Car care in all seasons

We have already reported in detail elsewhere on the subject of winter-proofing your own car. After all, the harsh weather of the cold season brings a lot of stresses for people and material, which must be taken into account. Likewise, the driving skills of a car owner are required in a completely different way than would be the case in optimal weather.

On the other hand, there are a number of factors relating to the driving ability of a car that deserve attention not only in winter, but in general in all four seasons. Because your car always needs attention and care, not just when it is snowing. And, of course, when you drive a family carriage, you really want to be on the safe side. The certainty that you have done everything to ensure that you get your loved ones safely from A to B is of the utmost importance for anyone who drives a motor vehicle.

What do you do yourself? What do you let others do?

As a true DIYer, you naturally have a great desire to do as much as possible on your car yourself: a little touch up here, a beautification there. It is in the nature of many smaller measures that serve to maintain driving operations that you can do them yourself. Nobody would think of taking the extra trip to a workshop to fill up the antifreeze or the engine oil. The case would be a little different with a complete oil change. This not only requires that the top is poured, so to speak, but that oil is drained off at the bottom beforehand. In this way, auto mechanics prevent new engine oil from mixing with old, as happens with a simple oil change.

In principle, resourceful DIY enthusiasts and enthusiastic hobby screwdrivers could do other maintenance work themselves, but this is not recommended when it comes to safety-related work. The brake change is a good example of this. In well-prepared YouTube videos, you can have every single step explained to you in detail, so that you can do the same as the workshop professionals. What a Youtube cannot deliver, however, is the corresponding note in the vehicle’s service book, which certifies that the brakes have been replaced by a professional. As long as nothing happens, the lack of such an entry is not a problem.

Some things prefer to be done and be covered for them

But should it ever bang, the insurance company will take a close look to see whether everything has been going according to the regulations during the maintenance and repair of the vehicle involved in the accident. If it is only then found that, for example, a brake change has been carried out independently, it can happen that the vehicle owner is blamed for the accident and the insurance cover expires accordingly. You would then have to pay the repair costs for your car yourself, as well as the claims for damages from the other party involved in the accident.

And last but not least, the following applies: Even as a passionate screwdriver, you should leave the work that is of a much more extensive nature exclusively to the trained and experienced motor vehicle specialists. A classic example of this would be the replacement of a complete engine, which may be necessary if the vehicle has suffered serious engine damage that is no longer repairable, for example because it has already damaged the surrounding systems and assemblies too much.