Helpful car care and maintenance tips

carsales is your home of cars and helpful car reviews, news, advice and tips. To stay across everything you need to know before you sell your car, buy your next car or just to keep your current car in top shape, visit carsales Editorial. 
We’ve put together a quick list of must read articles of helpful car care and maintenance tips. 

Changing and rotating tyres 

Your car's tyres lead such a busy, multidimensional life. They turn through their own axis, they ride up and down over bumps, they roll in corners, they squat when the car accelerates or they dive under brakes. Here’s everything you need to know about rotating your tyres and changing your car’s tyres to keep you safe on the road. 

Changing oil and filter 

Checking your car's engine oil is not one of life's great challenges, but draining the oil and fitting a new oil filter is not something to be undertaken by tech newbies. Here’s everything you need to know about how to change your car’s oil and filter. 

Changing an air filter 

Just as the hairs in your nose remove dust, pollen and pollutants from the air you breathe, so too your car's air filter stops damaging particles from entering the engine and causing wear and tear. Here’s everything you need to know about how to change a cars air filter. 

Replacing spark plugs 

The ignition system in a car’s engine comprises of spark plugs, leads and a coil (or coil packs). Over time, these components including the contact points in older cars, will break down. Here’s everything you need to know about replacing your cars spark plugs. 

Topping up the radiator 

At its peak, the temperature inside your car's engine can reach around 2500 degrees. That's a lot of heat for even the most sophisticated materials technology to handle. Here’s everything you need to know about how to top up your radiator. 

Replacing light globes 

If you've ever replaced the globe in a torch, you are probably competent to replace a globe or fuse in your car. It's a little more complicated but we’ve put together everything you need to know about how to replace light globes on your car. 

Eight easy hacks to spring clean your car 

If the increasingly abundant sunshine has inspired you to emerge from your lazy winter hibernation habits of bingeing on TV, skulking around in slippers and subsisting on takeaway, there’s no better time to tackle the list of seasonally neglected life admin tasks. Here are eight easy hacks to spring clean your car. 

DIY polish and buffing out scratches on your car 

Save money on detailing by removing light scratches from your car's paintwork yourself. 

Checklist 

• Wash the area to be treated, 
• Use a gentle aftermarket solvent to remove deposits like tar or bugs, 
• Remove any oil residue with a soft cloth, 
• Dab a clean cloth in the cutting polish or pour it onto the cloth, 
• Gently apply with the cloth to the scratched area, rubbing in a circular motion, 
• Rub for a minute or two, 
• Wipe away the cutting polish and inspect the damaged top coat, 
• If the scratch is still visible, repeat the application of the cutting compound, 
• Repeat once more if the scratch remains visible, 
• If the scratch has been removed, seal the treated area with a protective wax. 

Read the full advice article here on carsales. 

Related articles: 

Safe selling during COVID-19 
How to prepare when meeting buyers