Ten secrets of DIY maintenance - pictures

You should invest in a tyre pressure gauge and check your tyre pressures every week

By inserting a 20p coin in your tyre's tread gives a instant clue as to whether your tyre is legal. If you can see any of the coin's ridge, you're nearing the legal limit.

Headlamp bulbs are removed from the rear of the headlight. Access can be poor.

Try not to touch the bulb's glass. They're fragile and are easily damaged.

Mix your screenwash with water to the correct specifications and take care not to spill any on the car's bodywork.

When the engine is cold, locate the dipstick to check your oil levels

Checking your oil is one of the easiest - and most important - parts of car maintenance

Slowly pour oil into the engine and check the dipstick every so often to avoid overfilling

Changing an air filter is fairly easy. Just remove the air filter cover and drop the air filter inside - checking it's the right way round.

Take care when you're changing sparkplugs, particularly when screwing or unscrewing them in or out of the engine block.

Jet washing your car isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing

It's far better to wash your car's paintwork by hand, using good quality shampoo.

Changing your wiperblades is fairly straightforward, but all cars vary slightly