Auto Mechanics 101 | Where to Start

Auto repair is no more a skill reserved for the pros. With living expenses always on the rise, repairing and maintaining your car has become an essential life skill. Whether you want to make a career out of it or only to save on repair shop bills, auto mechanics is a skill that is sure to bring significant benefits. Learning basic repairs can also teach you how to quickly come out of tricky situations, which you’ll especially appreciate the next time your car stalls on your way to work.

So, what can you do to learn these skills and become good at fixing cars? In this article, we will look at some of the measures you can take to learn the basics of auto mechanics, including getting your hands on a couple of textbooks and car service manuals, joining a community of like-minded people, or using tutorials to your advantage. 

However, always remember that it is up to you to decide how good you want to become in this niche, and that will totally depend on the efforts you are willing to put in. Auto mechanics is no rocket science, but the learning curve can seem steep at first. Luckily, with a bit of dedication and a lot of practice, that’s nothing you can’t take care of.

Buckle up!

Take Car Repair Courses

Online car repair courses are a great way to start with car repairs. You will find several popular online learning platforms such as Udemy and Coursera offering automotive repair courses for low prices. What’s even better is that these websites even provide financial aid for anyone on a budget, so if you are a student or looking to start a new career, this is a good option for you.

Most of these courses are also self-paced. Hence, you can view the pre-recorded content at any time and at your convenience. So even if you are a slow learner, you always have the option to start over again and follow the instructions carefully. 

Still, not all courses are created equal; always go for the top-rated or best-selling courses available, and make sure to watch the preview before committing to anything.

Overall, online repair courses are an excellent investment if you are passionate about doing your repairs. And no need to worry if you are a total beginner; these courses will teach you from scratch with video and visual demonstrations.

Get the right tools

Buying the right tools is your harpoon for conducting any repairs on your vehicle. But don’t just rush and buy an expensive tool kit right away, without first getting used to basic maintenance. Instead, you can find plenty of entry-level tool kits out there, good enough to conduct preliminary repair works such as replacing brake pads or changing the engine oil.

Once you are familiar with the minor stuff, you can step up your game and try your hands at more significant overhauls and repairs. Only then should you think of upgrading to more professional tools. They might be expensive, but trust me, these will last a lot longer than those cheap Chinese alternatives. Besides, professional tools have a longer warranty and are durable enough to take on more physically demanding tasks such as taking off subframe bolts. 

Your service and repair manual might also sometimes list special tools that you will need for specific repairs. Always remember that the more complex a repair gets, the more special tools might be required. Also, different automakers use various special tools, so make sure you buy a set that supports most brands.

So, make sure to make the necessary arrangements before you start working on your car. You don’t want to have to run for parts or tools in the middle of an ongoing repair. 

Get a repair manual for every car you are working on

Service manuals for cars are the holy grail for DIY’ers and can significantly improve your car repairing skills. Indeed, repair manuals contain every replacement procedure provided by the manufacturer, a dedicated troubleshooting section for every system, flowcharts, wiring diagrams — basically, everything you need to repair your car. 

And even if you are still beginning in the field, these manuals are written to be as easy to use as possible, so you won’t have much problem understanding the content. Of course, you’ll still need to know the terminology, but it’s much better than guessing.

Also, there is no need to carry bulky physical repair manuals in the modern age. You can easily find repairs manuals online and download them for a couple of bucks. Some reputed sites such as eManualOnline also offer browser-based content where you can view your manual online on your smartphone, tablet, or pc, without even having to download them.

Moreover, digital repair manuals come with a keyword search feature that lets you directly navigate to a specific section, saving you both time and the hassle of flipping through hundreds of pages in a physical manual.

In the end, not only will a good car service and repair manual make you better at fixing cars, but it will also make you a better problem solver overall.

Practice! Practice! Practice! 

Practice makes perfect. All those courses and bookish knowledge are worth nothing if you don’t put them to use. If you ask me, the best way to sharpen your skills is to get yourself an old clunker from the junkyard and start repairing it. 

That way, you won’t risk damaging your own car for the sake of learning but also get a chance to hone your skills. And once you are confident enough, you can also start helping your family and friends and acquire more troubleshooting skills in the process.

Remember, the professional mechanic at your local repair shop didn’t become good at his job overnight. It took him years of practice and experience to get to that level.

Last Words 

There is no secret to becoming better at repairing cars. On the contrary, it is a gradual process and requires dedication. However, you can resort to the points mentioned above to improve your auto mechanic skills. Talking to experts and mechanics will also help broaden your knowledge and better understand how car repairs and maintenance work. Lastly, be prepared to spend a lot of time learning and practising — cars are incredibly complex nowadays, with various mechanical and electrical systems, sensors, modules, etc. Even worse, the automotive industry is constantly evolving, bringing new technologies to the game every year, and staying on top is not an easy task. Still, once you learn the basics of auto mechanics, you’ll always be able to, at least, do the most basic stuff — and that alone will already allow you to save a ton on repair shop bills!