Maybe it’s because of time. Maybe it’s because of money. Maybe you can blame it all on straight-up laziness. Whatever. Here are the repairs that you should be doing right this very second, but aren’t.
10.) Bushings
Hear that “clank clank clack” from your front end when you go over those mildly aggressive potholes and uneven surfaces? Chances are you need some bushings.
Suggested By: , Photo Credit: Allayn Rolon via Car Buying/Jalopnik
9.) Belts
Some belts aren’t as important as others, in fact, some people pull the air conditioning and power steering belts off because they hate convenience! Then there are other belts like the timing belt and the alternator belt that you want to make sure stay on the pulleys and are properly tensioned. You’ll have to get dirty for these.
Suggested By: Anti-Lag, Photo Credit: Car Buying/Jalopnik
8.) Valve Cover Gaskets
Each time I get on the brakes hard, accelerate “rapidly” or find myself going up or down a hill, I am rewarded with the scent of the oil dropping on my headers. It’s a helpful reminder that I’m probably going to have to do valve cover gaskets soon. Thankfully it’s not an incredibly difficult job. At least it’s not an oil pan gasket or rear main seal, then I’d be cringing.
Suggested By: Land-Rover Matt, Photo Credit: Ferrous Büller via Flickr
7.) A/C Recharge
Now that we’re in summer, you might be regretting not getting that R134 recharge sooner. But that takes time and money and hey, who really needs A/C anyways? Cranking the windows down and cracking the sunroof to get that smooth summer breeze never killed me!
Suggested By: Jon James, Photo Credit: mrzaccessories via Youtube
6.) Engine Mounts
Over time, the mounts that prevent your motor from violently shaking the whole car will deteriorate. If not taken care of, this can cause unnecessary wear on other parts of the drivetrain. Why wait?
Suggested By: ToastedTires, Photo Credit: Ernesto Andrade via Flickr
5.) Brake Fluid Flush
Don’t under estimate the important of bleeding your brakes when the time comes, as well as before and after track days. You don’t want to end up like this guy.
Suggested By: SkaBob, Photo Credit: Nathanael Burton via Flickr
4.) Bodywork
I’m one of those guys that couldn’t really care too much about aesthetics. In fact, some have even pointed out to me that my daily driver has three shades of goldish brown on the front end, but I couldn’t really care less. It’s easy to put off bodywork, because it’s often expensive as hell.
Suggested By: sfferries, Photo Credit: Jon Harper/JBH
3.) O2 Sensors
Ever get a check engine light on your dash? If it wasn’t because you forgot to tighten your gas cap, chances are one of your O2 sensors burnt out. Usually not a big deal, but if you ever have to reinspect your car, you’re probably going to have to replace the dead sensor to pass inspection.
Suggested By: Mathias Rios, Photo Credit: Ernesto Andrade via Flickr
2.) Pads And Rotors
Screeching street pads, awful steering wheel vibration under braking or maybe your car just won’t even stop anymore, this are all signs that you should probably get your brakes checked. Do you really want to skimp out on stopping power?
Suggested By: olddirtybootz, Photo Credit: Car Buying/Jalopnik
1.) Oil Change
The oil in my car might be golden like Flava Flav’s teeth but that doesn’t help the fact that what’s in there is Wal-Mart’s SuperTech mixed with a quart or two of the local Citgo’s generic 0W-20. Hey, wasn’t my choice! I haven’t done an oil change since I bought the car.
I should probably get on that.
Suggested By: POD, Photo Credit: Robert Course-Baker via Flickr
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day’s Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It’s by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: Aaron Brown