Should You Learn to Fix Your Own Vehicles?
Subletting automotive service is costly and often frustrating. At our household, I perform all work on our vehicles and have always done so. My tools have paid for themselves many times over, and our vehicles are safe and reliable. We save the cost of sublet labor and buy quality parts at competitive prices.
We also keep our cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles much longer than most households. Okay with buying carefully picked, preowned vehicles and maintaining them properly, we have not had a vehicle payment for fifteen years. For us, the substantial savings are more meaningful than constantly buying and driving expensive vehicles that steadily depreciate in value.
I have enjoyed being a mechanic and the challenges of automotive work. Work done properly is gratifying. So is the contribution to my family. We drive without worry and have greater control over our finances than most American households.
Becoming a 'DIY' mechanic is a real option. But automotive mechanics is not for everyone. Having instructed Automotive Technology, I believe that a motivated, physically fit, thoughtful person can learn this work. For those inclined, the Road and Trail Ready Teachable.com courses provide in-depth insight and teach the actual skills involved with various automotive service procedures.
This guide will help you determine whether working on your vehicles suits your lifestyle, available time and long term financial goals. Better informed about the demands of the work and costs involved, you can consider whether you have the space, tool budget and, most importantly, the desire to pursue this craft with a "best practices" approach. If the answer is "Yes!" to these questions, take automotive mechanics to the next level. See the course offerings at the Road and Trail Ready School, set up your shop and learn to perform service work!