My car’s overdue for a service, but I don’t want to take it in ‘coz I know they’re going to charge me some ridiculous sum of money for what probably amounts to having an apprentice do an oil change and checking that stuff is working OK. If I’m unlucky, they’ll find something wrong with the brakes, shocks or whatever, and I’ll be up for kidney on top of the arm-and-a-leg.

There are clever folks I know who can do their own minor services, but I’m not brave enough to do this myself, so I won’t recommend it to you (go and find yourself a trustworthy mechanic!) Instead, here are some ridiculously simple things that you can (and should) do yourself:

Changing light bulbs
If you find that one of the lights on your car has stopped working, it’s an easy fix. Have a look at your car’s manual if you have it (you can easily Google it if you don’t). There should be instructions that tell you how to replace the bulb. Use that to figure out how to remove the blown bulb, and then go down to your nearest car store and ask them for another one of the same. You should get change from a $20 for the average car, unless have some fancy BMW with Xenon lights (in which case what do you care about cost!)

Now the most important thing is: don’t touch the glass part of the bulb! The oils from your hands (even if your hands are completely clean) will cause the bulb to weaken and crack from the heat when it’s on.

Pop that in according to the instructions, and if you’re good, you won’t even get your hands dirty.

Topping up the windscreen wiper fluid
No, I’m not being daft. When was the last time you topped up your wiper fluid? Maybe it’s just me then, but it’s an unpleasant experience not having enough water, when you’re cruising down the freeway and the biggest, ugliest bug in God’s creation splats on your windscreen.

You can also buy additives such as Rainex, which claims to make your windscreen less sticky so that water runs off it or something, but it’s all bollocks from my experience. There’s also special detergent for car windscreens – don’t just use the Morning Fresh from the kitchen, ‘coz that’ll froth up coming out of the nozzle and stuff you up real good when you can’t see.

Changing windscreen wiper blades
You can buy these from KMart, but don’t get the cheapest rubber no-brand crap ones. Invest in some decent silicone ones, which won’t dry up and make the sound like an elephant’s fart when it stutters its way across the glass.

Most supermarkets will have a book or computer which tells you which size suits your car, but just in case, measure your old ones just in case. Most cars will use one of the standard sizes: 6mm or 8mm. If you’re stuck, you can get ones which will fit both. Installing the blades is usually a simple matter of unclipping the ends and sliding it out.

Three very easy car maintenance tasks, don’t you think? If there’s anything else that you regularly do yourself, or if you have a funny story about DIY car maintenance, leave a comment!

I went to refill my car today, while claiming my free pie, it hit home just how complex this one little transaction had become. In the act of paying for the petrol, I:

• Paid with my credit card, accruing reward points with my bank
• Got my FlyBuys card scanned, earning yet more points
• Used a discount voucher from spending over $30 at Coles
• … and of course let’s not forget the pie, which was offered to give people incentive to visit Coles Express (i.e. Shell) instead of their regular petrol station.

This is not unique to Coles either; Woolworths has their Caltex branded petrol stations and Everyday Rewards card program and fuel discount scheme. When you think about the tiny margins involved in petrol retail, the mind boggles.

But of course, it’s not about selling petrol is it? It’s about building brand loyalty, which means that petrol stations are really just big, huge, corner-block advertisements. Oh well. I got my freebie, so can’t complain…

By the way, if you don’t want to miss out on freebies like free pie, follow me on Twitter.

This is a quick addendum to my previous post about fuel efficiency. I recently read a story about John and Helen Taylor, a couple who hold several Guinness World Records for driving extraordinary distances on the least amount of petrol possible – for example, Melbourne to Rockhampton (2438km) on a single tank!

One particular quote from the article* stood out for me: “If everyone in Australia saved just 10 per cent [on fuel], that would give Australia a saving of $5.2 million a day”!

Now that’s a great example of how to make a big difference in the world simply by making some small changes to a task that you do every day! The Taylors also maintain a Web site called the Fuel Academy, which offers a very clear and comprehensive list of tips to help improve fuel economy. Check it out!

* I’d provide a link to the article (“The mileage masters” – Sydney Morning Herald, May 22, 2009), except that I couldn’t find it anywhere online, the Fairfax Web site or otherwise.

With the cost of petrol (or gas, for our friends across the Pacific) ever rising, driving is becoming an increasingly expensive exercise. But of course there’s no avoiding it, is there? Getting to and from work, taking the kids to soccer practice, going shopping for groceries – we are all slaves to the tyranny of distance. And thanks to our “wonderful” government, public transport just doesn’t cut it.

With that in mind, here are 3 very simple things you can do to squeeze the most out of every tank:

• Keep your tyres inflated – next time you fill up, stop over by that “air and water” sign, and check your tyre pressure. Driving with flat tyres not only makes your tyres wear out faster, but also decreases fuel economy because of rolling resistance.
• Get rid of excess weight – are you around the equivalent of an extra passenger each time you drive? Think about all the excess weight that you are carrying: in your glove box, boot, and other storage compartments. It all adds up – moving all of that weight around takes energy!
• Avoid idling – when your car is not moving and the engine’s on, it’s still burning petrol. If you need to stop for any length of time, consider turning the engine off.

If you have tips of your own on ways to save fuel, share them in the comments section below!