No Money For A Mechanic? No Problem! Here’s 10 Car Jobs You Can Do Yourself

The truth is, most car owners end up handing their vehicle over to a mechanic for jobs that would take ten minutes and cost almost nothing to do themselves. Whether through sheer convenience or a lack of confidence in our own abilities, we’re often happy to fork over fair chunks of cash for jobs that, with a little know-how and a can-do attitude, most car owners can tackle themselves.

With the current state of the cost of living, pennies need to be pinched in whatever ways possible – and this guide, provided by private registrations supplier Regtransfers, covers ten routine maintenance tasks that don’t need a garage (and one that might).

They’ve been ordered from simplest to most involved, starting with replacing a number plate (yes, really) and ending with a battery swap. Along the way we’ll clear up a confusion that catches a lot of drivers out: the difference between changing a wheel and changing a tyre.

Everything here is routine upkeep. Brakes, suspension, steering, airbags – anything related to the safety of your vehicle while on the road – should stay with the professionals.

1. Replace a number plate

• Difficulty: Very easy
• Time: 10 minutes
• Savings: £30-50

Garages charge £30 to £50 to fit number plates, but the job takes about ten minutes and needs nothing more exotic than a screwdriver.

Plates get damaged over time – cracked by kerb clips, faded by UV, yellowed with age. A badly damaged plate can cause an MOT failure, and worse, an illegible one is a fineable offence.

What you need

• Replacement plates
• A Phillips screwdriver, or nothing if the plates use adhesive pads
• A flat-head screwdriver to pop off any plastic screw caps

How to do it

1. Remove the old plate. Most are held by two or four screws behind plastic caps, which prise off easily. Some use foam adhesive pads, in which case you’ll need to pull from one corner and work along. Clean any sticky residue with white spirit.
2. Wipe the mounting area down and let it dry.
3. Fit the new plate. If you’re using screws, you want them to be finger-tight, then a quarter turn more. For adhesive types, you’ll need to press firmly for 30 seconds to secure the fixtures. Stand back and check it’s straight before you call it done – aside from being mildly annoying, a wonky plate might not last as long!

What the law requires

UK plates must meet BS AU 145e. The rules cover font (Charles Wright only — no italics, no non-black characters), background colour (white front, yellow rear), and specific character dimensions. The age identifier on a private plate must reflect a year no later than when the vehicle was first registered. Tinted plates are illegal, as are 3D gel characters in any colour other than solid black – solid black 4D characters are permitted under the standard.

2. Windscreen wiper blades

• Difficulty: Very easy
• Time: 5-10 minutes
• Savings: £20-40

Worn wiper blades are one of the most common preventable MOT failures, and data consistently shows visibility-related faults among the leading causes of test failures. They’re also one of the easiest things to fix before a test.

Modern blades clip straight onto the arm. No tools needed, and the packaging walks you through it.

How to do it

1. Lift the wiper arm away from the screen until it locks upright. Don’t let it spring back without a blade fitted – on some cars, the bare arm can crack the glass.
2. Find the release tab where the blade meets the arm (usually on the underside). Press it and slide the blade off.
3. Slide the new blade on from the opposite end until it clicks.
4. Lower the arm, and repeat the steps for the other side.

Before you buy, it’s important to check the compatibility of the wipers with your car. Rear wiper fittings vary more than fronts – some twist off, while others use a pin. Look up your model before ordering to avoid disappointment!

3. Fluid levels

• Difficulty: Very easy
• Time: 10 minutes
• Savings: £15-30

When it comes to checking fluid levels, all the reservoirs under the bonnet should be clearly labelled. You don’t need mechanical knowledge to check them – just the ability to unscrew a cap and read a dipstick.

What to check

• Engine oil: Use the dipstick with the engine cold and the car on level ground. The oil should sit between the MIN and MAX marks. Top up with the grade your handbook specifies.
• Coolant: Check the translucent reservoir. Be careful not to mix antifreeze types – green and pink are not interchangeable.
• Brake fluid: sits in a small reservoir near the bulkhead, between MIN and MAX. If it keeps dropping after you top it up, get the brakes inspected for a potential leak.
• Power steering fluid: only relevant on cars with hydraulic steering (older models). Electric power steering has no fluid.
• Screenwash: plain water blocks the jets in winter and doesn’t clean properly. Use a screenwash solution.

When it comes to the majority of your fluid levels, topping up once or twice a year should be fine. One that needs refilling every month is telling you to get your car checked over by a professional!

4. Cabin air filter

• Difficulty: Easy
• Time: 10-15 minutes
• Savings: £20-40

The cabin filter cleans the air that comes through your vents. When it blocks up, the airflow drops, you may encounter a stale smell, and the air conditioning has to work harder overall. Most manufacturers suggest replacing it every 12,000 to 15,000 miles, but plenty of drivers have never done it – leaving it to the professionals.

On most cars, it lives behind the glove box and comes out without a tool.

How to do it

1. Open the glove box. On most models you can squeeze the sides inward to drop it right down, exposing the filter housing behind.
2. Slide or unclip the old filter. Note which way the airflow arrow points before you pull it out.
3. Fit the new one in the same orientation and push it fully home.
4. Clip the housing shut and fold the glove box back up.

If the heating smells stale when you first turn your car on, or the airflow seems weak, this is probably the fix.

5. Blown fuse

• Difficulty: Easy
• Time: 10 minutes
• Savings: £10-25

Something stops working suddenly with no warning – say, the heated rear screen. Before you ring anyone, check the fuses. They cost about 50p and take five minutes to replace.

How to do it

1. Find your fuse boxes. Most cars have one in the driver’s side footwell and one in the engine bay. The lid of each box has a diagram to help you navigate it.
2. Pull the suspect fuse using the small plastic puller clipped to the fuse box lid. A blown fuse has a visibly broken metal strip inside.
3. Replace it with a fuse of identical amperage. The number is printed on the fuse. Very important: never fit a higher-rated one.
4. Test the circuit. If it blows again within seconds, there’s a fault in the wiring or component – that’s a garage job.

6. Replacing a bulb

• Difficulty: Easy to moderate – varies by car
• Time: 15 minutes to over an hour
• Savings: £30-80

A failed headlight or brake light is an MOT failure. If you’re stopped by police, the most likely outcome is a Vehicle Defect Rectification Notice – 14 days to fix it, no fine if you comply. Ignore it, and you’re looking at a fixed penalty of £60–100, rising to a maximum of £1,000 if it goes to court. Either way, it’s important to get it sorted quickly.

Before you commit, search your make, model and year on YouTube. Some bulb replacements are a simple fix, while others are far more involved processes. A quick search for a video of your specific make, model and year will tell you whether you’re looking at a fifteen minute job or an afternoon.

The general process, where straightforward

1. Open the bonnet and find the bulb holder at the back of the headlight unit.
2. Unplug the electrical connector.
3. Twist the holder anticlockwise and pull out the old bulb.
4. Fit the new bulb without touching the glass with bare fingers. Skin oils shorten bulb life, so if you have to handle the bulbs themselves, use the packaging or a cloth to cover your fingers.
5. Reconnect, test, and refit anything you moved.

BONUS SECTION – Tyres: what you can and can’t do at home

Changing a wheel (fitting your spare in place of a flat) is something most drivers can do themselves at the roadside, but changing the actual tyre (removing the rubber from the rim and fitting new rubber) requires a fitting machine and a wheel balancer.

The latter is always a garage job – there’s no DIY version, and it’s not advised to attempt it without help.

A few things to check now, before you need them:

• Many modern cars don’t carry a spare wheel. Lift the boot floor and look. You might have a space-saver, a sealant kit, or nothing.
• Space-savers are limited to 50mph and short distances. They’re for getting you directly to a nearby garage, not for finishing a long road trip.
• On a motorway, don’t attempt a wheel change yourself. Pull over, pop your hazards on, get out from the passenger side, move behind the barrier and call your breakdown provider to assist.

7. Tyre pressure

• Difficulty: Very easy
• Time: 10 minutes
• Saving vs. garage: Free (or under £5) at most petrol stations

Running on underinflated tyres costs you in fuel and braking distance. Overinflated tyres wear unevenly and reduce grip. Checking takes ten minutes.

How to do it

1. Find your recommended pressures. There’s a sticker on the inside of the driver’s door frame, or check the handbook. Front and rear are often different, and most cars specify higher pressures when carrying a full load.
2. Remove the valve cap from each tyre and connect a pressure gauge or petrol station airline.
3. Add or release air until the reading matches the specification.
4. Replace the valve caps.

As with engine oil, it’s best to check pressure levels when the tyres are cold. Driving warms the air inside and can give a falsely high reading.

8. Tread depth

• Difficulty: Very easy
• Time: 5 minutes
• Savings: Avoids a £2,500 fine and 3 penalty points per tyre

UK law requires 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tyre, all the way round. Each tyre below that limit carries a potential £2,500 fine and three penalty points.

The 20p test

Push a 20p coin into the main tread groove. If the outer band of the coin disappears into the groove, you’re above the legal limit. If the outer band is visible, the tyre needs replacing soon. It’s best to check several points around each tyre, as wear isn’t always even.

Most tyre specialists say to replace at 3mm, not 1.6mm. Below 3mm, wet-weather stopping distances get much longer.

9. Engine air filter

• Difficulty: Easy
• Time: 15 minutes
• Savings: £20-50

The engine air filter keeps grit and debris out of the engine, and when it becomes clogged, this can hurt performance and fuel economy. Replacement intervals vary by manufacturer – 15,000 to 30,000 miles is the usual range, so check your handbook.

How to do it

1. Open the bonnet. The filter housing is a black rectangular or cylindrical box connected to a large inlet tube, and it’s one of the more visible components under there.
2. Unclip or unscrew the cover and take a photo before you touch anything.
3. Lift out the old filter and compare it to the new one before fitting.
4. Drop the new filter in at the same orientation.
5. Refit the cover and clip it shut.

10. Car battery

• Difficulty: Moderate
• Time: 20-30 minutes
• Savings: £40-70

A slow-to-start engine, or a jump-start needed more than once this winter points to a battery on its way out. Swapping it is the most involved job here, but it’s still manageable.

What you need

• A replacement battery matching your car’s specification. Check the handbook or read the label on the existing battery for the group size and cold cranking amps (CCA). Wrong spec means it won’t fit or won’t start the car reliably.
• A 10mm spanner – this covers most cars, though some use a different size
• Gloves and eye protection, since batteries contain sulphuric acid. Safety first!

How to do it

• Switch the engine off, remove the key, and wait a few minutes.
• Find the battery. It’s usually in the engine bay, but on some cars it’s under the rear seat or in the boot.
• Disconnect the negative terminal first (black cable, minus sign), then the positive (red, plus sign). This order is very important – getting it wrong risks a short circuit.
• Remove the clamp or bracket and lift the battery out. They weigh 12 to 20kg – more than they look, so make sure you have a good grip on it!
• Lower the new battery in and secure the clamp.
• Reconnect positive first, then negative.

On many modern cars, disconnecting the battery resets the ECU, the radio code, and electric window positions. Some may need a short drive to recalibrate properly.

Worth knowing

The jobs at the top of this list – plates, wipers, fluids – genuinely take under ten minutes on a Sunday morning. The rest might need an hour and a YouTube video if you’re doing them for the first time.

However, tackling these tasks yourself means you understand your own car better, which also helps in the event that something does go wrong with your car. What’s more, you’re saving a bit of cash (and fuel) on trips to the garage, which is a win-win no matter how you spin it!