When I got my first car. After the first questions of where does the gas go how do you check the fluids and how fast is it. I learned to be a backyard mechanic. It was easy you can go to almost any auto parts store and buy a manual covering the complete overhaul of the vehicle you own. All you need is a place to work and the necessary tools to do the job. The manual is the key even professional auto technicians use a manual. It will tell you what tools to buy for most jobs and what tools to buy for specific jobs. How to diagnose most problems with the vehicle and how to fix it in most cases. Saving you the cost of labor at your local fix it shop. This is a hobby for any boy and girl who played with Legos, Erector sets, Lincoln Logs or model kits and their counter parts while growing up. It is the perfect hobby for those who need to know how things work. First your car must be broken for you to fix it. Please do not disassemble the car until necessary. Your car is broken when it starts behaving strangely. What do you do? You look in the manual in the diagnostic section and compare the symptoms you noticed while driving the car to those in the manual. If you only have a couple of symptoms and need more you can easily get them by driving the car again. Try having someone more experienced drive it and ask them how it behaves for them. Before attempting any repair please check the simple things like fluid level. Check the maintenance schedule and if you don’t have one write one. It’s as simple as reading the owner’s manual and writing down what you have done as far as maintenance is concerned since you bought the car. Once you have a list of symptoms and all the easy stuff has been ruled out, like the fluids. Check the manual again and compare the symptoms and get a diagnosis. This will lead you to a system on the car. Whether it is electrical, brakes, or the ignition system it will be covered by the manual. The symptoms will lead you to a system and the system will lead you to a component and the component will lead you to a cause. The faulty component needs to be replaced. There will be detailed instructions on how this should be done. What safety precautions should be taken when attempting the repair and what tools are needed to complete the repair. Sometimes the manual will refer you to your local fix it shop because the repair would be too difficult or costly to do on your own. Most often a written set of instructions will lead you through the process of repairing the car. This hobby will not only be enjoyable to yourself because of the money saved but you will also have the satisfaction of fixing the car yourself. DIY auto Repair was my hobby of choice. I followed it into a job at an auto parts store and into the repair shop itself as a licensed technician. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil