a reason that a lot of oil change places will take out your engine and/or cabin filter and show them to you, guilting you into paying to replace them. It’s because both filters take about 5 seconds to remove and reinstall.

Filters can be had for about 10 bucks. Once you’ve picked one up, just search youtube for “[my car model] replace filter” and you’ll immediately be shocked by how this simple task is about as difficult as changing the batteries in your tv remote.

Savings from doing this yourself: $40 – $100

6. Remedy a Musty A/C Smell

Usually this can be fixed without having to pay for an entire A/C system tune up. First, follow the last section and replace your cabin filter. Next, get a can of Lysol. In a well ventilated area, turn on your A/C system to full blast, and lift up your wiper blades. Spray Lysol into the air intake vent for a few seconds. Cycle through all the different A/C fan configurations, spraying Lysol into the air intake each time.

If your A/C system still smells after this, then you may need professional work done since your AC drain line may be clogged or something else could be going on, but 9 times out of 10, the Lysol trick will freshen up your system for a few bucks.