Self-maintenance

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RQ7

RQ7

RQ7

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Alright chaps,

I have never really done any maintenance on my car..but always wanted to learn..

I've watched a few vids online, and I'm reluctant to pay the prices that some of the local-garages are quoting for oil and filter changes..

Would you reccomend I change the air filter and give the oil and oil filter a blast?

The air & pollen filters seem quite easy, on the youtube videos i've watched

what do you lot think?
 
I've started doing the same this year, and as long as you've got the right tools then it's easy enough and you'll save a packet. Just take your time and have something to refer to, a haynes manual or guides from the net. And i'd recommend eurocarparts for any parts you need, wide array, cheap and free delivery.
 
Just make sure you're using decent car supports. Ramps and axle stands are car supports. Hydraulic lifts are only for lifting the car, not supporting it whilst you work on it.
 
Thanks for the inputs -

I was going to use Eurocarparts, seems very reasonable indeed.

Would I need a ramp to to change basic items such as the filters and do an oil change?

I think i'll Purchase a haynes manual for my 52 plate corolla.
 
just buy a jack and set of axle stands. as has been said, once the car is lifted - support it on the stands. NEVER trust a jack on it's own.

If you remove wheel, put the wheel under the car as well. Then if it does ever fall off the stands, theres something for it to land on that isn't you.

you'll need something suitable to drain oil into
 
Thanks for all the advice :)

I think i'll give it a bash on the weekend. I'll check my air and pollen filters to see if they need changing - and possibly give the oil and filter a change depending if I can get the tools.

Corollas 1k away from its interim service, and don't like the sound of paying £100+vat for an oil change :D
 
It depends, can you work logically and methodically? Some people can, some people can't. Also remember to double/triple check pretty much everything you do, it's easy to miss stuff.

Haynes manual would be a good start as well as joining a model specific owners club although most people on here will be able to help with generic stuff.

Regarding tools - buy cheap buy twice! Halfords do a fairly good set for ~£100 it's normally double that I think but is on offer most times of the year.

Find a local motor factors using the yellow pages etc, they can be even cheaper than Eurocarparts! They're usually on industrial states in places you'd not normally think to look.

Do you have access to a garage?

Welcome to motors btw. :)
 
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I would probably give it a go with a friend whos better at practical things then myself..hopefully two people checking over things twice or three times should be okay.

Haynes looks like a good resource to read, I don't think they make manuals for all cars however.

Things such as replacing the spark-plugs & pads I probablky wouldnt give a go, i'd leave that to a mechanic as of yet, untill I'm comfortable doing smaller things..
 
Sounds like the best way to go about it. Which car do you have? Some cars are much easier to work on than others. You can barely see the oil filter from the top of the engine bay on some cars!
 
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I've got a Toyota Corolla 2002, 1.4 VVTi petrol and my brothers, who's car is screaming for a service (hasn't had a full service in 2years) is a Toyota Corolla 2005, 1.6 VVTi petrol.

Always wanted to learn, especially with filters plugs & oil being reasonable could easily afford to replace those parts twice a year if need be..
 
Plugs you literally unscrew then refit the new plugs, can be a bit tricky refitting them as they can be easy to cross-thread if you rush or are heavy handed but you're careful and screw them in slowly/lightly by hand it's all pretty straight forward.

I've never worked on a Corolla so can't comment but in my experience Japanese cars are pretty nice to work on.

Edit - Pretty sure most plugs come pre-gapped but you may have to re-gap them using some feeler gauges, you can cross that bridge when you come to it though.
 
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Should be all good then :)

Will be interesting to see what state the filters are in as I had a 'full-service' done on it in the summer.

Do you do self-service your own car mate ?
 
Yeah I do :) although after owning a 21 year old french car it was a lot more than just simple servicing!

A fair few people on here work on their own cars so there is usually someone who can help you with information/guidance.

In my experience the main problems with working on cars is not having the right tools, enough space or enough time. I learnt how to do stuff on my own but if you can get someone to help it can make things much easier, especially if you are not too confident.

The best thing about working on your own car is that you know you have done things properly and nothing has been missed out, I had the joy of encountering some terrible car mechanics which made me think **** this, I'll do it properly myself.
 
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tools are essential. no half measures unfortunately or you make more work for yourself

haynes gives you a good guide but nothing is more useful than a good understanding of what youre taking apart, why and what it does. then you need balls to get stuck in and do it.

a general service is a really good place to start. oil change is about as basic as it gets. no reason why you cant do spark plugs. ideally you want a torque wrench and an idea of how your HT system works (ie leads or individual coil packs) because getting the wiring wrong means no engine.

do the air filter too, maybe pollen filter if you dont know when it was last done.

then the next challenge is making youre sure fitting the right parts. thats a whole other learning curve
 
sigma said:
I had the joy of encountering some terrible car mechanics which made me think **** this, I'll do it properly myself.
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I agree. Took my car about a year ago to a local garage as I had squeeking coming from the pads, he fitted the wrong pads, should have done rear not front, and fitted the pads incorrectly + he spent a whole day attempting to find out why it was still squealing after new pads lol - what a nightmare. Conning tw@ also tried to charge me 75 for some aftermarket pads + fitting, what a nightmare.

matt82 - if i was just to quote my vehicle reg wouldnt i get the correct parts for the car anyway?
 
I feel your pain, I took in a car for 1 fairly long job and it came out with 5 new problems which they denied were their fault even though they were related to the original job!

You won't always get the right part, most of the time you should but not always! Sometimes the parts are slightly different but do the same job as the original part. Some times there are model revisions too where you may have a choice of 2 parts depending on when the car was made during that year but I've always found motor factors to be really helpful and return parts or hold parts etc until I confirmed with them. :) They're usually really friendly too!

You should be fine with simple service items though.
 
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RQ7 said:
matt82 - if i was just to quote my vehicle reg wouldnt i get the correct parts for the car anyway?
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if i was to quote the reg for the audi s4 i used to have id have been handed 10w40 semi synth oil, completely wrong for the engine.

things like that... and variations on brands too. some brands of parts are simply not even worth the effort it takes to fit them
 
I'm very much like yourself

I've delved into doing a few simple jobs

I watched this video, then did mine :)


After watching that, look at 1.5, 2 and 3



This is a noobie guide for oil & filter change


Personally, I just do the oil filter by hand, using clean rubber gloves as hard as I possibly can :p
 
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Halfords are doing a nice set at 50% off, £99.99 which has every socket and spanner you'll need.

Doing something simple like the oil and filters may seem daunting at first, but in reality it is very simple. Get a haynes manual, watch some videos online or get a mate who's a Mechanic to supervise for your first go.

Before you know if, you wont let anyone touch your car and all maintenance will be done by yourself. You'll save a lot of money and learn a lot.
 
Also, I can't see the point in getting a full expensive socket set, when you're just doing your own car

Just get a 3/8 set with 6 sided sockets, so you can't round off any bolt/nut heads
 
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