Do it yourself

In a perfect world, your car would perform smoothly all the time. You had never have to jump-start a battery or change a tire or ever get your hands dirty. But unfortunately there are times when it's necessary to take matters into your own hands. In light of that, here are some ways to keep those dirty duties safe and painless.

How to safely jump-start a vehicle. Although you should familiarize yourself with the steps outlined in your owner's manual, here are some standard rules.

• Do not smoke, create a spark or light a match near a battery.
• Check the battery voltage. Most new cars have a 12 volt battery. Never try to jump an older car with a 6 volt battery by using a 12 volt battery. The battery could explode.
• Make sure the vehicles aren't touching.
• Check the charge indicator dot or hydrometer. Its color changes depending on the state of the battery charge. Green means fully charged. Brown or black means the charge is lost. Yellow means that the battery is bad and needs to be replaced.
• Make sure the battery terminals, positive and negative, are clean and free of corrosion. You can clean them with baking soda and water. (In an emergency, Coke works.)
• Don't let the cables touch each other.
• First connect both the positive (red) cables to the plus (+) terminals.
• Then connect both negative (black) cables to the negative (-) terminals. Do not make the final jumper connection to the low or dead battery itself. It could produce a spark.
• Turn on the engine in the vehicle with the good battery and let it idle for a few minutes.
• Turn on your headlights before starting your car. This absorbs voltage spikes that can cause damage to your vehicle's computer.
• Turn on the vehicle with the low battery. As soon as it starts, remove the cables.
• Once it's jumped, drive the vehicle for at least 30 minutes to recharge the battery. Depending on the condition of the battery, additional time may be required.

How to change a tire

• Put your vehicle in park if it is an automatic transmission. Put it in first gear if it's a manual transmission. Put the emergency brake on.
• Place wedges, blocks or rocks behind the wheels to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
• Take out your jack, spare tire, and lug wrench.
• Pry off the hubcap.
• Loosen the nuts with the lug wrench. DO NOT remove them.
• Put the jack under the car frame close to the flat tire in a place that has enough strength to support the vehicle's weight.
• Pump the jack until the tire is off the ground. Once the car is elevated, never open vehicle doors, start the car, or get under the car.
• Remove the nuts.
• Pull the tire off and replace it with the spare.
• Put the nuts back on but don't tighten them all the way until the car is back on the ground.
• Lower the vehicle with the jack.
• Remove the jack from under the vehicle, tighten the nuts, and unblock the wheels.