I want to be able to fix my car when it breaks down rather than pay out for hefty mechanic fees. Thus i wanted to be able to learn how to fix and repair my own car. I dont have time to go to evening courses/college courses to learn how to fix problems, thus anybody got any other suggestions to help me learn etc?
I was thinking of getting a battered and bruised car and maybe a book off the internet and seeing if i could return the car to its former glory.
Buy a haynes manual and a cheap project, possibly with an enthuiastic friend, can have some laughs and learn some stuff along the way. I managed to pick up a MG Midget convertible for £600quid earlier this year.
A few hundred quid later it got 1800miles around france. Do it, you can learn alot with a bit of hard work and commitment, and have alot of fun too
What it looked like when we bought it.. bargains can be had!
you dont need to do any courses to be a DIY mechanic. A haynes manual, some basic tools and a bit of common sense and patience is all you need to do most common DIY mechanic tasks.
If your a total clutz mechanically then use your common sense and pay a mechanic!!
if you lack common sense then pay a mechanic as youll live longer.
I can fix literally anything that goes wrong on my cars myself, usually within a couple of hours and simply through experience and common sense. You really don't need a course, just get your hands on something elderly (I bought an MG BGT on ebay for £100 a few months ago, it's easy enough to get your hands on real bargains if you trawl ebay), a Haynes manual (or preferably the original workshop manual) and plenty of tools. Doing that you can really familiarise yourself with what's what.
EDIT: Seriously, if you're going to have a go at it, get something like an A30/A35 - they're cheap, the parts are cheap, they're incredibly easy to work on etc
Get a car with a suitable following to supply advice if need be.
Get tinkering.
Haynes manuals are the bane of my life and I would be tempted to say you will waste more time with one than you will save, but other people may have had better experiences with them then me.
The one thing I would say though in budgeting is that a project may cost 100-200 quid, but acquiring tools can come to three times that.
I started off on much the same affair with a 2cv, and would recommend them as a starting point.
Ah cheers for the advice, very much appreciated. What is an A30/A35? Cheers
1950s Austin, they tend to pop up frequently on ebay and you can get a structurally sound one which needs a bit of work to get through an MOT for a couple of hundred, much less if you get one in worse condition or know what you're looking for. I think they're great as they're basically modern cars (will happily take on a motorway, have heating etc) but very simple. We have one of each at home, both of which have been resurrected from 3 decades of not very good storage.
Aside from being easy and cheap to acquire, there's a very active, large club with it's own insurance scheme (£90 fully comp ) and a company, Bull Motif, which supplies new and second hand parts at very reasonable prices based in Evesham, so it's not difficult to get hold of bits and pieces for them.
Id actually recommend a Haynes manual, they have never done me wrong in the past although they are only intended to cover the common household repair jobs.
If your wanting to learn how to fix a car to save money then you are already head and shoulders above the mugs who take it to the garage for such things as a service.
As with everything, start off small, be prepared to learn and don't get discouraged if you make mistakes. Always always ask people who know what they are doing beforehand as it you could quite easily break something by not fitting even the smallest part right
One thing I would say is buy decent tools from the start I know alot of people say it, but its something I really wish I had done! Buy decent, buy once etc! Even halfords pro tools are worth the money (IMO). Ive given the ratchet spanners alot of abuse this last year or so, and they have performed well
One thing I would say is buy decent tools from the start I know alot of people say it, but its something I really wish I had done! Buy decent, buy once etc! Even halfords pro tools are worth the money (IMO). Ive given the ratchet spanners alot of abuse this last year or so, and they have performed well
Id actually say otherwise here simply because to a beginner the prices of "decent" tools can be daunting. Id always say as a minimum get the basics covered, a cheap set of spanners, cheap set of sockets and ratchets, that should get all the usual low torque stuff sorted, and to make sure it all works get a full set of hex sockets and a breaker bar.
Id actually say otherwise here simply because to a beginner the prices of "decent" tools can be daunting. Id always say as a minimum get the basics covered, a cheap set of spanners, cheap set of sockets and ratchets, that should get all the usual low torque stuff sorted, and to make sure it all works get a full set of hex sockets and a breaker bar.
Yeh and Halfords cheap stuff is surprisingly good...
Not sure you need to go all the way to 32mm to start with! I've got something like 8-19mm and don't often need more than that (though I've got up to 32mm sockets). Halfords Pro and Bahco (if you can find it relatively cheap) get a big thumbs up from me for socket sets at the moment!
If you're anything like me, you'll probably just accumulate tools!
I know that problem Especially when you start getting tools for boats as well as cars!
Very true. For the absolute basic kit, you'll probably need (feel free to add/disagree people )
Spanner Set - 8mm - 32mm is probably sufficient
Socket set - Similar size range. A micro set (4mm - 12mm 1/4 drive) is also very useful I've found. Got a Kasama one in Morrisons for £4!)
Hammers, screwdrivers (various), pliars, a bigger hammer (you always need a bigger hammer ), Axle stands, jack etc
Theres probably more, but thats stuff off the top of my head. If you're anything like me, you'll probably just accumulate tools!
BUT!!! (And this is a very important but) you need to know what vehicle you're going to be working on before you buy your tools! On my A7, I have to use a totally different set of spanners etc to the ones I use on, say, the A30 or the MGB.
If you're going to be doing all the work on your car from now on you'd be wise to invest in very good tools and a wide variety. Eventually you'll build up a massive arsenal of tools, and you'll be a regular bush mechanic!
If you've ever played with meccano, working on cars is like a big meccano project. Just a little patience and understanding of what you are trying to do goes a long way.
Not sure you need to go all the way to 32mm to start with! I've got something like 8-19mm and don't often need more than that (though I've got up to 32mm sockets). Halfords Pro and Bahco (if you can find it relatively cheap) get a big thumbs up from me for socket sets at the moment!
I know that problem Especially when you start getting tools for boats as well as cars!
I would recommend Bahco too...we use their sockets onboard ship (17, 19, 24, 30, 32, 46, 60) and despite many, many grown men hanging off them (literally) to get a nut undone, they have never failed and they get ABUSE.
Bahco are, quite simply, amazing. If you can find it cheap on ebay, they will last you for life.
Snap On/Draper is great, but you are paying mostly for the name...
I would recommend Bahco too...we use their sockets onboard ship (17, 19, 24, 30, 32, 46, 60) and despite many, many grown men hanging off them (literally) to get a nut undone, they have never failed and they get ABUSE.
Bahco are, quite simply, amazing. If you can find it cheap on ebay, they will last you for life.
Snap On/Draper is great, but you are paying mostly for the name...
Draper? Never been that impressed by them and they're relatively cheap! They are a little unusual though in making diesel injector sockets that actually fit over the injectors for XUD9 engines though - Halfords and a couple of other manufacturers don't give clearance for the leak off pipes.
I managed to pick up a 1/2" Bahco socket set and 6-19mm spanners for £50 odd, brand new with lifetime warranty. Quite happy with that!
Driving, driving lessons, vehicles...
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) and a company, Bull Motif, which supplies new and second hand parts at very reasonable prices based in Evesham, so it's not difficult to get hold of bits and pieces for them.
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