Experience by doing. Reading manuals and with the internet, there is always something credible that someone posted to walk you through a repair. There is no way around the need for tools, nice thing is once you acquire them, you can reuse them and someday pass them onto someone following in your footsteps. Just think of the money you will save by DIY'ing.
Working on your car
- Thread starter CourierDriver
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Part of it, for me at least, is learning by doing. You also have to know your limits though, whether it’s your skills, comfort level, tools etc. But they’re kind of like a computer. Everything has its own home and generally can only go in/on one way.
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I do everything that doesn't require a lift.
everything you guys mentioned. Plus BITOG, make it almost easy.
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Spend about 10 minutes on the "Just Rolled into the Shop" Reddit and you will be amazed at how people figure out how to put square pegs into round holes.
The internet makes it pretty easy these days, but one has to be willing to get into. Book knowledge only goes so far.
I find myself flip-flopping these days. I can do simple stuff at home but when I read some the threads that the pro's post on here, I'm left thinking I'm hack who's nearly out of the water on simple vehicles. A lot of stuff is getting only more complicated and intertangled.
Found myself watching a youtube channel last night where the guy was tearing apart transmissions. A 4R100 that basically wore out and a built 4L60 that didn't take kindly to nitrous. No small amount of talk about all the little gotchas in these transmissions. It was fascinating and yet showing how I never want to tear into one of those.
I find myself flip-flopping these days. I can do simple stuff at home but when I read some the threads that the pro's post on here, I'm left thinking I'm hack who's nearly out of the water on simple vehicles. A lot of stuff is getting only more complicated and intertangled.
Found myself watching a youtube channel last night where the guy was tearing apart transmissions. A 4R100 that basically wore out and a built 4L60 that didn't take kindly to nitrous. No small amount of talk about all the little gotchas in these transmissions. It was fascinating and yet showing how I never want to tear into one of those.
Supton, I usually mess up the first try at fixing things. It doesn't faze me, If it takes several tries, to succeed, it means I learned a little bit each time. I have no sense spatial relationships and now my sight is going. I'm teaching my finger tip to be eyes. A good how to video at an on-line appliance parts sold me on a new brain for my dishwasher. And saved me a service call. Took me a while, I'm slow, but I got it done. Same with washer/dryers/ furnace/ plumbing/ wiring. 40 yrs in the same old house I have done most jobs. I no longer hang sheetrock. Eventually, I'm gonna gut and re-do the room I'm in Then some young guy will hang and skim coat the room. 
I started hanging out at a local garage as a kid. At 12 I was cleaning up around the place and learning. I rebuilt the engine and transmission on my first car, before I was old enough to drive it. Of course I had guidance during those rebuilds. Some schooling, and I was eventually a Master Tech. I haven't worked in that career in years, but I still have all my tools, a lift at home, have stayed current on any new updates in cars since I stopped working on consumer cars, and that background has served me well in the hobby I've pursued for the last 18 years or so.
So while I know a lot about cars and motorcycles. There are plenty of subjects where I am completely clueless.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
So while I know a lot about cars and motorcycles. There are plenty of subjects where I am completely clueless.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
AutoMechanic
Site Donor 2024
I own 7 cars and I am a mechanic by trade. I took an interest in cars very early and knew that’s what I wanted to do as a career. Unfortunately I don’t have a garage at home to work in but I have a gravel driveway which is very painful to work in and a basement full of tools. I done the automotive program in high school which I had a blast doing and my teacher was amazing and cared about people learning. I work at a dealership which we can only bring our cars in at certain times so I usually just fix my stuff at home. Luckily for me my closest neighbor is a retired diesel mechanic so if I don’t have a tool at home I just go ask him. I spent a lot of time around a shop when I was a kid it was my dads friend and he invited me to come anytime so I did.
As others have mentioned here, I was interested in car maintenance back in the early 90s, started with oil changes. Had someone show me how to do front brakes on my Toyota Tercel. Took a while to get out of my comfort zone. Back in 2010 decided to do back to back timing belt changes on my 1997 Honda Civic and 1998 Toyota Sienna. Spent 2 days on the Civic's TB and 3 days on the Sienna. Needed to get some tools and parts during that week. Learned a lot and knew I needed to invest in some better tools.
Half of the process is going into a new type of repair with the information needed and parts that are needed for the job. Plenty of days, I've been covered in dirt and had to come into the house and get on Bitog and Youtube. Currently working on the brake lines on the Civic. Some of those youtube videos are garbage or lack information I need to complete the repair. For instance on the civic the brake lines bent and curve up under the front suspension and I wasn't in the mood to unbolt that to run into other possible complications on a 23 year old car.
One lesson that I've learned is to not be in a rush to get something done. Sometimes you need another day or two to get it done properly and not screw something else up. If you only have one car that may be an issue for you.
Half of the process is going into a new type of repair with the information needed and parts that are needed for the job. Plenty of days, I've been covered in dirt and had to come into the house and get on Bitog and Youtube. Currently working on the brake lines on the Civic. Some of those youtube videos are garbage or lack information I need to complete the repair. For instance on the civic the brake lines bent and curve up under the front suspension and I wasn't in the mood to unbolt that to run into other possible complications on a 23 year old car.
One lesson that I've learned is to not be in a rush to get something done. Sometimes you need another day or two to get it done properly and not screw something else up. If you only have one car that may be an issue for you.
Learned quite a bit in the two semesters of Auto Mechanics I took in high school. Never got to do anything major like head gaskets or rebuilds, but smaller things that can save some money if I do it myself. I could do more involved jobs like brakes, shocks & struts if I had the right tools, machines, and a lift. Haven't changed auto tranny fluid since high school, but finally got the chance to do it last week on the Fiero I just bought. Most other cars require removal of exhaust, crossmembers, etc. to get the pan off, but the pan on this car is right in front of your face with zero obstructions. I've since moved on to repairing the headlight motors and replacing the leaky radiator. Easy stuff on this car, since the engine's in the back. Not so easy changing the spark plugs, as one side of the V6 is pretty close to the firewall. It does help knowing you have another car to drive if you take on a job that ends up taking days instead of hours. If I had an engine hoist, I could remove the driver's door to replace the hinge bushings, but it's going to a body shop for that. Not wanting to drop my door on the garage floor and make things 10x worse.
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I do all of the work on our cars except for things that either require a lift or a dealership specialty tool.
Check the loan a tool at the parts store. They usually have something you may only use once.
