As car guys, we take great pride in doing things ourselves. From cleaning to checking the oil and rotating tires, getting lost in the simple joys of working on your pride and joy is easy. As a repair center, we are often asked, “Is this something I can do myself?”. While we’d prefer you bring your car in for all its repairs, the real answer is far more complicated, as it depends on the nature of the repair and your skill.

Let’s break down some of the DIY tasks we suggest you try yourself and the repairs that are better left to a professional.

Do It Yourself Repairs

We want to preface this by saying we don’t only ever recommend you do something yourself if you are confident in your abilities and have the right tools, proper instruction, and the correct safety equipment and procedures in place.

While DIY repairs can save you money, safety during and after the repair should be your top priority.

Maintenance Checks

Maintenance checkups are one of the easiest maintenance tasks at home. A maintenance checkup consists of all the tasks to ensure your car is safe and ready for the road. When a car comes into our shop, we start by checking that all the fluid levels are correct, either by physically checking reservoir levels, inspecting dipsticks, or, in the case of some newer vehicles, reading the onboard digital fluid level measure. If any levels are low, we top them up with a manufacturer-appropriate fluid.

Once we are happy that the fluid levels are good, we move on to tire wear. Some tire manufacturers include a wear indicator in the tread to indicate the minimum acceptable tread level, but to make sure, we use a tread depth gauge to ensure that the tread is at least 2/32”.

Replacing Ware Items

Some items on your vehicle will fail, no matter how much or how little you use them. The two main culprits are lightbulbs and wipers. While we are seeing fewer and fewer lightbulbs on newer vehicles, it is still good practice to make sure all your lights work, as LEDs are still known to fail.

We also recommend you replace your wipers annually or at the first sign of streaking or skipping. Wipers are one of the most neglected maintenance items but are one of the most important in ensuring you stay safe on the roads.

On most vehicles, replacing bulbs and wipers is a straightforward task that usually requires very few or no hand tools.

Another ware item you can replace by yourself is trunk and hood struts. If your trunk or hood isn’t staying up anymore, replace the gas struts. The most important thing to remember is to support the weight of the trunk or hood first, before attempting to detach the old strut.

Replacing A Blown Fuse

If one of the electrical devices in your vehicle suddenly stops working, the usual culprit is a blown fuse. Your owner’s manual should be your first stop, as it will detail the location of every fuse in the vehicle and how to access it.

It’s easy to tell if a fuse has blown, as there will be a distinct break in the metal bridge between the two contacts. Most manufacturers will include extra fuses in the fuse box, but in a pinch, you can remove a fuse from a non-vital circuit as long as it matches the blown fuse. Fuses are often color-coded and will have the app rating written on them.

If the same component repeatedly blows a fuse, make sure the correct amp fuse is used or consult an auto-electrician.

Bring In an Expert Auto Technician

We generally recommend bringing your car to an auto technician for any repair task that is outside your skillset or may present a safety concern if done incorrectly. Here are some other times you may want to consider getting an auto technician to do the job instead.

Specialty Tools Are Required

While a lot can be done with basic hand tools, auto technicians spend years building specialty toolboxes just for certain vehicle brands. While you may get lucky that some tools can be used across several brands, such as an OBD2 scanner, some items are brand, and even model-specific (such as a clutch centering shaft).

While you can pick up these tools at your local parts store, the cost is often only justified if you plan to do that one job several times.

Diagnostics​​​​​​

There’s a reason the mechanic whos the best at diagnostics looks like they’re a few days from retirement. The only way to get good at diagnosing problems is by having a wealth of experience and knowledge to call upon. Cars are pretty complex machines, and while the mandation of OBD2 ports in every vehicle produced after 1996 has made diagnostics easier than ever, there will always be that one issue that will stump every mechanic unless they’ve seen it before.

While you might get lucky diagnosing a problem, we found getting a pro to do it faster and less stressful.

Rebuilds And Reconditioning

Sometimes, the only way to save a car is to have the problematic parts completely rebuilt, whether that be the engine, the transmission, or the differential. When taking something apart completely, forgetting to reinstall a seal, not realizing that one bolt was single use only, or torquing bolts down in the wrong sequence or to the wrong torque spec can lead to a catastrophic failure that would require a replacement.

While many guides exist online, they often vary from part revision to revision, and using a too old guide could lead to the same problem cropping up again. A classic example is on Toyota’s 7M-GTE engine, where Toyota changed the torque order and specs on the engine head bolts, as the original suggestion caused oil leaks and blown head gaskets.