Your Credit Estimate
Your Credit
Your zip code helps us provide you with the most accurate vehicle pricing and vehicle availability.
We estimate your credit score to give you an idea of your monthly payments. To get an accurate payment amount, complete our credit application by clicking the Start Credit Application button below.
start credit application
Somewhere along the way, probably when cars started becoming more computerized, people slowly stopped taking care of their car on their own. Today, many adults and teens rarely lift the hood up to check the oil or even to simply admire their expensive piece of carefully engineered equipment.
Keeping your cars maintenance up-to-date and knowing how to make an emergency repair, like changing a tire, is important to know. Not only is it important because it can help you understand more about your car and why you need to take care of it, but a little knowledge and DIY care can help you save a lot of money over time.
Needing to call someone out to fix a flat, or paying a mechanic for basic repairs or routine maintenance can get expensive. So one way to save some money is by learning how to do simple car repairs and routine maintenance yourself. While that may sound like an intimidating DIY project, there are some tasks that are not as complicated or risky as one might think that can save you a lot of money over time.
Here are seven short YouTube videos that show novices how to do very basic car maintenance tasks. Check ‘em out and watch carefully, if you think this is something you can do, try it out. You could save money and time by avoiding the mechanic.
Oil is as important to a car as blood is to the human body. The oil keeps everything in the engine lubricated, running smoothly, and it helps cool down the combustion chamber to prevent it from overheating. That is why it is so important to check your oil and do regular oil changes -- if your car doesn’t have enough oil, major problems can occur.
The best part about oil changes is that they aren’t very complicated and since it is something every car needs (typically between 3,000 and 5,000 miles) and you will have to do them for as long as you have a car, learning how to do it yourself can save you a ton of money.
One of our favorite tutorials on how to change a car’s oil is by YouTuber, Chris Fix. Chris Fix has over one million subscribers, so he is a pretty reliable dude. The video is 4 minutes and 42 seconds long, so it's a quick watch. One thing not covered in the video, is what type of oil your car will need or how often the oil in your car needs to be changed, but you can find this out in your owner’s manual.
How to Fix Replace Your Air Filter
The air filter is a very important component. Your engine needs cool, clean air to be forced into the combustion chambers so that the spark can fire and cause the necessary explosion that causes combustion and makes your engine run. If your air filter is dirty, it restricts the airflow into the engine a reduces the efficiency of the engine. Passing dirty air into the engine also decreases the efficiency of the engine.
Replacing the air filter is relatively easy. And, there are a couple of filters you can choose from. You can continue to use a disposable filter that you change every 30,000 - 45,000 miles, depending on your owner’s manual. You can also invest in a filter that you can wash instead of throwing away.
Here’s a video by Chris Fix that shows how easy it can be to replace that dirty old filter.
Cloudy headlights affect your visibility and the effectiveness of your headlamps in addition to being an eyesore. Though a professional cleaning can be pricey, removing the cloudy film is actually really simple and cheap. This is a short video by Chris Fix that shows everyone just how easy the process is and that it can be done with a product everyone has, toothpaste.
Rain water, dirt, and other outdoor elements can damage a vehicle's paint if left for a long time. Washing your car may seem easy, but there may be some steps you have left out of your routine that will leave your car squeaky clean and protected. In under five minutes, this video and explains every important step of washing your car’s exterior. Yes, taking your car to the car wash will get the job done, but if you do that weekly (because your car should be washed weekly), the money you spend can add up. You can guarantee to cut the cost in at least half, or more, if you begin to wash your car on your own.
How to Change Windshield Wipers
Ever been driving in the rain and using your windshield wipers, but they seem to be making it harder to see rather than helping? That is probably because they need to be replaced and it is a is a simple DIY task.
Getting them replaced at a service center can cost up to $40, when you could simply do it on your own for the cost of the wipers. Watch the video to learn how to replace the wipers on your own. Just order the right ones for your car online (usually $10-15), and it is easy to install them yourself.
This video is 3:25 minutes long and knowing how to change a tire is useful for drivers of all types of cars and vehicles. Though fairly simple, learning how to change a tire is important because you never know where you will be and who will be around (if anyone) when you need to replace or change your tire. While the video shows us the ins and outs of changing a tire, the most important thing you need to do it, is a spare tire, so be sure your car has one.
We hope these videos were useful to you. If you have any thoughts, opinions or questions, feel free to reach out to us on the NowCar Facebook. Or if you are in the market for a new car, you have come to the right place, check us out at NowCar.