You shouldn’t be afraid to take a peek under your car’s hood. There’s nothing scary under there, and it’s not that hard to perform some regular maintenance procedures on your own vehicle if you know what you’re doing. In fact, that’s advisable, as going to the mechanic for every small thing can end up costing you a lot of money in the long run. Plus, it’s good to familiarize yourself with the way your car works on at least some basic level in order to have some extra confidence on the road.

Oil

This is one of the simplest maintenance procedures you can do, and checking the oil on a modern car is often a very streamlined process that only involves a few steps. Replacing the oil if it turns out that it’s time for that is a bit messier, but not as complicated as some people seem to believe. Just make sure that you prepare the area appropriately, and are ready to deal with the mess afterwards, and you should be fine. This can actually save you a lot of money as it’s often an overpriced service at most auto shops.

Spark Plugs

Depending on your model, you’ll need to replace the spark plugs every now and then, but not too often. There might be no indication that it’s time to replace them other than your miles driven, so make sure you know your model’s requirements. It’s also worth noting that you’ll need a spark plug socket to get the job done right, but it’s not a bad investment to keep one around. In general, it will be a pretty universal tool for all cars you purchase afterwards, and you’ll be glad to have it around occasionally.

Brakes

Some types of brake checks and repairs are surprisingly simple, while for others, you’re going to want to use a professional’s services. Running a few small checks is something you can learn to do yourself though, so watch a few YouTube videos to get an idea of how the process works. On the other hand, if it’s time to get new pads, you might want to check out the brake pad replacement cost Jiffy Lube, as you don’t want to leave your car in the wrong hands for this procedure. Few things can be worse on the road than a car with malfunctioning breaks, not just for you but for everyone around you as well, so do the responsible thing and spend the extra money when appropriate.

There are various other small details that you can probably learn to handle yourself, and it’s not a bad idea to take some time to go through your car’s thick manual. It might not look like fun, but there’s a reason people wrote that book, and it’s expected that you’ve read at least a good portion of it when something goes wrong. Otherwise, prepare to spend a lot of money, and end up without your car for a long time as it’s stuck in yet another repair.