At what point do you take your car to a mechanic for repairs? Sure, you can check the brake fluid yourself. You can practically fix anything in your house—from the plumbing to the garden equipment. But that does not mean that you can fix whatever’s wrong with your car. When it comes to the vehicle that you drive your kids with around, you must be extra careful trying to DIY stuff.
Yes, there are plenty of Subaru repair tutorial videos on YouTube. There are tutorial videos of other brands, too. You can fix minor stuff using the information you get from these videos. But when it comes to your car’s transmission and brake system, you might want to take it to a reputable car mechanic. You will make sure that it receives the care it needs.
When It’s Beyond Your Control
Most car owners can change the engine oil, add brake and transmission fluid, change the tires, and install a new battery. What DIYers are not equipped to do is to deal with mechanical and computer problems. Diagnostic tools will tell you what’s wrong with your car, but they won’t tell you what needs to be done.
So, for example, your timing belt is ready for a change. You need to do it when your car goes over 100,000 miles. That’s why it’s important to follow the recommendations of your car dealership. You may be facing imminent danger if your timing belt suddenly snaps. So when it’s time to change the timing belt, do you think you can do it?
This is a job for a car mechanic. There are plenty of tutorials both on and off the Internet that will tell you exactly what needs to be done. However, it takes a super skillful car repair DIYer to follow the complicated process of replacing the belt and water pump, flushing the coolant, and changing the oil.
A car mechanic will take less than three hours to do all these for $500. That’s not so expensive. Imagine having to buy the parts and spending time learning how to do it. The headaches, cut, and bruises are well worth that $500.
When You Don’t Have the Right Tools
A lot of power tools are involved when you are trying to repair a car. If you need to diagnose a problem in your car’s computer box, you will need a digital diagnostic tool, too. It’s not worth to invest in these tools if you’re going to use it for one or two cars only. These cost thousands of dollars. And even then, there is no assurance that you’ll figure out and fix what’s wrong with your car.
For example, you need to check something on your car’s chassis. Do you have a car lift? Or are you going to jack up your car using minor tools? That’s an accident waiting to happen. You should never try to get under your car unless you have a car lift.
Professional car mechanics are efficient and cost-effective. They have the right tools, and they know how to use these tools to fix your car. Spending a couple of hundreds of dollars for the labor cost shouldn’t be too much of an issue for you. You’re getting a good service. You’re ensuring that your car is fixed. On top of it all, you don’t have to suffer through the headache of trying to do things yourself.
