You have dreams of making it big in the tech industry, or as a social media influencer, so why would you want to get your hands dirty working on your own car? Besides, cars are soooo last century, anyway!
No matter where you go or what you do in life, knowing the basics of how a car works and how to fix the common things that go wrong is an important skill to have. We all have computers in our pockets, but we still know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide manually, right?
Here's ten good reasons we think you need to know more about your car and how to fix it:
1) It’s good to learn
Knowledge, as they say, is power. People study all sorts of subjects just to exercise their brain, like Latin or calligraphy, but at least DIY mechanics is practical. And while the inner workings of your car may seem as difficult as a dead language, there are plenty of Haynes Manuals to help you along the way.
2) It’s only nuts and bolts
People get a bit scared when it comes to working on cars, but it’s only nuts and bolts, and as such, it can only really come apart one way and go back together the same. The first few jobs can be daunting, but quickly you'll learn how things come apart and go back.
Get involved with the wrenches and screwdrivers, see what connects to what, and if you’re getting in a bit over your head, just stop and screw/bolt it all back up. It’s simple, and even simpler with a Haynes manual handy.
3) There’s nothing to be afraid of
Following on from number two, we really have to drive home the fact that cars aren’t something to be feared. If they were, we wouldn't have sold so many copies of our manuals over the years. Follow a few basic rules, and your car won't hurt you, and you won't hurt the car
If you let the fear of working on your car get in the way, you’re going to lose out. Not only because you’re not simulating your brain and learning new things, point number one, but also because point number four...
4) It’ll save you money
Dealer and mechanics have labor rates, and as such, you’re going to pay them handsomely when you go to a garage. But you don’t need a professional for every little job. If you learn, if you get your tools out and do it yourself, you’ll save money.
If you are dropping $50 or $100 for labor every time some little thing goes wrong on your car, it will add up to thousands pretty quick. And lets not even get into garages overcharging you for work that doesn't even need to be done, or charging you for a complicated fix, when the real problem was something simple.
5) It’s really satisfying
Ah yes, the satisfaction of a job well done. Master your socket set, change that broken part, feel like a pro. You may not get much satisfaction shuffling papers in your cubicle at work all week, but you can in your driveway on the weekend.
That’s what being a home mechanic is all about. Put up some shelves and only people who visit will see them, you can’t drive the finished article around town. You can with a car though, so show off your handiwork!
6) It’ll build your confidence
The more you do with your car, the more you learn and the greater your confidence will become. This has several benefits.
Not only are more likely to try future jobs yourself, it also means that you won’t be so easily hoodwinked when you go to a garage for more complicated jobs. Even if you don't know exactly what they are talking about, you will know a spark plug from a strut, and be familiar with what the undercarriage and engine compartment look like. You'll no longer just stand with a blank expression and hand over your credit card.
7) It’s easy to get started
So you don’t know where to start? No worries, Haynes has your back. We have guides for almost every car, truck, and SUV you can think of! As long as you can read our easy, step by step guides in the manual, we have the ‘how to’ information you need to guide you through any repair. And even if you can't, we have videos now too!
There’s literally nothing stopping you, as long as your eyes work. We take every car down to its component parts and put it all back together again. Let us share that knowledge with you, it’s what we do!
8) You’ll bond with your car
The more you work on your car, the more you’ll come to know all its little idiosyncrasies. There won’t be a squeak, rattle or clonk the origin of which you can’t pinpoint. You will be at one with your automobile.
That’s a great position to be in, because it means you’ll have confidence in your car, and you’ll feel safer on the road as a result.
9) It’s an excuse to buy tools
Who doesn’t like tools? Buying new tools is much like buying new toys when you were a kid. All that gear, all that polished chrome... And as you buy more tools, the potential to carry out any job that should be required increases exponentially.
Yep, there’s nothing finer in life than a well-stocked tool box. This is your chance to live that dream!
10) You’ll impress people
Become the master of your own automobile and you’ll be the envy of friends and strangers alike. They’ll be mystified by your mastery of mechanics, astounded by your astute appreciation of the automobile and impressed by your integration into all that is internally combusted. You get the idea.
You’ll become the ‘go to’ person for car advice and repairs, a font of all automotive knowledge, or at the very least be asked to help install their new wiper blades.
