With fuel now costing a fortune, more people are starting to learn to fix the basics on their vehicles themselves. So anytime you hear your vehicle make a weird noise or when your car doesn’t feel quite right; having this basic knowledge will help you to either fix or pinpoint the problem

Not only will it save us money by doing it ourselves but we will become more aware of when something isn’t wrong with our vehicle. However, it is important that for more serious issues you take your vehicle to a trusty garage and get a professional’s opinion rather than fixing it yourself.

Keep on reading to find out about the three most common vehicle issues and how you can fix them.

Changing a flat tyre

One of the most common vehicle issue is flat tyres and you would be surprised by how many people can’t change a tyre. To change a flat tyre you will need to:

1. Using a car jack, you will need to place this on a stable part of the vehicle’s frame to push it upwards.

2. Next unplug the lug nuts using your locking wheel nut and ratchet and take the wheel off.

3. Then put your spare tyre on.

4. Make sure to tighten the nuts.

5. Lastly, you will just need to bring down the jack.

For a visual guide on changing your tyre, watch this video.

Fixing a flat battery

We’ve all been there when we try to start our vehicle but it won’t start. If this happens then it is a good idea to keep a pair of jump leads in your vehicle, just in case. Alternatively, you may have a car battery charger hiding somewhere in your garage.

If there’s still a bit of life to your battery then you can use a cat battery charger to charge it up, this will simply plug into your mains. But if your battery is completely flat, then charging your battery won’t work. You have the option to either jump-start your vehicle using the jump leads and a second car. If there is no second car then you can use a power pack.

Before jump-starting your vehicle you will need to check the battery for any leakage, corrosion or if it’s damaged in any way. If you notice any or all three of these then DO NOT try and jump-start. You will need to call a professional to come look at your battery.

It is important to keep any metal items away from the vehicle and you must not have any naked flames near. Always keep your key away from the ignition and make sure everything is switched off.

Here is how you jump-start a vehicle:

1. Park both cars next to here, close enough for the jump leads to reach both vehicles.

2. Open the bonnet and connect the red positive lead to the positive terminal of the working vehicle (second car).

3. Do the same for the vehicle with a flat battery.

4. Attach the black negative lead to the negative terminal on the terminal of the working vehicle (second car).

5. Attach the other end of the metal point away from the flat battery.

6. If you have a negative jump-starting pole, please refer to your handbook.

7. Check that the leads are away from moving parts.

8. Start the engine on the working vehicle.

9. Leave it for around a minute then turn the key on the vehicle with the flat battery.

10. If nothing happens, wait another few minutes then try again, if the leads ate hot to touch you should turn the engine off.

11. Once the flat battery vehicle is running you will need to leave it on for a little while to charge the battery up.

12. Remove the leads in the reverse way you attached them.

13. Always make sure the leads don’t touch each other or any other metal surface.

14. Either leave the vehicle running or go on a 30-minute drive to ensure the battery is working, if you have no luck then you will need to call someone out.

When jump-starting your vehicle, you must only do this if you feel comfortable, if you do not then contact a garage that has experience with this.

It is a good idea once you jump-start your vehicle that you look into replacing your battery as it may be damaged.

For more advice on if your battery is in working order, check this blog post out.

Replacing a light bulb

Having a lightbulb out can be extremely dangerous to the driver and those on the road plus you can be pulled over by police for this.

Every now and then, our light bulbs go out; but it is a fairly simple process to complete. You will want to check your handbook for the right bulb, you can also use this to find out how you access your lights.

Some vehicles have plastic covers, others will have lights that simply pop out. Once this is sorted you will need to ensure the car is turned off before unplugging the current bulb. Then you will attach the new bulb, replace any necessary cover then check that the light is working.

There are many places such as local car part suppliers or online wholesalers, where you can purchase bulbs or you can try the trusty Halfords to see if they have the one you need.

At ECU Technologies, we are trusted and known for our ECU Repairs and ECU Testing, with an extensive team of professionals. If you have any issues with your ECU, please get in touch.

Thank you for reading