While it is important to have regular services completed on your vehicle by a professional, sometimes when smaller problems occur, it may be just as easy to fix them yourself rather than paying for a whole service. This will save you money and time, as you can do these repairs from your own home, meaning you won't have to wait for your car to be ready in the garage.

You don't need to be a car expert to conduct these repairs, as they are extremely straightforward. It is a very rewarding process and is a great skill set to have. Here are some of the common problems that you can fix yourself.

Air filter

Your air filter needs to be replaced on a near annual basis, especially if you use the vehicle a lot. It will only take you about ten minutes to replace it, rather than the few hours you'd be waiting if you brought it to a mechanic.

The first step is to identify the filter under the bonnet. It is a small rectangle shaped box that has metal clips on its sides. If you cannot see it, check the car manual to see it more clearly. Open the casing and examine how the filter fits inside of it and which way the filter faces.

You can now remove the old filter and put the new one in the same way as the previous one was placed. Close the metal clips and you are done.

Wipers

Windscreen wipers need to be replaced every so often; you don't want to have a potential accident as a result of your wipers not being able to clear away water and snow fast enough, reducing your visibility. The method of putting them on depends on the specific car, but the premise is the same.

Lift the blades and remove the old wipers by sliding them out. Make sure to watch how the wipers attach to the blades. Put on the new blades while being careful not to bend them or scratch the windscreen. Make sure everything is lined up and attached correctly. Test them out to make sure that they are working correctly.

Spark plug

Check your owner's manual on how often you need to change the spark plug. While it is a straightforward replacement process, you need to do the steps in the exact order. Depending on how many cylinders you have, there will be a number of spark plugs.

Only remove the wire of the first spark plug. Use your wrench to get it loose and remove it. Screw the replacement in by hand and then tighten it. Re-attach the wire and then proceed to the next spark plug. 

While these basic tips should apply to most cars, there will be other repairs that you'll need a mechanic for. If you have a specialty car, like a European car, make sure you take to an auto mechanic who is experienced with European car service or whatever specific type of car you have. 

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