In 1994, I started working on cars. It was mostly out of necessity, as I could not afford to pay anyone to fix my Volkswagen Beetle on my meager Taco Bell minimum wages.
Armed with a Haynes Manual and a box of mismatched Craftsman tools, I managed to keep the car running most of the time. When I was completely lost, I had help from a few of the local VW greats who were very patient with a hard-headed teenager. Those lessons grew into a hobby and eventually a career that has provided me with everything I have today.
What I didn’t have in those teenage years was the internet. No one did at the time, at least not in the way we do now.
Today there are so many more resources than I had when I started. There are internet forums divided by car model, enthusiast interest, and even specific problems you may encounter. There are Facebook pages dedicated to car repair, and even YouTube videos to walk you through repairs and diagnostics step by step.
It has never been easier to get educated about vehicle repair.
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I am a member of hundreds of these pages and even moderate about a dozen. I also have a YouTube channel, “Auto Scholar with Mr. B”, that I use to post how-to repair videos. On top of that, I receive many messages, emails, and phone calls a week helping people with repair advice. This is in addition to the full-time job of teaching automotive technology at Augusta Technical College.
I am fully committed to helping anyone that wants to learn how to fix their car.
Repairing your own car is not for everyone. It takes knowledge, patience and skill that not everyone possesses. It also takes equipment and tools that can range in the thousands of dollars to acquire. There will be times when you will have no idea what to do next and you will have to ask someone for help.
Nowadays, that help will normally come from the internet.
Like many things in life, advice you get is only as good as the person giving it. I have encountered many people taking bad advice and causing at best a delay on repair, and at worst, severe damage.
Knowing who to trust is sometimes difficult, and relying on just one source of information can be detrimental. Make sure that the advice you are getting is coming from someone who has a good reputation for automotive repair.
Asking for help when you are unwilling or unable to provide proper details of the problem is also a quick way to get poor advice. Check engine lights can be caused by hundreds of things under the hood, so asking what to do when it comes on without a code may get you hundreds of answers depending on who you ask.
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People get frustrated with me when I tell them I cannot diagnose their problem because I need more information, and sometimes I will need to see the car in person. I would never tell anyone to throw a part at a car without testing it first, and if you find someone that does, be wary of their advice.
Diagnostic trouble codes are hinting at the system that has an issue and not a condemnation of a part. I have seen people spend thousands of dollars trying to fix their car by replacing parts, then fail to fix the problem, and later take it to a shop to find out it could be repaired with a ten-cent wiring connector.
Knowing when to take it to a professional should not be considered a personal failure. I have 25 years of experience and half a million dollars of equipment in my shop, and still vehicles give me a hard time daily. Sometimes, I must turn away working on a vehicle because I do not have the tools or knowledge to finish a repair.
Knowing when to fold your cards is part of the process and can save you money.
See you on the road!
Taylor Bryant is an automotives instructor for Augusta Technical College.
