Oppo, I have a question.

"Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis" (Dwhite95)
09/11/2013 at 14:12 • Filed to: None

The post earlier about flipping cars got me thinking "Wow, that would be really cool to do" but then having the realization that I dont know how to work on cars. What is the best way to learn how to be a mechanic when your current knowledge extends to changing head and tail lights? The internet, trial and error? I dont have a clue. Also here is an awesome picture for your time.

DISCUSSION (13)

Casper > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:13

Take a part your daily driver. You better believe it will be incentive to figure out how to put it back together before work rolls around.

ddavidn > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:14

Well, I bought a BMW and I don't have any extra money... So I was forced into it. It's been nice. Just take it one small thing at a time, buddy up with someone who is a decent mechanic, look it up on the internet and go for it. Helps to have an unreliable car.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:16

I couldn't say: my first serious mechanic experience was ~12 when the family car blew a water pump. Rather than leave it offline while my dad was at work, I said "eff that" and jumped in, after getting approval to do so.

Really, just finding a project that will not create catastrophe if you get it a bit wrong, or something that's fairly idiotproof like brakes would probably work.

Party-vi > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:16

I learned from starting small DIY maintenance - oil changes, brakes jobs, etc. Pretty much anything small that breaks on your car you can fix yourself. The internet is a great source of knowledge too. Most of my knowledge came from building my own car with my dad, who learned from restoring an Opel GT when he was young. Just start small and work your way up.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:18

From what I've learned, which isn't anything to be proud of, is a mix of YouTube/trial and error. That's how I've learned what I can do.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:18

From what I've learned, which isn't anything to be proud of, is a mix of YouTube/trial and error. That's how I've learned what I can do.

WNX > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:21

1. Read some stuff on the Internet.
2. Go to the garage.
3. Realize that nothing is quite as it should be.
4. Do it your way.

That's how you can aquire some useful knowledge. You can replace Internet for books.

jovimon7 > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:31

Go to your local dealer of choice and inquire about an apprenticeship program. You'll get correct training using the special tools designed for the job, plus a wealth of info from the technicians. Knowledge is power. Flipping cars is NOT as easy as they make it look on tv, I did it for years, made a living but never got rich. You need connections for discounts on parts, tires, paint and body, etc. You also need a dealers license to take the cars to auction because "flipping" mean turning the car over quickly not watching it sit a week on Ebay.

OtherBarry > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:36

Get something cheap and easy to work on. I like early eighties cars and hondas. Drive until something brakes and get it done. Also, don't look at it like the whole car broke you will get discourged. Just the starter/u-joint/whatever is broken and you need to replace that. Disassemble and reassemble. If you are looking at major repairs that actually require skill and not just special tools (like body work) then you might want to farm that out. But the nice thing about cheap cars is that if you f up, what are you out? a few hundred bucks? The mechianic would have charged you more...

BJ > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:37

Aftermarket service manuals are super helpful when you're learning. They use clear descriptions of the tasks, they have pictures, and, contrary to your phone or iPad, you can take them into the shop easily without the worry about dropping them in a bucket of oil.

The two brands I know of are Chilton and Haynes - get one for your car and see if there isn't something that you could fix.

Cixelsyd > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 14:45

I have a few suggestions that I've used in the past.

When something goes wrong on your car, the first step should be to head to google and see if you can diagnose a likely cause and solution. Often, you can figure out how to fix something yourself by reading what other people did (or by asking questions in the right forums). I just did this with my mirror on my Lexus (and wrote about it here: http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/saved-myself-n…

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Also, if you know what the issue is, see if you can find a service manual or instructions from the manufacturer on how to fix it. I did this recently with my wife's RAV4. I wanted to add satellite radio to her car, but I wanted it to be controlled through the factory head unit, rather than as an add on sticking out of the dash. I also didn't want to pay to have someone install it for me. I ended up finding a dealer in Southern California (I'm in Ohio) that would sell me the factory tuner unit. After talking to the service manager on the phone, he also agreed to scan me the pages from the official Toyota procedures detailing how to install it. It had a step-by-step breakdown (with pictures and diagrams!) on the process from start to finish. My wife freaked when she came into the garage to find most of her dashboard on the floor next to the car, but I was never worried because every step was laid out for me to follow. Ended up taking me longer than the factory estimate, but the entire process was pretty painless and successful.

Cloud81918 > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 16:39

Here my number 1 tip. Of course you should have manuals. But this tip is actually bout do something.

Go to u-pull yards, take crap apart. Not only are pull it years a great place to get some parts (if you are working on decently popular cars) but you can get to know an area of a vehicle before you deal with it on a car that you actually want on the road again.

Want to know how to replace a strut? Make a trip to a pull yard and pull a strut off the same or similar type of car. Understand how it comes out. What I love about this is sometime it is not clear how to remove something without breaking things until after you have broken something. By working on a car already head for the compactor you are furthering your knowledge in a relatively concupiscence free environment.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
09/11/2013 at 17:09

Check your local high school or vocational tech. Many offer automotive classes that anyone can sign up for under the Adult Continuing Education program.