If you own a car, you know that things will break or wear out or go out from time to time. However, just a little research can help you avoid having to go to the mechanic when something minor breaks down and needs replacing or repair.

One example is your car’s lights. These can go out from time to time. Or the wipers can go bad, or something else that’s pretty minor but requires attention. Many people will have something go out and will rush to the repair shop right off the bat!  And, while taking care of these things right away is good, one can end up spending more money if they don’t stop to do a little research first. A quick tour of their car and also a glance at their owner’s manual can be a good start.

In addition, the internet is a great resource for finding out both about your car as well as making minor repairs, some of which require no tools! YouTube is one great source for this type of information.

In my car, I had bulbs go out for my rear lights and another bulb in my headlights go out within the last month. Did I go to the repair shop? No.

What I did was, when my rear light went out, I looked up how to change the bulb in my particular model car. Some cars are made so that you do have to go to a repair shop to have things like bulbs replaced. But luckily, YouTube showed me my car’s light bulbs could be replaced by hand, no tools needed. All I had to do was take out the old bulbs, which was very easy, just taking less than a minute. Then, I went to the auto parts store, picked up the bulbs I needed, and I changed them right there in the store’s parking lot in a matter of minutes! And, on top of this, I also looked up what type and number of bulb to get, so when I went into the store, I had the old bulb with me and, combined with the knowledge I’d gotten from the internet, I was able to tell the clerk exactly what I needed.

When one of the bulbs in my headlights went out a few weeks later, I didn’t even need to go to the internet. I just opened the hood, checked to see if the headlight bulbs were as easy to remove as the tail light bulbs, found that they were, and simply removed the worn out bulb. I then went to the auto parts store, bought a new one, and replaced the old one myself, again, in a matter of minutes!

I saved a lot of money, too. If I’d gone to a repair shop, I would have paid much, much more, as labor costs would have been involved. Plus, by doing it myself, I gave myself a little more knowledge about my car.

So, before rushing to the repair shop, do a little research. It’s real easy now, and can save money, too!

Happy motoring!

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