Five Important Service Tasks—Which Ones You Can Handle at Home, and Which Ones You Can’t

Everybody wants to protect their vehicle. It’s a considerable investment. Not only are vehicles one of the most costly purchases a person makes in their lifetime besides a home, but they’re also essential to many parts of our lives. You might rely on yours to get you to and from an office or even to and from clients if you have your own business. It’s a crucial part of your livelihood. If you have a family, you likely create many great memories in your vehicle together daily. Whatever you need your vehicle for, you need it to run smoothly. And that’s why keeping up with routine maintenance is essential.

At Jim Ellis Buick GMC of Atlanta, we get a lot of questions about when it’s time to bring a vehicle into our GMC service center for maintenance and when our customers can handle tasks at home. It’s a great question because not every type of service warrants a visit to a professional—but some do. Knowing which ones you can do at home can save you time and money, and knowing which ones call for a technician can save you headaches and costly malfunctions. Below, we’ll cover five core maintenance tasks, which ones can be done at home and which ones should be done in our service center.

1) Wiper Blade Check and Replacement

Your wiper blades might not be parts of your car that you pay much attention to until they’re having a problem. Then, you might start to notice that they make excess noise, move too slowly, don’t effectively remove debris or water from your windshield, or fail to work entirely. It’s important to have your wiper blades inspected every six to 12 months and to replace them if they aren’t working properly. This is something you can easily do at home.

To inspect your wiper blades, get a clean towel and gently wipe the blade from one end to the next, avoiding contact with your fingers. Once it’s clean, you can inspect it. Here’s what you’re looking for:

• Stiff rubber. It’s important that the rubber easily flexes back and forth so that it can effectively wipe debris from your windshield.
• Cracks/tears in the rubber. If the rubber element is missing any portions, it won’t completely remove debris from your windshield.
• Deterioration of metal. Check for this on any part of the windshield that is metal. If these areas corrode, the blade might soon detach or partially break.
• Deformation. If your wiper blade is bent, it won’t make proper contact with your windshield wiper.

To replace the blade, lift the wiper arm up from the windshield so it’s perpendicular to the glass. Put a towel or old blanket on the windshield, in case the blade drops, so it doesn’t crack the glass. Find the hooks or tabs where the blade attaches to the arm. Engage these and release the blade from the arm, gently pulling it away. Slide your new blade into the hooks or latches from which you just released the old one, and clip it firmly into place.

If you don’t feel comfortable performing these tests or replacing your blades yourself, one of our technicians will be happy to do it for you.

2) Topping Off Washer Fluid

Since we just covered your windshield blades, it’s only natural we discuss the washer fluid. Washer fluid works together with your blades while you’re driving to clean off your windshield. Because it doesn’t regenerate on its own, you lose a little each time you use it. You’ll eventually need to top it off.

You can easily top off your washer fluid at home. If you have a newer vehicle, it will notify you somewhere on your dash or driver center when your washer fluid levels are low. But if you have an older vehicle, you can still visually check the levels. Here’s how you’ll check and top off these fluids:

• Open the hood.
• Locate the washer fluid reservoir. It will likely have a water or windshield symbol and a plastic cap.
• Remove the cap. Check if the fluid levels are low. If so…
• Pour more fluid into the reservoir.
• Close the cap and the hood.

3) Changing Your Oil

Getting your oil changed on a routine schedule is important to the proper functioning of critical components of your vehicle. Keeping your oil clean helps your engine run smoothly and can even help your vehicle achieve its maximum fuel efficiency.

Oil changes are something you’ll need one of our professionals to take care of. How frequently you need an oil change will depend on your particular model. Look at your owner’s manual or ask one of our technicians to determine the best schedule for your vehicle.

You can check your oil at home. Before doing this, make sure your vehicle is sitting on level ground and that the engine is off. It’s best if your engine has been off for some time to avoid any hot spots. Securely prop open the hood and locate the dipstick. Bring a rag or towel with you, pull out the dipstick, and wipe it off. Then, insert it back in, pull it out again, and check its appearance and level.

Your dipstick will have level indicators showing how high it should rise. If the oil falls below these markers, then it’s too low. You’re also evaluating the quality of the oil. Different types of engine oil look slightly different, but most fresh oil will be some shade of amber. If it’s milky-looking or black, it’s time for an oil change. Our technicians will know the ideal oil for your vehicle and perform the change quickly so you can get back on the road.

4) Plugging a Tire

So you’ve driven over a nail or other sharp object, and now there’s a hole in your tire. It can happen to any of us. If you want to plug your tire, you can do this at home or bring it to us. Just make sure a plug is the appropriate method of repair. Below are instances when a plug is not the right method:

• The hole has an irregular shape
• The hole is near the sidewall
• You drove on a flat for more than a mile (the tire or the wheel might be damaged)

You can always call us and ask one of our technicians for expert advice. If you determine a plug is the way to go, you can do this at home or bring it to us. If you can easily locate and remove the item that caused the hole (like a nail) without removing the tire, you can plug it at home. If you find that the tire needs to come off to access the hole, it’s best to bring your vehicle to us.

5) Transmission Service

Transmission service is one of the more complicated types of automotive services and must be handled by a professional. During this service, one of our technicians will flush out any old lubricants or chemicals, replace them with new ones, and inspect critical parts of the transmission. This is to ensure smoother gear shifts, which will boost the longevity of your vehicle. Only a trained eye can recognize what needs to be done to your transmission. Additionally, handling this service requires professional tools and safety equipment. Our technicians are trained and ready to service your transmission.