Got Wrench? Save Some Money With DIY Car Repairs!

We all have a budget crunch from time to time.  And all too often, that’s right when something goes awry with your car.  You don’t have to be a full-on mechanic to handle many of the mechanical maladies that show up.  So it helps to be familiar with some of the basic car repairs you can handle and save a bit of money in the process.

Diagnosing:  What’s The Problem?

Nowadays, everything is online.  So you don’t have to be a car genius to diagnose much of what’s going on.  And even if you don’t want to do the actual repairs yourself, it helps to have an idea of the problem to keep the repair shop honest and fair on your repair quote.

Here’s how to start a diagnosis:

• Use all your senses.  Look, feel, smell, and hear anything that’s out of the ordinary.
• Think back to what happened running up to the onset of the problem.
• Do multiple Google searches with variations of the symptoms combined with the year, make, and model of your car.

YouTube has an amazing number of videos on not just diagnosing, but also the repair process.  Spending a few minutes and educating yourself will save you a ton of money.

Repair Choices:  Self or Someone Else?

Once you determine how big a project the repair is, decide on the best repair options.   That can be:

• You all by yourself.  Yes, you can.  Check out this lady and her Jeep.
• Enroll a friend or two to help.
• Host a “fix-my-car” party with your guy friends, who are surely ready to rescue a damsel in distress and show off their manly skills.

Getting At It:  Parts and Tools

You don’t have to go out and buy a whole set of mechanics tools.  First off, those same videos usually tell you what you’ll need to do the job.  And, even those can be borrowed or rented instead of buying them.

As for parts, you’ll probably want to get a good online parts supplier like www.sparepartstore24.co.uk because with so many models out there, there’s a fair chance your local parts retailer won’t have the exact part in stock.  Plus, the online parts stores are usually less expensive, saving a bit more of your already short cash.

With a little prep and determination, you’ve got this.  And then, when that guy asks who fixed it, you can slyly say, “I did!”