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I can change lights, replace air filters and windshield wipers, and check and top off fluid levels, maybe add some air to the tires. I even replaced the in cabin air conditioner filter in DW's accord. $5 part and $130 labor at the shop apparently. Tearing half the dash off to get to the filter wasn't fun though. Things that I could actually screw up, I don't do. I take it to the dealer or a local independent instead. Usually no more than a few hundred bucks per car per year for the recommended maintenance and minor repairs (knock on wood).
I did read a few books on auto maintenance and how cars work so I wouldn't get ripped off at the dealer. I can now look under the hood and understand what just about everything does and how the different systems interact, so I kind of know what is going on when a weird noise starts or the car won't start or something. And then take it to the shop!
Having well oiled machines that consistently run is important to me, and I don't mind paying up a bit for it. I grew up in a DIY auto maintenance house, and our cars didn't half run half the time. Inconvenient.
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