I have always wished i could be a bit more savvy about the mechanics of cars (and to be able to save myself a few quid rather than being ripped of by garages).
Besides enrolling on a car mechanic course, would you suggest, or give any further tips on buying an old crap car and a Haynes manual and just bodging around with it?How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?If you have the space to get an old banger and with enough room for you to play with it, dismantling it, finding the bits and what they are, or i would buy a cheap run around that is an easy fix as such an Escort mk3, after helping out my brother on his old wrecks, i brought myself one drove it around ( all legal) then the cam-belt went, i thought it was the distributer so tried that ( trial and error) then some one said it may be the cam belt so i got one had a sneaky peak at a haynes manual in a shop and lined up all the pulleys ( the t.d.c = top dead centre marks) tightened it up connected jump leads to the battery and low and behold it started, unfortunately i had to sell as my other car needed bits doing to it and i needed the garage to park it in , but if you can get one of these or an old fiesta do so the parts are easily found in the breakers, and spares shops.
I am now doing most of my repairs, brakes, oil changes, plugs, bearings, etc.
Good luck and have fun.How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?iwould suggest you try the mechanics courseHow do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?just messing around is one idea, you could also just do maintenence on your own car regularly, practice is the true teacher, doing lots of research helps tooHow do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?The best books I have found one learning how car systems work and how to service them are the %26quot;Today's Technician%26quot; series of books. These should come in a two book set (classroom, and shop). These books cover how things work in great detail and the shop manual will cover tools needed and repair diagnostic and procedures. And of course there is no replacement for hands on experience even if you just take something apart and then put it together again or try to find out whats wrong with it and/or how it works. Also on specific jobs always use a repair manual that covers specifics for your vehicle.How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?I recon you could walk straight into a job at my local garage!How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?Start reading the Wikipedia. Tons of good info there. Just search in it. Cars are pretty basic, they all works the %26quot;same%26quot;. The systems or they way are build, that is where the differences are. All have Pistons (except for Mazda Wankel Engines), they use some kind of fuel, Diesel or Gasoline. The systems are managed by a computer.
Is hard to teach automotives here. Some people becomes experts on some cars manufacturers since they can get complicated on their systems and takes a while to learn how they were build. It just the details that kills most all of us.
Tools are other issue. A lot of cars now days requires special tools. They are expensive to buy, but if you are not a mechanic that uses the tool often, is worthless to buy it for one use only. It cost less to let a mechanic to do it for you.
You have to balance, what kinds of repairs you want to do and how often you will do it. Most cars now days, they are close to Zero maintenance. All is required is check fluids and service them. Another system is modular, nobody works on transmissions. They are replaced as a whole. Is easier to fix it that way, %26quot;cost%26quot; less since you do not have to have a specialized tranny shop with tools, is a quicker turn around time and is pretty much a flat charge since you are buying a new one with out the surprises and pay extra for labor on fixing the old one and longer waits due to parts shipments. Same goes with engines.
Hope this helps.How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?Take apart small engines (lawnmower and such) and identify each part, put it back together and see if it runs, hang around a mechanic, if someone is doing something to their car (fixing, rebuilding, etc) ask if you can watch and maybe help a little, don't be afraid to ask questions, buy books on the subject(community college bookstores are great but expensive) That's the way i did it.How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?i have been a fitter for 26 year .. and still learning.. every year is different. plugs and points are long gone .. good luck.. ps try building a kit car.. mine is on you tube .. rachel123 as the search.. kit car are basic and low cost funHow do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?The easiest way would be to get hold of an old banger for
next to nothing and use that to experiment on.Most of the
modern cars today are untouchable because they are
computer controlled and you are limited to what you can do
engine wise,but there are other parts of the car you can play around with.How do I teach myself to fix cars from scratch?Apart from spark plug, oil and filter changes the engine is controlled by an ECU so everything to do with its running is automatic.I used to adjust carbs and ignition and do decokes years ago but all this knowledge is redundant.Unless you are a technician or want to be one you will find it difficult to learn without training.
