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There are some car maintenance tasks that everyone can do themselves, even if they’re not mechanically skilled. Why pay someone to replace the windshield wipers or air filter when you can easily pop on new ones yourself?
Changing the battery is a trickier DIY task. It can save a lot of money but it is also laborious and potentially hazardous. Before you decide on replacing a car battery yourself, weigh these pros and cons.
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Benefits of DIY battery replacement
Cheaper: The main reason to replace the battery yourself is to save money on labor. Doing the work yourself can be a great deal cheaper than what a garage or service center would charge to simple swap out a part.
More options: Buying your own car battery gives you a greater selection of different brands and retailers to choose from instead of whatever the mechanic prefers.
Total administration: You don’t have to trust that another person is correctly replacing a car battery. If you trust your own expertise and don’t want to leave the work in someone else’s hands, you can have complete control over the battery replacement.
Flexible schedule: Paying a mechanic to replace the car battery means you’re limited to their business hours, which typically doesn’t include nights and sometimes weekends, either. If your car battery dies at 9 p.m., you can still run to the 24-hour Walmart and replace it yourself before work in the morning.
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Reasons to pay a mechanic for replacing a car battery
Less effort: Obviously, paying someone else to do the work for you means you can kick your feet up and read a book while someone else gets their hands dirty.
More tools: You may not have all the tools you need to remove, clean, and secure the batteries. Do you have a socket set, battery service kit, and terminal spray? Are you willing to spend the money to buy them if you don’t? Mechanics already have all these, plus many other devices to help in emergencies.
Fewer trips: After you buy and replace your own car battery, you still have to return to the store to return the old battery for disposal. You don’t have to drive back and forth if you bring your car to a mechanic.
Less dangerous: There’s a chance you could install the battery incorrectly and ruin your car. Plus, cracks and corrosion on the old battery can lead to acid burns or even explosions.
More familiarity: You might be able to replace a battery, but can you spot other red flags while you’re under the hood? A mechanic can notice if there’s something wrong in the engine bay that you might not recognize if you saw it.
Aaron is unashamed to be a native Clevelander and the proud driver of a Hyundai Veloster Turbo (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He gleefully utilizes his background in theater, literature, and communication to dramatically recite his own articles to nearby youth. Mr. Widmar happily resides in Dayton, Ohio with his magnificent wife, Vicki, but is often on the road with her exploring new destinations. Aaron has high aspirations for his writing career but often gets distracted pondering the profound nature of the human condition and forgets what he was writing… See more articles by Aaron.