Car repairs can drain your pocketbook fast, but you can do a wide range of repairs yourself, regardless of your technical skill. We're not just talking oil changes; provided you can hold a wrench, you can fix everything ranging from fuel filters to alternators. We'll detail the tools necessary for your DIY toolkit, where to turn to for help when you're making the repairs, and how to tackle some of the most common car problems yourself.
Title image remixed from an original by Laralova (Shutterstock).
The biggest hurdle in convincing someone they can handle car repair is the fear factor, but here's the thing: It's actually pretty hard to permanently screw up a car. You might break something temporarily, or a fix might not work in the long run, but you probably won't set yourself or your car on fire just because you banged too hard on a valve. Cars are resilient machines and regardless of the year or make, there are plenty of repairs even the clumsiest and technically challenged can handle provided they have the confidence to push through.
The Free Tech That Will Help You on Your Way
For a little background, I didn't own a car for about eight years, and before that, I had a small car I barely had the sense to put gas in, let alone repair anything on. Then, a couple years ago, I was handed down a small truck. Within the first couple weeks, a hose connection leading to the radiator cracked. I took a picture of the part that seemed to be leaking, walked into an auto parts store, showed it to them, and they found the replacement part for me. Twenty minutes later it was in and the truck was working again. Since then, I've helped friends with a wide range of repairs so I could learn more and practice.
For DIY repairs, your computer is your friend. AutoMD and Expert Village are both excellent resources of general purpose videos, how-to guides, and diagnostic assistance for the most common car problems. AutoMD also has aniPhone app with guides optimized for mobile viewing. If you need help deciding if a repair is worth your time, RepairPal is an excellent resource for checking the average cost of repairs in a shop and can help you decide if it's worth the time and effort to do it yourself.
As for the repair work, consider your phone, tablet, or computer the manual. Bring it out to the car with the video guide loaded up or the walkthrough in front of you. Watch and read over the directions several times so you feel comfortable, but keep your technology ready in case you need to reference a step. Take a picture of the section you're going to work on with your phone or a digital camera before you start so you know exactly how the engine is supposed to look if you get lost in the directions. If you feel like you need paper, you can always print directions or purchase your car's official guide.
For this guide, you can watch the videos embedded within or find step-by-step text instructions linked at the end of each section.
The Common Tools You Need and How to Shop for New Parts
Every car is different, but the myth foreign cars require special tools isn't exactly true. Nearly all cars use basic nuts and bolts for the most common repairs you need to make. Here's a short list of what you typically need:
- Adjustable wrench
- Torque wrench
- Socket and ratchet set
- Pliers
- Phillips and flat head screwdrivers
- Jack (usually included with your car)
- There's no real secret to picking out tools, but they need to have a good grip. Buy tools with hefty handles.You will also need to purchase new parts for your car if you're doing a replacement. If you purchase these from an auto parts store online, you will enter your car's year, make, and model into a form before searching for the part you need. If you're unsure of the technical name for a part, you can find the part number on the piece in your car, or you can head into a parts store for expert advice. Every car is slightly different, so make sure you enter the correct information to get the correct part and always hold onto your receipt in case it doesn't match up.
- Replace a broken belt drive.
- How to know when to replace your drive belts: If your car squeals when you start it or when you use certain accessories, it might be a drive belt. You can quickly give the car a visual inspection and check the belts for cracks, wear, and looseness. Even if you're not hearing noises, if the belt is cracked or worn, it's best to replace it. If it's loose, you might need to tighten it up instead of replace it.Terms you need to know
- Drive Belt: A drive belt is the rubber belt that connects and loops around pulleys on the your car's engine and is located at the front of the engine. These belts typically control accessories like the cooling system, battery charging, windshield wipers, and power steering. In older cars, you may find multiple belts for each system, but newer cars often use a belt called a serpentine belt, which is a single belt that loops through all of your car's systems. When working properly, you will not hear or notice the belt's existence, but if it's starting to fail, you will hear a loud squealing sound.
- Serpentine Belt: The serpentine belt is the main drive belt in new vehicles. It wraps around several of your cars components instead of individual systems.
- Pulleys: These are the small wheels with grooved rims the belt wraps around. When force is exerted, they spin, giving power to the systems they're attached to.
- Tensioner pulley: A tensioner helps the pulleys work properly by allowing you to adjust the tightness of the belt in one place. Belts often stretch over use, so this keeps the system tight so belts don't fall off.
- Tools you need: Ratchet, sockets, wrenches, screwdriver
- How to know your alternator or battery needs replacement: If your car isn't turning over and your accessories aren't powering on, two possible culprits are the battery and the alternator. You can test your alternator and your your battery with a multimeter to see if either are dead. If one of them isn't measuring enough power with the multimeter, you will need to replace it. If you have trouble locating your battery or alternator, your car's manual will include a chart with their location. If you left lights on overnight, your battery might just need a jump, so make sure you know how to jump a car. If your battery or alternator have failed, a jump start will often work to at least get you home.Terms you need to know
- Alternator: The alternator is the device that works with your battery to generate power for the electrical parts of your vehicle. An alternator is almost always found near the front of the engine, with a belt connected to the front.
- Battery: The battery is usually a large black box found near the front of a vehicle that supplies the initial power to the alternator. It is connected to your car with positive and negative terminals.
- Multimeter: To test and replace a battery or alternator, you'll want a digital multimeter. A multimeter measures electrical properties like current and resistance. You'll use this to test your battery and your alternator to figure out which is causing the problems you're experiencing.
- Accessories: Accessories refers to all your electronically powered parts in your car. These might include your stereo, power windows, power locks, or clock.
- Tools you need: Wrenches, socket set, multimeter, screwdriverKeep your battery in good shape: It's good to keep your battery clean to increase the battery life and cleaning isn't hard to do. You can clean your battery with baking soda, water, and little elbow grease to ensure the connection between the car and the battery is strong. It's not a bad idea to mix in cleaning your battery terminals to your yearly maintenance.
