When it’s time to replace a car part, many Kia owners prefer to take their vehicles to an auto shop or service center. However, if you enjoy projects or want to save money, you can do it yourself. Nevertheless, certain types of repairs are best left to professionals as they may require specialized expertise and equipment. Let’s look at some car part replacement jobs you can undertake yourself.
Experience Confident Stopping Power With New Brake Pads
Every time you step on the brake pedal, your brake pads wear down a little. Over time, they can become so thin that they may undermine your Kia’s stopping power. It’s important to replace your worn brake pads promptly because they can cause damage to your brake rotors and lead to a considerably more expensive repair. As a general rule, you should get new brake pads once every 25,000 to 65,000 miles.
Changing your brake pads is a simple job requiring no special skills or equipment. You must remove your tires before working on the brakes, so you’ll need a lug wrench and jack. To change a brake pad, slide the old pad out and clip the new one in place with the fasteners that come with the package. The brake pad kit should also have a packet of grease, which you apply to the brakes to ensure they’re properly lubricated and won’t squeak.
Avoid Getting Stranded by Changing Your Battery
Driving with a low battery is dangerous as it can cause your engine to stall and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Inspect your vehicle’s battery twice yearly to avoid unpleasant surprises, ideally just before summer and winter. This is because your battery tends to drain faster in extreme temperatures. A car battery can typically last three to five years before it needs replacing.
The battery is one of the easiest car parts to replace. After opening the hood, locate the battery, detach its cables, and lift it out of the engine bay. Then, install the new battery and reconnect the cables.
Improve Your Vision With New Wipers
Windshield wipers are vital in helping you stay safe on the road, but it’s common to overlook them. If frayed, bent, or broken, they can impair or reduce visibility, making you more vulnerable to accidents. Most manufacturers recommend that you change your wipers every six to 12 months.
Windshield wipers come in several different forms. If you’re using wipers with a hook-and-slide or pin design, you can replace them by simply unfastening the old blades and securing the new ones in place. Straight-end connector wipers require a screwdriver to depress a small tab inside the arm.
Take a Breath of Fresh Air With a Cabin Air Filter Replacement
When your cabin air filter is old and dirty, dust will enter your vehicle’s interior, creating an unhealthy environment for you and your passengers. It also contributes to dirt buildup in your heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system, making it less effective in cooling or warming the cabin. The suggested interval for replacing your cabin air filter is once every 15,000 to 30,000 miles.
You’ll find the cabin air filter housing behind the glovebox in most vehicles. You can access the housing through the front-passenger footwell or engine bay or by removing the entire glovebox. Once you’ve found the cabin air filter, open it and remove the old filter. Then, clean the inside of the housing before installing the new filter.
Use Genuine Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Parts To Get the Most Out of Your Car
Whether replacing a car part yourself or leaving the job to a professional, you should ensure you use a genuine OEM Kia component instead of an aftermarket part. An OEM part comes from Kia, meaning it complies with the manufacturer’s strict quality standards. Specially designed to be a perfect fit for your specific car model, it’s the part your vehicle needs to perform at its best. As a form of quality assurance, an OEM part comes with a one-year warranty that pays for car repairs resulting from manufacturing defects.
In contrast, multiple car models are in mind when constructing an aftermarket part, so it may not exactly match the specifications of your Kia vehicle. The forced fit may accelerate wear and tear on the part itself and other components it comes into contact with, leading to damage that requires an expensive repair. Although it’s usually more affordable than an OEM part, an aftermarket product can cost you more in the long term.
The easiest way to get an OEM Kia part is to purchase it from the parts center of a Kia dealership. At our Kia parts center in McKinney, Texas, you can find almost any parts you need to service or repair your vehicle, from oil filters and windshield wipers to brake pads and tires. Even if you need to replace an entire transmission or exhaust system, we’ve got you covered. Another benefit of buying an OEM part from our Kia dealership is that you can take advantage of our parts specials to save money.
Get the Best Deals on OEM Kia Parts at Huffines Kia McKinney
If you need a replacement part for your Kia in McKinney, Texas, come to Huffines Kia McKinney. Whether you need a new battery, cabin air filter, or set of brake pads, our fully stocked parts center can provide you with the exact components your car needs to run at peak performance. We offer competitive prices and excellent parts specials to give you the best possible deal. If you want to ensure the part is replaced properly, our factory-trained technicians will gladly help. Contact us today to order the parts you need.