How to Perform Car Maintenance Without Buying a Single Tool

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For the car owner on a budget, maintenance can be hard. From searching high and low for the best car battery prices to going as long as possible without heading into the shop, you seek to save as much cash as possible when it comes to caring for your ride. However, saving money doesn’t mean you have to let your BMW fall apart. There are several regular maintenance tasks you can perform without having to buy a single expensive tool. The trick is identifying what you can do on your own and what’s best left to the pros. These 4 regular maintenance procedures are quick and easy to perform at home and require no specialized tools:

1. Change Your BMW’s Wiper Blades

If your wiper blades are starting to smear water across the windshield rather than wiping it away properly, it’s time to change them. Aside from perhaps a screwdriver (depending on the type of blade you get) you won’t need any tools for the replacement process. Furthermore, you can often get parts like these cheaper when you shop with a car parts store with an auto rewards program.

2. Replace the Engine Air Filter

Changing your filter is as simple as unscrewing (or unclamping) the air filter box, sliding the old filter out and putting the new one in. It’s one of the easiest maintenance procedures you could perform, and takes minutes.

3. Replace Gas Lifts

The gas lifts that keep your hood open can typically be removed using nothing more than a metric socket set, or can simply be unclipped. Have an assistant hold the hood open while you remove and replace these lifts.

4. Smooth Out Window Tracks

Over time, buildup in the window tracks can make rolling windows up and down difficult, and eventually lead to damage to the window engine or regulator cables, which can be expensive to repair. Avoid the issue by using spray silicone or dry Teflon spray to lubricate the tracks.

To find the replacement parts you need, simply type “auto parts near me” into an online search engine. Find coupons, rewards programs and more to make the whole process a little cheaper so you can save as much as possible on your at-home maintenance.