Car Repair Pitfalls - When DIY Goes Wrong

Bill’s car had been clunking and straining all the way home from work. It sputtered and wheezed like an allergy-ridden cat. Sure, it was only a few miles from work to home, but it felt like 50. Since he had a 3-day weekend coming, Bill decided to take a look under the hood and try to fix the situation himself. The problem? Bill’s only experience with car repair was putting air in his tires and adding gasoline at the filling station. He had never even changed a tire, let alone look under the hood.

So Bill gets out his tools that he hadn’t used since he received them as a wedding gift 15 years ago, Googles a few noises and vehicle issues and diagnoses the problem. He starts tinkering under the hood and before you know it, Bill’s garage floor looks like a second-hand auto parts shop whose catch-phrase is “Buy the part, get the original grease for free.” The more parts he removed, the more confused he got. Before long, Bill’s problem wasn’t the car repair that was so desperately needed. His problem was the fact that he couldn’t remember what part went where – this had turned into a royal mess.

The fact is that many projects can be done yourself. Even car repair situations can be handled by the average Joe. However, there are some people out there that are no more mechanically inclined than a toddler. In these situations (you know who you are) you really should just invest in a good, solid, ethical mechanic.

What did Bill do? He debated for a while, and then called his neighbor over. As it turns out, his neighbor was able to help him sort out the greasy nuts and bolts and get everything back together again. However, his original problem still remained. Bill’s neighbor recommended a car repair shop that he’d been using for at least a decade. So on the neighbor’s advice, Bill drove his car to the recommended shop and let them handle the details.

As it turns out, the repair on Bill’s car was quite simple. It certainly didn’t take an entire 3-day weekend to fix, and Bill was back on the road in almost no time at all. For Bill, it was a lesson learned. After all, if you can’t make a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you probably shouldn’t be making dinner for the Queen of England.

Are you like Bill? Are you convinced that you can tinker your way through a car repair? Give in, and take it to the shop. Let the professionals handle the matter. After all, they may have a cushy waiting room with free WIFI or even a coffee maker. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a great mechanic on hand and your car will be as good as new in a flash. Worst case scenario? You are out a few hundred bucks – but at least your garage isn’t covered with 100 spare parts that fit together like something out of a Jigsaw Puzzle Lover’s Magazine.