Infographic: Car Maintenance Quick Reference

When it comes to car maintenance, a lot of jobs are relatively straightforward. In many cases, the prep work of rounding up the appropriate tools often takes more time than the actual job itself. To combat this and save you some time, we have compiled a Car Maintenance Quick Reference Infographic to help you round up the correct tools quickly. Furthermore, we have assessed the cost, difficulty, and time required to complete common jobs to help you decide whether a job is worth tackling yourself instead of taking your car to a mechanic.

Car Maintenance Quick Reference Infographic

The text in the infographic is summarized below:

Air Filter Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 1
Time: 1
Tools Required: Screwdriver, Socket Wrench

Your air filter prevents debris from getting into your engine. As a byproduct of doing its job, the air filter accumulates particulate over time, slowly restricting air from entering your engine. This robs your car of power and efficiency. Replacing your air filter reclaims this lost power.

Battery Replacement
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 2
Time: 1
Tools Required: Adjustable Wrench or Socket Wrench

As a battery ages, it tends to hold less of a charge. A battery most often shows its age on startup, where you may notice sluggish starts or failure to turn the engine over. Replacing your battery preventatively ensures that your car will start every time and not leave you stranded.

Belt Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Wrench Set

Belts drive your alternator, air compressor for your A/C, power steering pump, water pump, supercharger, and a number of other accessories that your car relies on for vehicle operation and passenger comfort. As they age, belts become brittle and eventually break. When they break, you often get stranded on the side of the road. Replacing them preventatively means you’ll stay on the road without having to worry.

Brake Bleed
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 3
Time: 3
Tools Required: Brake Bleed Kit (Optional), Open or Flare Nut Wrenches, Lug Wrench

Brake fluid is designed to trap moisture to protect your brake system from corrosion. Over time, its ability to absorb water is diminished. Furthermore, air can get into your brake lines which causes your brake pedal to feel spongy and imprecise. Bleeding your brakes and flushing your brake fluid allows your brake system to remain responsive and perform at its best.

Brake Pad Replacement
Parts Cost: $$$
Skill Level: 3
Time: 4
Tools Required: Brake Bleed Kit (Optional), Open or Flare Nut Wrenches, Socket Wrench Set, Torque Wrench, Lug Wrench

When you apply your brake pedal, your brake pads come into contact with your brake rotors and allow you to stop your car. The frictional forces wear the material on your brake pads, which eventually require replacement so your car will continue to stop.

Brake Rotor Replacement
Parts Cost: $$$
Skill Level: 3
Time: 4
Tools Required: Brake Bleed Kit (Optional), Open or Flare Nut Wrenches, Socket Set, Torque Wrench, Lug Wrench

Like brake pads, your brake rotors wear as you apply your brakes. Over time, they get thin which can lead to warping, noise, and poor heat dissipation (resulting in reduced stopping power). Replacing your brake rotors prevents these issues and keeps your brake system working as it should.

Cabin Air Filter Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 1
Time: 1
Tools Required: Screwdriver

Whether you run your A/C in the summer or the heater in the winter, any time you draw air through the vents in your car, it passes through the cabin air filter. Over time, this filter gets clogged and your heater and A/C work less effectively. Changing this filter results in better climate control within your vehicle, keeping you comfortable no matter what the weather is like.

Check Engine Light Diagnosis
Parts Cost: N/A
Skill Level: 1
Time: 1
Tools Required: OBD2 Scanner

A check engine light is typically an indication that something is wrong with your car. Often times these are relatively benign, but sometimes a check engine light can signify something serious as well. Reading the check engine light code and interpreting it allows you to pinpoint the problem so that you know exactly what you need to repair.

Coolant Flush
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Set, Oil Drain Pan, Screwdriver

Your cooling systems works to keep your engine safe by dissipating the heat that builds up in your engine as it runs. Without your cooling system, your engine would quickly overheat causing costly damage and stranding you on the side of the road. Over time, coolant becomes dirty and contaminated, rendering your cooling system less effective. Replacing your coolant keeps your cooling system running efficiently and keeps your engine healthy.

Fuel Filter Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Set, Screwdriver

The fuel that you put in your gas tank contains particulate and impurities that must be filtered out to protect your fuel system. The fuel filter accomplishes this task. As the filter does its job, it can collect enough debris to eventually become clogged, which puts strain on your fuel pump and other fuel system components. Replacing your fuel filter prevents this from happening and extends the life of your fuel system significantly.

Headlight/Brake Light Bulb Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 1
Time: 1
Tools Required: None

The need for replacing a headlight or brake light bulb when it goes out usually makes itself pretty obvious when driving at night. Your lights help you see and help others see you. As such, they are critical to your safety and it is imperative to change the bulbs when they go out. Fortunately, it only takes a couple of minutes and requires no special knowledge or tools.

Oil Change – Engine
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Set, Oil Drain Pan

Engine oil lubricates the internals of your engine, thereby protecting them from friction and heat. Whether you run conventional oil or synthetic oil, over time the oil will become contaminated and break down which means that it will lose some of its protective properties. Furthermore, cars burn a little bit of engine oil during the combustion process and over time the oil loss from this process can add up, causing you to run dangerously low on oil. Changing your oil maintains engine protection and keeps your motor running happily.

Oil Change – Transmission (Transmission Fluid)
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Set, Oil Drain Pan, Fluid Pump

For similar reasons that you change engine oil, you also change oil in your transmission. Over time transmission oil can get dirty and offer less protection to your transmission internals. Although the oil change interval is usually much longer than that for engine oil, it is still important to change your transmission oil as it serves as cheap insurance against a future transmission replacement.

Oil Change – Differential
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Socket Set, Oil Drain Pan, Fluid Pump

For rear wheel drive cars, the differential redirects the torque from your driveshaft to your wheels. Like your transmission, it has internal gears that can wear over time, particularly as the oil breaks down. You can prevent this by occasionally changing your differential oil. The process is relatively straight forward and won’t set you back more than an hour or two.

Rotate Tires
Parts Cost: N/A
Skill Level: 2
Time: 2
Tools Required: Lug Wrench, Torque Wrench, Floor Jack

Depending on the type of car you drive, tires can wear at uneven rates. Rotating your tires (including your spare if you have one that is full size) evens out the wear on your tires so that you can get more life out of them. It also gives you the benefit of replacing all of your tires at once instead of having to replace them two at a time. While some tire dealers offer free tire rotation, sometimes it’s just faster and easier to do it yourself in your own garage.

Spark Plug Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 2
Time: 1
Tools Required: Socket Set, Spark Plug Socket

As part of your ignition system, spark plugs ignite your air/fuel mixture in the combustion chambers of your engine. Over time they can wear which weakens the spark that they provide. Although the change interval is infrequent, people often notice an improvement in power and efficiency when replacing worn spark plugs.

Timing Belt Replacement
Parts Cost: $$
Skill Level: 4
Time: 4
Tools Required: Socket Set, Torque Wrench, Belt Tensioning Tool (Car Specific, As Needed)

The timing belt is a special belt that exists on many cars that connects the crankshaft to the camshaft(s). Without this belt, your engine would fail to operate. Like other belts, your timing belt is gets brittle as it ages, which can result in the belt breaking. It is significantly more complex than other accessory belts to replace, and such we have given it its own category.

Wiper Blade Replacement
Parts Cost: $
Skill Level: 1
Time: 1
Tools Required: N/A

When it rains, your windshield wipers clear water from your windshield which allows you to see on the road. Because they are related to visibility, they are considered a critical safety item. Over time, the rubber becomes hard and windshield wipers stop working as well. This can result in streaks or noise. Fortunately, the wiper blades are straightforward to replace and very cost effective.