As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Where cars are concerned, prevention is also drastically cheaper as even the quickest trip to the garage can leave you hundreds of pounds lighter!

However there are plenty of cheap ways that you can keep an eye on your own vehicle, or make your existing car maintenance routine even easier, for very little money. Here are just a few.

On Board Diagnostics

Also referred to as OBD, On Board Diagnostics has been around for a while, gaining in strength and breadth as computers gained in usage. The latest incarnation is the OBD 2 or II, and is basically a handheld device that plugs into the car electronics, within two feet of the steering wheel, often in the seat well. From there, it can tell you what’s wrong with a great many aspects of the car.

The point here is that they are not expensive items to own (they all cost less than £20) and are most likely what your local garage are going to plug into your car the moment you leave it with them. 

All you need do is type your car’s make and model into an online search engine and you have a complete and comprehensive list to refer to concerning the error codes. This makes this an OBD a time and therefore money saving device, as either you discover it’s something easy for you to fix, like a fuse, or you can tell the garage what the problem is. 

You can even know when your garage is pulling the wool over your eyes if they start talking expensive and expansive fixes. You don’t even need to be any kind of a mechanic, or even know anything at all about cars - it tells you. Good, no?

Quick Release Fasteners

These are a great idea throughout the car, especially if you are the type that seldom leaves things alone for long. A huge amount of fiddle time is completely eradicated as you try to get a screwdriver into a screw in one of those incredibly tight, no-space corners that typify the average engine bay. 

This includes easy use hose clamps that eschew the use of screwdrivers or spanners altogether, using sprung steel to create simple, squeezable grips.

Tyre Pressure Valve Caps

We’re being informed more and more all the time of the advantages to keeping our tyre pressures up to snuff. Not only tyre wear, but handling, safety - and even fuel efficiency, it turns out - are related to correct tyre pressures. Certainly they need to be given the once-over far more often than people seem prepared to check them.

And tyres can actually get pretty low before we notice them needing attention. So imagine a set of tyre valves that actually offer up crucial info -at a glance.

Oil Change Hacks

Changing the oil is something every one of us should be doing as a bare minimum; however, the idea of it appears to be beyond many people. But there are several key hacks that can really help this process. 

The first is an Oil Drain Valve. This fits into the sump, replacing the sump plug and is essentially a small tap. No more spanner rash, lying under the car trying to undo a nut that’s seen better days, just a simple brass tap with a lever release mechanism. And it’s as cheap as chips.

If even this seems too much, how about an Oil Change Pump? No need to scuffle under the car at all. Simply shove this in the engine, without needing to go anywhere near the sump and let it evacuate the machine of oil. If you buy a powered one, it’ll do everything while you can figuratively file your nails. 

The other major snag of effecting an oil change is usually the oil filter. Only finger tight when put on, it’s impossible to get off, nearly always jammed into a tight space, grip hampered by inaccessibility and an impossibly smooth, greasy canister. Well, for a couple of extra quid, you can now buy oil filters for your make and model with a grip-able surface. No more specialty tools, just grab, twist and it’s off. Sweet as.