How to start about knowing and fixing up cars??? Help!

11521323

I just bought my first car and Im just curious whats the best way youve found or just the best way in general to start learning about cars? A lot of my friends can fix up or smartly modify their own without going to a mechanic and it seems to be so much cheaper and fun to do than going to a mechanic. Im not talking about huge jobs just maintainence and things? Id love to start but just dont know where to begin! My car is a 2002 colt and id love to know more about it and be able to maintain it mysef and replace parts, etc! Thanks!

CiniO

Firstly you need to have a bit of talent for manual work. Some people just have it, some don't.

Secondly you need to see how to do those things - I learned by staying with my mechanic and watching every thing he was doing, asking him questions as well.
Some mechanics might not like it though
Alternatively you can watch youtube videos showing how things are to be done. But surely better to see it live.

And then there's plenty of books and online howto's.
Especially on certain car and make forums you might find very detailed howto's which will lead you step by step how to do things.

I'd say you'll need mixture of all of those.

bigroad

The best thing to do is watch wheeler dealers.Most episodes are on Youtube.
Then open bonnet and try to name the parts you can see.Your car is quiet simple so its a good place to start.
You will need things like a set of spanners ,hammer,3/8 drive socket set ,axel stands ect.The more you do the more tools you will need to buy .Tools are a great investment and should be minded like gold.
If your not sure of something just ask on here.
Slow but sure is the way with mechanics till you get handy at it.

quadrifoglio verde

Don't jump in the deep end by doing a timing belt.
Start of slow by doing simple things like oil and air filter changes, spark plugs, brake pads etc.
Youtube videos are a great help for basic stuff, as is owners forums. I don't know what the colts owners forum is like, but I know the alfa one has everything from changing gearbox oil, to rebuilding a twin spark engine who's belt snapped. :eek:

Get a decent socket set. The halfords professional range is really good value for money, theres a lifetime warranty on the non moving parts as well.
Don't buy specialist tools because they're cheap. Buy them when you need them spending the most you can afford on them (this way you get decent specialist tools as opposed to cheap crap).

Anything that you don't understand, research.

porsche boy

I guarantee you asking your mechanic can you stay and watch will lead to wierd looks and a rather discourteous '**** off will ya'.
If your interested there is a book called Hilliers Fundamentals of Motoring or something like that, just google Hilliers. It goes through everything mechanical in a car and explains how it works and how to replace it if necessary. It's generic, not car specific so you can also get a copy of Haynes manual for the Colt that will specifically show you how to do things on a Colt.
Take all new jobs slowly and ensure your confident in you ability before attacking critical jobs like brakes or wheel bearings etc.

djimi

porsche boy wrote: »

I guarantee you asking your mechanic can you stay and watch will lead to wierd looks and a rather discourteous '**** off will ya'.

Depends on the mechanic. My old mechanic had no problem showing me anything that I wanted to know, and was quite prepared to let me watch and explain what he was doing as he worked on my car. I knew him fairly well though and he was working out of his yard; it might be different if you are going to a larger dealer/mechanic.

He also used to charge me about €100 for a full service (and I mean a full service; anything like bulbs that needed changing, removed and dusted off brake pads etc); I was raging when he left the country :mad::(

Sitec

Youtube is brilliant for learning about automotive repair.

This is a good channel, he's very thorough and easy to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/user/EricTheCarGuy