Among Friends

[geezerette]

You received a lot of good suggestions as to how and where to start.  You're going to have to decide what works best for you and it may be a hit and miss.

Your husband most likely kept track of when he changed the oil, filters, etc.  Find those records and it will give you an idea of when the last maintenance was done and duration between previous maintenance.

If you don't know how already, learn how to check your own oil and tire pressure.  Ask family, friends to show you if necessary.  Or Google for your car brand, make, year--there are YouTube videos for everything.  If you can check the basics yourself, you can keep an eye on when you need to take to someone to have work done.  QVC sells those Halo devices that can put air in your tires automatically, although I'm sure your husband probably has all the equipment to do so.

As for taking the vehicle for service, did your husband have somewhere he went when he needed an expert for something he couldn't do himself?  I was familiar with the local shop my husband used so they knew him and our vehicles.  A lot of specialty mechanics also do basic maintenance.  Most have websites you can check to see what services they offer.  Again, I would ask local family and friends as to who they would recommend.

Some people are leery of both dealers and mechanic shops.  I have not had any trouble with either.  Perhaps because I live in a small town, I have found the best way for me was to explain I was a recent widow and had no knowledge of what needed to be done and when.  I never had anyone try to upsell me anything I didn't need.  In fact, they would tell me what I didn't need sometimes.  I take my newer car to the dealer for maintenance, and the older one to a local mechanic shop.  I tell them to check the whole car over, which they normally do anyway, and to let me know if something other than basic maintenance is needed before I agree to it. 

It's a lot to have to deal with on top everything else, I know.  But you can do it.  ❤️

[Desertdi]

Oil changes and maintenance PRICES have gone WAY UP...so you might want to ASK before you take your car in.    Had mine done this week...and it came to $173.

[katie1859]

I'm in the process this year of maintenance on my car

Every car has a manual with recommended maintenance 

it's by age and mileage

Its pretty simple actually and roughly 1500.00 invested a year

Yes oil changes every three months, rotate tires or replace them as needed with an alignment, coolant exchange for air conditioning so they flush and refill as with transmission. Flush out the old and refill or replace as needed.

I also have my engine cleaned which blows out the dirt and not complicating to anything

considered labor 

Find a local repair shop

example: TUFFYS or FIRESTONE

They do basic maintenance on all cars 

They are reasonable and offer discounts 

Should anything appear wrong they will give you a spec report

then you're free to get a second opinion at a place of your choice

Im 65 and single and if I can do it so can you

Also I had 2 cars too and realized I didn't need two

to maintain

Think about selling one

 With the costs of everything spend for quality on one car

and it helps you not be stressed

[Eileen in Virginia]

We don't do any work on our cars ourselves (we have 3 cars - 2 are 15 and 1 is 17 years old), but DH takes the lead on car maintenance. We have an excellent local service station where he takes them for routine maintenance. Since Virginia requires that cars pass an annual inspection, he usually asks them to check the oil and maybe rotate the tires at that time. If we're going on a trip, he'll take the car we're using in so they can check the fluid levels, belts, etc. before we leave. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with your car's owners manual. If you don't have it, you can probably find it online and download it. 

A few years ago I bought DH a Snow Joe tire inflator/compressor for Christmas from QVC and he loves it! It kind of looks like a drill. You charge it and it measures the tire pressure for you. If you need to add air, set the correct level and it stops inflating when it reaches that level. If a tire's over-inflated, you can release air until it reaches the appropriate pressure level. Although QVC isn't selling that particular compressor anymore, they do have E314634, Limitless Air Pro...Power Bank on sale for $39.99. It has a 3.9 star rating with 613 reviews. Amazon also has a good selection of these machines at various price points.. Search under "tire inflator/portable air compressor ."

If you're not already a member, consider joining AAA. In addition to their roadside service, they also have service centers in some areas. We've been members for almost 50 years. Every time we've thought about not renewing our membership, something happens and they come to our rescue. In addition to jump-starting your battery, they've got new batteries on their trucks (the prices are comparable to other vendors). They've got pneumatic jacks on their trucks and can change a flat tire in a jiffy. If you need a tow, they're great at that, too. Whenever we call, the first question they ask is if you're safe. If you're okay, they generally estimate an hour response time, but usually get there within 20-30 minutes. We pay $178 per year for the basic membership for 3 drivers.

There are so many things to take care of after a loved one dies, I hope this helps lessen that load. 

[Still Raining]

You can do this!  Just need a schedule and a list!

Once I was in the same boat 😞 and had a rattle in a tire thingy.  I was in line behind a guy and when it was his turn he said "Can you come outside and have a look?  I am puzzled?"  

YES!  I can do that!

[conlt]

I am single and alone age 66. I have a relationship with a shop, I take it there for oil changes. My car tells me when but I think it is around 5000 miles. They check the belts, tires etc. It has to be a trusted shop though. I would check reviews for shops in your area. 

I recently got 4 new tires because mine were so worn. They gave me the same price that I could get them at Costco. I was thrilled because I am on the road so much, I needed great tires. 

I also went to an auto parts store and purchased some premium windshield wiper blades and they are so worth it. The man at the auto parts store installed them for me. My windshield wiper blades were terribly worn, they squeaked. I could not see well. The new ones work great, smooth as silk. I live in Florida and drive in heavy rain sometimes. I considered this a real safety issue. I wanted to pick out my wiper blades myself rather than have what the the repair shop might have put on. I purchased the rainex brand. Expensive but worth it. 

[deeva]

If you have any AAA car service centers near you, I would start there. 

[Jaspersmom]

I'm sorry for your loss.  When I was a teenager, my father taught me the basics of car care and believe me, it has paid off many times through the years.

First, find a reliable and honest mechanic.  Ask friends. I own a Honda and take my car to a shop that works solely on Hondas.  I found my mechanic through friends and have been going to him for over thirty years.  

However, there are things you CAN do if you're so inclined. Get a tire pressure gauge.  They are good to have and easy to use.  I bought a small air compressor from Amazon or QVC and it's the best investment I've made recently.  Very easy to use and I can add air if and when necessary.  You can always go to a gas station if you don't want to purchase a compressor.

Windshield wiper fluid is easy to add too.  The hardest part for me is opening the hood because it's heavy, but once I have it in place, adding the fluid is a breeze.

You can check your own oil too. I have a newer car, so it does show me the oil level.  However, for years, I checked my own oil every couple of weeks.  It's easy too.  Just pull out the dip stick, wipe on cloth, then dip again and remove and check level.  

Your mechanic will also let you know if any big servicing is due.  When you have the oil changed, ask them to rotate the tires which they usually do.

Just a few ideas that I hope help. 

[RedTop]

I drive less than 5,000 miles a year, but take my 12 year old vehicle to the Toyota dealership 2x a year for service; oil and filter changes, new wiper blades, tire rotation.  WV required yearly vehicle inspections until 2024 when the law changed to inspections every 2 years.  Besides the inspection sticker on the car, I make a note on the calendar to help me keep up with this as well.   

With all the things you have going on right now, I would make this easy on myself and take the vehicles to an in/out business like Jiffy Lube.  My area of WV has a local business like this that does a 25 point inspection on every visit, which is going to check the most important parts of keeping your vehicle maintained.  These businesses put a plastic sticker on the upper left corner of your windshield with a date or mileage reminder of when you need to take the vehicle in for service again.  Since you know your husband kept the vehicles well maintained, one visit will give you the starting point to keep track going forward.  

Whether you use a quick serve business or schedule an appt with a WalMart service center, or garage, I urge you to just focus on finding a reliable service center you trust and feel comfortable going to.  

[haddon9]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

As for the car, I'm not very good at this sort of thing. We are lucky to have a neighbor who we are close to that owns a Goodyear. 

He will take our car in and do inspection and anything else including oil changes (DH used to do them himself when he was well).  Then bring the car home....he lives two doors down.