Top 5 Tips to Get Started with DIY Car Repairs & Save Money

Want to save thousands by working on  your own car, but don't know where to begin?   Or want some quick tips to make it  easier? In this video I'm gonna give you   my Top 5 tips that I've learned the hard  way when I start to work on my own cars. Welcome to the channel for anyone who wants to enjoy cars without breaking the bank. Today,   I have a confession...For the longest time, I was one of THOSE car enthusiasts...the guy who loved   his cars, but never actually worked on them...Shame! Whenever one of my own cars would break down, I'd   just take it into a shop and hope it wouldn't be  too expensive. And guess what, it usually was!   That's because most mechanics charge around 80 bucks for every hour work that they do. But they'll   also charge for parts, with shops almost always mark-up. That's right, most shops will charge you   an extra 25 to 50 percent more for the exact same part you could easily buy from home. Add it all up,   and you can save hundreds by ordering your own parts and putting a little elbow grease yourself. For example, when the power seat of my  Corvette recently conked out, the best   quote I could find for a shop to  fix it, parts and labor, was $1,000. Yikes!  Instead, I found a refurbished  replacement part myself that cost $250. I then spent an afternoon swapping it out, and saving myself $750 in the process. But beyond saving some cash, you also form a greater bond and appreciation for your machine that you just can't attain without   getting your hands a little dirty. So here are my Top 5 Tips to help you get started, that should   be useful for just about any repair that you need to make.  Tip number one, prep the day before. I like to spend at least a few hours online researching how to fix the issue. If I can find a step-by-step tutorial, especially right here on YouTube, that is pure gold. I put all the helpful links I find   in one Google Doc, along with any notes or tips. Then when I'm outside making the repair, I can   use my phone and the document I made for quick easy reference to keep me on track. Number two, be comfortable. Working on cars is messy, exhausting, physical work, so you might as well be as comfy as you can.  That starts with loose clothing that  you won't cry about if they get stained. You'll  have to contort your body to reach tight spaces or lift heavy pieces, so leave the skinny jeans   in your drawer. And car work is also hard as hell on your hands, so I like using gloves, one of two kinds,   depending on what I'm doing. For messier  jobs, I like standard powder-free nitrile gloves.   I wear these to protect my hands if I'm using  harsh chemicals, and then I can just toss them   away when I'm finished. A box of these costs  about 10 bucks. For more physical work,   where I'm having to wrench, I use these Mechanix gloves, which cost about $20. Just about everything under   a car is sharp, so these protect your knuckles  from getting all skinned up. They also provide   a bit of extra padding to your palm for wrenching work. I cut the fingers off of mine because I just   found it easier to grab nuts and bolts. By the  way, if you like this video so far, hit that Like button.   It helps the YouTube algorithm, and really  makes a difference for a channel getting started   like mine. Thanks! Speaking of support, give your back a break by getting a small stool to sit on.   It's much more comfortable than having your butt on the ground for hours. And you'll probably be   sweating a lot as you work, so don't forget to stay hydrated and keep a water handy, or whatever else you need to get the job done. Tip number three, stay organized. When I first started working on cars I   lost countless hours just trying to remember  where the hell I put stuff, or how to reassemble   the pieces that I took apart. Now, I'm organized. I use a sandwich bag, a pen, and a notepad. And the second   I remove any bolts or nuts, I put them in a baggie and mark what they are. That way, hours later when   it's time to reassemble everything, I'll remember what bolts went where. Also, as soon as you're   done with the tool or a socket or whatever, take the extra few seconds to put it back. Otherwise,   you'll waste a ton of time wandering around  trying to find it later like you see me doing here   while working on my wife's T-bird, trying  to find a tool I misplaced. Don't be that guy! Fourth tip! Compare your parts before installing them. You want to make absolutely certain that the   new part you have is indeed the same part as the one you're taking out. Even experienced mechanics   often find that the part they ordered just isn't  right. It could be from a different year, or you   could have been mailed the wrong part, or it could be defective. So always visually compare the old   part to the new part before you install the  new one. That way you won't waste time and you won't damage your car.   Number five...Take reference photos. Again, your cell phone is your best friend. Before you start taking anything  complicated apart, it's a great idea to have   this handy and take pictures as you go. Hours later, when you're trying to put it together again,   you'll have a handy visual reference  on your phone, ready to go. This saved my butt   during the Corvette power seat repair, which  had a bunch of complicated wires and lines to   keep track of. But because I took reference  photos before disconnecting everything,   I was able to put everything back to where  it belongs, so I could test it out for that moment of truth! Good...good! Yesss! But let's hear from you guys. Comment below with any tips or tricks you'd like to share that you picked up over the years, or anything else you'd like to   know more about that I can cover in future  videos. And be sure to subscribe for more   practical car videos coming your way very soon.  Thanks for watching, and stay practical!