Easy car maintenance projects

In the pursuit of trying to lead a thrifty lifestyle, why not try and save a few bucks with some at home car maintenance? Although it’s wise to leave more advanced car repairs in the hands of a certified mechanic, our Toyota of Orlando service staff has given us on the inside scoop on two of the easiest and safest projects to do at home. The idea of handling car repairs yourself may be a little menacing, but we promise with our easy to follow directions you will be a car maintenance master in no time!

Toyota of Orlando’s favorite projects

Project #1 Replace your air filter. 

We recommend that you replace your car’s filter every 12,000 miles or every 12 months. It is easy to pass the baton to a mechanic to get this job done, but that means you’ll be without your Orlando Toyota for an entire day. So why not do it yourself? We estimate that this job will take only about 10 minutes at home and cost around $10.

• Locate the air filter under the hood of your car. The air filter should be a black box with small silver clips on its edges. If you have trouble finding the filter you can always refer to your owner’s manual.   
• Remove the box’s casing and observe how the filter is placed inside and which way it is facing.
• Remove the present filter and replace it with the new one, making sure to place it in exactly how the other filter was in.
• Snap the metal clips close when complete.

Voila! That’s all it takes to replace your air filter. Not too difficult, right? Now let’s check out another way you can act as your own at home mechanic.

Project #2. Replace your windshield wiper blades.

This is a very important repair to keep up with when it comes to living in Florida. We get a whole lot of rain, and prime visibility is vital to having a safe driving experience. We advise that you replace the blades of your windshield wipers every 6 months to a year. That being said, learning how to stay on top of windshield wiper replacement is an excellent investment of your time. Toyota of Orlando has determined that this DIY car maintenance will take close to 15 minutes and cost only $10-$20. Here are our easy-to-follow instructions: 

• Lift wiper blades as if you were cleaning your windshield.
• Observe how current blades are attached to the metal arms.
• Locate a tab on the bottom side of the current wipers.
• Once you find the tab, press it to detach current blades. 
• While making sure not to bend the metal arms or damage your windshield, put on the new blades. 
•  Ensure the new blades are in the correct position and securely fastened.

It’s as simple as that! And if you have any doubts about your at home wiper blade replacement, there should be instructions included with your new blades so you can double-check your work.

Be your own mechanic!

And there you have it! At home car maintenance can really be that easy. All you need now is to come on out to our Toyota of Orlando parts store to get your replacement parts and you’ll be set with a new air filter and wiper blades before you know it. If you ever have any questions or need other work done on your vehicle, don’t hesitate to take a turn off of I-4 and visit our Orlando Toyota dealership. We are open seven days a week and offer incredible service specials daily. See you soon!