Car Trouble? What You Shouldn’t Try To Fix!
Looking back fifty years ago, it wasn’t uncommon to embark on fixing your car yourself. We all had the tools and the know-how, but flash forward to the present day, and we’re frantically Googling how to open the hood!
Now, while a lot of us feel like we shouldn’t even touch our cars, there are things you can fix yourself at home without needing to go to the mechanic (who would probably have a giggle at your expense behind your back), and there are some things that you shouldn’t even attempt.
So, before you try and rip out all the wiring, let’s break it down before you get ahead of yourself.
Firstly, What Can You Do?
Luckily, the age of YouTube means that we can get a tutorial on the most basic of fixes. You can certainly replace the wheels, windshield wipers, and the batteries. But you need to be sure that you know exactly what you’re doing.
There is no point in going gung-ho into it purely to make a point! There are plenty of online instruction manuals for your specific make and model, so be sure to do your research. The most common family cars have a where you can order replacement parts.
You can locate Subaru parts online and order them for delivery to your door so you can undertake the basic replacements simply without much time wasted. The internet has its uses after all, doesn’t it?
The Transmission
It’s the biggest jigsaw of all in your car. An automatic transmission will contain thousands of small parts and extremely narrow passageways for the hydraulic fluid.
Leave this to the skilled mechanic instead, and not the standard oil change places. The delicate parts of a transmission mean that something as basic as improper cleaning around the gaskets or the connectors could cost you so much more than what is in your wallet!
Even something as insignificant as a grain of sand could potentially spell the end of your transmission.
The Heating System
Be warned with this one! While you can attempt this with the right amount of training and research, replacing the thermostat and the hoses can be accomplished at home. But if your engine has already overheated, you should take it to a real mechanic to diagnose the problem.
Your engine is on the line if the heating system is out of control, as well as thousands of dollars, so don’t even think about trying it yourself.
The Suspension Parts
Struts, bushings, and arms can look like they’re very easy to replace, but don’t be fooled! There are so many ways this can go horribly wrong when you haven’t got any experience in this. For example, something as seemingly minor as the springs have an incredible amount of force in them so you could easily put your eye out!
And it’s important to know what part of the suspension supports what because it’ll be like a set of dominoes going down if you do something in the wrong order! And, the costs of a mechanic for suspension repairs aren’t that expensive in the grand scheme of things, so why bother attempting it yourself?
