Simple Car Maintenance Projects Saves Drivers Hundreds of Dollars

SANTA MONICA, Calif. August 22, 2011; Even the least mechanically-inclined car owners can save time and money by performing simple tune-ups on their vehicles, reports Edmunds.com's Senior Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed, who outlines the easiest of these fixes in "5 Automobile Fixes You Can Do Yourself."

"If you've hung a picture or pounded a nail, you can tackle any one of these tasks," says Reed."Doing these jobs yourself will have rewards above and beyond saving a buck or two, and you might just like the hands-on experience enough that you'll move on to other do-it-yourself projects."

The five simple automotive tasks identified by Edmunds.com include:

1) Check Tire Pressure and Inflate Tires; Performing this 15-minute task once a month can save $22-$30 per shop visit and even hundreds of dollars more at the pump each year from the increased fuel economy that comes with properly inflated tires.

2) Rotate Your Tires; A tire rotation in the shop could cost as much as $60 per visit, but you can use your car jack and tire iron to execute the job yourself in less than an hour at no cost.

3) Change Your Air Filter; If you have five minutes to spare, you can easily learn how to change your air filter and save as much as $60, which is what a mechanic will charge for this simple task.

4) Replace Bulbs and Fuses; Replacement bulbs and fuses are fairly inexpensive and are commonly sold at just about every auto parts store. If you can reach the replacement area inside your car, you can save anywhere from the $17 to $132 that a mechanic would charge, depending on the make and model of your vehicle.

5) Change Your Own Oil; Quick-lube shops will charge between $39 and $60 for an oil change, but arm yourself with some fresh engine oil and an oil filter, and you can do the job yourself in less than an hour. Edmunds also advises on how you can recycle your motor oil.

For more details on these five self-maintenance projects; including links to easy-to-follow instructions for completing each project , please visit Edmunds.com at http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/5-automotive-fixes-you-can-do-yourself.html.

Not sure about whether you need to fix a problem with your car? Edmunds.com offers a directory to help diagnose and troubleshoot your car problems at http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/using-edmunds-to-troubleshoot-car-problems.html.

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