Use Your Head When Repairing Your Car

There are points you reach in any repairs you do when you need to admit you are in over your head, In my lasr post, I stressed that electrical repairs are often beyond the capacity of do-it-yourselfers. I would like to add that the same applies to auto repairs.

I have known many a back yard mechanic who convinced himself that he could fix any car problems, only to make a total mess, one requiring great expense to finally repair, and that was when car repairs were simple. These days, everything involved in the functioning of an automobile is tied to the electric system and diagnosis is made by plugging the car into a computerized analysis system and simply doing what it says to do.

A friend of mine decided that his car was due for a tune up, and being the bright fellow he was, decided that he and his Dad could do it themselves. Maany dollars later, including the cost of a tow truck, a mechanic did the tune up in addition to working out the damage they had done.

I had a car that simply would not start. Turn the key, nothing, not a sound, not a click, nothing. Well, said a friend, it is the battery, which would not take a charge when jumped. No, it was not; a new battery produced no results. Well, said he, it must be, well, any of several things; he named an assortment and proposed that we start replacing them one at a time until something worked. Cheaper than a mechanic, said he. I fortunately used my head and said no. It turned out that a switch that controlled the fuel pump was shot. The mechanic said that it was a rare propblem and when I told my friend he said, huh, never would have thought of that. So, you see my point.

I love fixing things and you can save a lot of money by doing so, but, it is so important to realize when you have hit your limit. Take care of your car. Do all the maintenance you can. If you know how, and have room at your home, I can see doing certain things like oil changes, brake linings, maybe even changing a radiator, but if you start thinking, well, it might be this, or maybe that, just admit that you don't know and go to a professional. Using good sense will save you in the long run