Do mechanics give you the heebie jeebies? Do you hate to spend all of your hard earned money on labor expenses? Do you get a sense of pride by getting your hands dirty? Continuing our series on car care tips, today we'll run through some eco-reminders if you decide to do it yourself.

Car Batteries

When you purchase a new car battery at the auto parts store, you'll pay a deposit. You'll get this money back when you return your old battery for proper handling. Due to such a "successful collaboration among members of the battery industry, retailers and consumers," lead-acid batteries have the highest recycling rate of all consumer products.

Motor Oil

If you change your own motor oil, collect and store the old oil in a sturdy plastic container and take it to a recycling center. Visit Earth911 to find earth-friendly DIY oil change tips. Check with your municipality to find a location that will accept it, or check with your local oil change businesses and auto parts stores.

Used motor oil still has value - make sure it gets recycled. It can be reprocessed and used in furnaces or to generate electricity. By recycling 2 gallons of oil, you'll help create enough energy to run the average household for 24 hours. For more information, visit RecycleOil.org.

Tires

Never throw tires into the trash or dump. Bring them to a tire retailer or wholesaler who will be able to recycle or retread them. There, the experts will decide to resell tires that are still safe for use or recondition tires (retread) that can be used for more time. If the tires are completely spent, they will shred or melt them for reuse into items such as playgrounds or roads.

Visit Earth911 to find locations near you to recycle these items and many more. If you have kids, check out Recycle City.

Rebecca says: My husband recently changed our car battery on his own, saving us about 50 bucks and causing me to be uber-impressed. We brought the old battery back to the store and received our $10 deposit back.