Yeah. I know that too. But I'm going to school for architecture now. I'm paying the money cuz I know Ill get a return on the work I do- and its something I like. When it comes to cars I do know the knowledge is priceless. But I'm looking to dedicate the time and money one would do to feed a hobby rather than a career. If that makes sense.
So Id like to spend money for some decent automotive courses but not the amount that others pay to get their certifications. If they have courses like that- specifically made for people who wanna broaden their hobbies.

 

Look under "small engine" repairs... that might be what you can take for very little money and a one semiser course.

 

That sounds good. Ill look around. Thanks

 

Me, just a dumb kid from the streets, liked cars thought I knew enough about them, got into the industry - quickly found out I didn't know "jack" about them.

I became good friends with a customer - he and his brother owned a four bay shop.....well the rest is history. That was about the mid 80's.

And Jim is smarter than me (and he knows it), I just stopped wearing watches and rings so that didn't happen to me.

 

Here's another (inexpensive?) way. Buy a repair manual for your car. Next time something needs to be done, read the procedure and decide if you want to give it a shot. There's LOTS of simple things like oil changes & replacing sparkplugs (those are actually in the OWNER'S manual).

You'll be spending money on tools, but when the day is over you get to keep the tools. The little easy jobs will give you some experience & you'll work into the bigger jobs at your own speed. Don't forget you can also ask about specific car-repair jobs here, too.

 

Thats what I've been doing actually. I have a haynes manual. But I do my brakes, rotors, spark plugs, oil. I did my intake manifold and exhaust system swaps myself. I just know theres a lot of basics I'm missing. Tips and tricks here and there as well as the more detailed components of a car.

 

sounds like your on the right path. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did..

I liked tinkering and learning how and why something works as much as being able to fix it.

(or make it better that orginal )

 

Wanna do more? Invest in the Helm manual (www dot helminc dot com) which is a lot more complete & detailed than Chilton or Haynes. But it's really NOT more difficult to understand. Sounds like you're well along the way. So my post #15 is kinda aimed at someone who hasn't even changed their oil but would like to learn.

 

Yeah, someone suggested that. Im gonna look into it, thanks

 

I'm 29. Got neither of my parents went to college, and always drove used cars. My dad was always fixing them when they broke. He learned basic mechanic skills in the army. Anyways, my first car was a 1990 Mustang GT 5 speed. The first car-related job I ever helped my dad with was changing the water pump on that. Took all dang day. Had to remove every stinkin pulley on the engine. Ever since then I've liked tinkering with cars. I did go to college and got a bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on insurance. I'm currently an all-lines commercial insurance claims adjuster. Now I do mostly serious workers comp claims and serious liability claims with litigation involved.
My wife's 95 Accord she drove all through college is what got me on this forum. There were quite a few problems with it over the years and I learned a lot on this forum.
Here's a story for you: on my 2000 Accord, I broke off a lug when changing a tire (some turd at a tire shop cross threaded it when he spun the nut on with an impact wrench). Anyway, I think to myself "I can change a stinking lug." I start taking parts off (I thought was familiar enough with the parts involved because I had changed the rotors a few months before.) get the calipers and the rotor off. Realize the hub needs to come off because the lugs won't come out with it still on the car. See the gigantic hub nut and measure it so I can buy a socket large enough to fit. Go to autozone and buy the wrong sized socket. Take it back and getthe right size. Get the nut off. Realize the hub still won't come off. Check the forum and discover the hub has to be removed with a hydraulic press. Wasted an entire day and wound up having to pay a local shop for 1 hour's worth of labor to replace a $1.25 part. Now I have a gigantinc $15 socket that I have never used again haha. The experience I gained was priceless. If I could go back in time I wouldn't change a thing