Maintenance for Your Used Car
Never skimp on maintenance on your used car. Pay special attention to the things that will cost you a fortune if they break. That means regular oil changes, tire rotations and transmission tune-ups, even if the car is running fine. Timing belts, for example, are costly at as much as $600, and replacing one for no other reason than that the odometer has turned 90,000 miles might seem wasteful. But let one break and you'll find that repairing bent valves could cost you three times that. Replacing torn CV boots, those plastic housings that keep grime and grit out of the car's constant-velocity joints, costs about a third as much as a CV joint repair.
Do It-Yourself Repairs for Your Used Car. Doing occasional tune-ups and taking care of your car is nothing new. You will always need to maintain your car even if it’s old or brand new, with oil changes and checking the engine. If you are mechanically inclined there are many repairs that are fine for the do-it-yourself backyard mechanic. When working on vehicles, there are certainly times when parts need to be replaced, costing you not only the part but also the labor charge for having the item changed out.
There are three factors to consider as to whether a car repair is one you should tackle yourself:
- Personal Safety. How dangerous is the repair to life and limb if something goes wrong during or after the job?
- Car Damage. The risk that you might cause permanent, unalterable damage to your car.
- Complexity. The degree of complexity of the repair, or the need for very special and expensive tools.
To help you decide whether to attempt a specific repair, we've ranked many of the most common repairs in each of these three categories.
The following repairs are ranked as low risk in all three of the consideration factors:
Change: headlight, oil and oil filter.
Replace: automatic transmission fluid, brake fluid, ignition module, spark plugs and windshield wipers.
The following repairs are ranked as medium risk in all three of the factors:
Replace: disc brakes and pads
Medium-risk repairs in at least one of the factors include:
Change: a belt (medium risk in personal safety and complexity and low risk in car damage.)
Replace: alternator, fuel filter, fuel hoses, radiator, water pump and wheel bearings (all are low-risk for personal safety and car damage but medium-risk for complexity.)
Replace: radiator coolant (low-risk for personal safety but medium-risk for car damage and complexity.)
Replace: muffler and exhaust pipe (low-risk for car damage but medium-risk for personal safety and complexity.)
High-risk repairs in at least one of the factors include:
Change: battery (high-risk in personal safety, medium for car damage and low for complexity), fuel pump (high for personal safety and complexity, medium for car damage), timing belt (low-risk for personal safety, high-risk for car damage and medium for complexity)
Rotate: Tires (high-risk for personal safety but low-risk for car damage and complexity.)
Replace: Starter motor (high risk for personal safety, medium for complexity and low for car damage), struts or shock absorbers (medium for personal safety, low for car damage and high-risk for complexity) if timing belt runs water pump (high-risk for car damage, low-risk for personal safety and medium-risk for complexity).
The following repair is complex but low-risk in personal and car damage:
Replace: Brake master cylinder.
The following repairs are complex but only medium-risk in personal and car damage:
Replace: Brake linings (drum brakes), brake rotors, CV boot, CV joint, front-end components (tie rods, ball joint, etc.), head gasket and steering rack.
Replacing a brake line is considered high-risk in all three factors you should consider before deciding whether to do it yourself or hire it done.