DIY tips to slash repair costs
The price of the average new car now exceeds $50,000. As a result, many Americans are holding onto their current cars longer than ever. A study by S&P Global Mobility found that in 2025, the average age of a vehicle in the U.S. was 12.8 years.
While keeping your current car is often far less expensive than buying a new one, maintaining an older car comes with its own expenses. Like new car prices, maintenance costs continue to rise. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of car maintenance and repair has gone up 46.5 percent from January 2020 to December 2025.
There is a silver lining that can be found here. That is, you can save money by doing some basic maintenance work on your own. While savings can vary depending on your vehicle, you may be able to cut your annual maintenance expenses in half. After a few years, this could add up to thousands of dollars in savings.
Doing your own maintenance doesn’t just save money, it saves your most valuable resource; time. Instead of waiting around at a shop or a dealership, you can handle the work on your own schedule, when it’s most convenient for you.
You don’t need to be a master mechanic to perform this work. You also don’t need anything beyond basic tools. Armed with a floor jack and stands, a basic socket and wrench set, and access to YouTube will go a long way.
For illustration purposes, we will use the Toyota Camry as our example vehicle. Toyota sold over 316,000 of them in the U.S. in 2025. However, even if you don’t have a Camry, the advice below holds true for any car. And if you have a luxury or exotic car your savings will be even greater.
Start Small
Build up confidence by tackling simple jobs first
If you are new to vehicle maintenance, start with the simple jobs. Try your hand at replacing wiper blades or putting in a new cabin air filter. These jobs might be simple, but they can save you real money. According to Consumer Affairs, the average cost to replace wiper blades is $93. You can easily do it yourself for $50. You just cut your maintenance bill nearly in half.
A cabin air filter replacement for a Toyota Camry costs between $83 and $114. You can buy a Fram cabin air filter from Amazon for $26. If you do your own cabin air filter and wiper blades, you just saved about $120. Both of those tasks are simple, and you can do them both in less time than it would take you to drive back and forth to your Toyota dealer.
6 things to consider before an expensive car repair
You don’t have to be a master mechanic to advocate for your vehicle and your finances.
Bigger jobs equal bigger savings
Taking on slightly more complex maintenance items can really add up
Once you get a bit of confidence from completing the easier jobs, you can move up to those that are a bit more complex but still relatively easy.
For example, a tire rotation will require a jack and stands, a torque wrench, and sockets. But you can grab all of those for just a few hundred bucks. Once you have them, you have free tire rotations for life. A tire rotation on a Camry runs about $49 to $72. Do this three or four times yourself and it pays for all the tools. And those tools can be used for other jobs that will save you money.
A few years ago, my wife bought a new Mazda 3 Turbo. The first day she brought it home, she got a nail in one of the tires. I threw the car up on the jack, took the wheel off, pulled the nail from the tire, and plugged it with my tire plugger kit. I reinflated the tire and that was it. I didn’t have to deal with going to a tire shop, paying for a repair, and taking time out of my day.
Oil changes and brake jobs can save you thousands
These more advanced jobs are still manageable
Oil changes and brake pad replacements might seem daunting at first, but they are really not that bad.
An oil change on a Camry costs between $138 and $170 dollars. The oil, filter, crush washer, shop rags, and anything else you might need will cost you maybe $50. You will need to get under the car, and access the filter and drain plug. But the process is not that complicated. After you do it once, you will get the hang of it. The savings are significant and can really add up over time.
Changing your own brake pads and rotors is another way you can save significant money. According to Kelley Blue Book, changing the brake pads and rotors on a 2020 Camry will cost between $653 and $747 at a dealer. But $257 to $302 of that is labor. And that is per axle. So, if you do front and rear on your own, you could save between $514 and $604 in labor costs.
Save money and time while learning new skills
Start small and save big
As these examples show, taking care of basic maintenance yourself can lead to real, meaningful savings over time. But the benefits go well beyond money. You pick up valuable skills, gain confidence, and develop a better understanding of your car. There’s also a certain pride that comes from doing the work yourself. And perhaps most importantly, the peace of mind of knowing the job was done right, with the right parts.
Everything outlined here is work I’ve done on my own vehicles, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a professional mechanic. I don’t even play one on TV. If I can handle these jobs, there’s no reason you can’t. Start small, take your time, and build confidence one task at a time. Before long, the only thing you will need to worry about is how to spend all of that extra money you saved.
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