[Closed] Easy car mechanic jobs for the eager keano

General DIY car servicing is easy enough but it depends on your general competency levels/ability/tool collection.

Oil and filter changes are easy providing you can get under the car or can safely lift it.

Brake pads are generally easy.

In fact most things on cars are easy-at the end of the day someone designed it, someone built it, so I should then be able to take it apart! The problems come about when you need specific tools, or things become seized/broken, parts don't fit and you need the car the following day for work!

Agree with the above. Correct tools are important. Broken and seized parts will turn a 2 hour job into a weekend job. And fixing cars can be a hugely frustrating but occasionally rewarding experience.

I'm no car mechanic but I grew up tinkering with bikes and then moved on to cars, mostly because I was skint, and it will save you a lot of money, so long as you have the time to spend on it.

Of course, you would need to spend a little to get started. I'd suggest a jack, a set of axle stands, and a decent socket/spanner set. Halfords do some good offers on their Advanced Professional tools which come with Lifetime guarantee.

Oil change is a good place to start. Just learn the jacking points for your car (a good jack will help on something that size). Get it safely off the ground, and the rest is a doddle... Or so you would think - depending on where oil filter is, it can be awkward.

YouTube is great for being able to watch people do these jobs already.

cheers. I've got tools, a car jack and car ramps as i  change the wheels from summer to winter.  I also fix bikes of course !

Sounds like an oil change is a good place to start.

For changing the oil, the best thing I bought was a Pela Oil extractor. Lets you suck 99% of the oil out of the dipstick hole and saves getting jacks, ramps etc. This turns a job that used to be a bit of a faff into 15 mins of listening to the radio, sipping a coffee while the vacuum pump does it's stuff. Some will say that draining the oil the "traditional" way is more thorough, but personally I think changing 99% of the oil easily every 10k is better than changing 99.5% of the oil as a bit of a faff.

Brakes are also fairly easy. Get a good caliper wind back tool, about £40 and this will make the job much easier.

For sockets I prefer Bahco now to Halfords. Halfords are good value, but most of the sockets are multipoint rather than proper HEX. This means that for seized nuts and bolts there is less support and they are a little more prone to rounding.

Don't forget axle stands.

Essential for SAFETY if you are getting underneath the car with 1 or 2 wheels off to change brake or suspension parts.

ok ta, not taking any wheels off yet  (well, getting under the car)  so axle stands can wait. Just want to start small and build up really, i figure oil and pad changes are fairly regular jobs so i'll start to accumulate the necessary tools.  is an an oil filter strap/ removal tool necessary?

The tool you need for removing the filter really depends on the car. Most cars now either have a plastic filter housing that often has a large HEX bit on top to get a 36mm or similar socket onto. OR if its a self contained metal canister filter then they usually have indents round the domed top where an adapter cup fits over the housing and a 3/4 or 1/2" extension socket bar fits into the adapter. Much easier than using a strap wrench (which I have but have not used for a few years!). So see what your car needs and buy that as a start.

Most people start with basic maintenance and repairs as required and go from there.

If available for your car a Haynes manual can be handy if you have not done this sort of thing before. Normally loads of info online now as well, youtube, forums etc, same as bikes you do need to sift through the advice/opinions/experience/bullshit.

If you research each job before you do it you can see what tools are needed, how involved.

As above I would be aware there can be a big difference in skills and tools required as soon as a job goes wrong (rounded/snapped bolt etc)

The type and make of car also helps, our 14 year old Volvo is an absolute pleasure to work on - it was clearly designed for future servicing and repair in mind, my newer Transit on the other hand is absolutely hateful to work on- crappy sub standard built down to a cost fasteners and components and many points that were clearly designed for manufacturing ease but with no thought for future servicing or repair.

It once took a full weekend to change just the rear discs,and involved copious use of a grinder!

Your Saab should be ok - Saab used to have the record for being able to change clutches the quickest (Saab 99iirc)

If you are doing brakes you need axle stands.  You may not be lying under the car, but you don't want it falling in your lap if a jack fails.

And even with axle stands, I put one the wheel I've just removed under the sill on it's side, so that if the worst happens and it falls off the stand, it'll land on the wheel and not crush me.

If you get stuck on the oil filter, you can always put a screwdriver through it... Those straps can be really fiddly if it's in an awkward place.

Usually you'd just do stuff as and when required. Obviously there's all the serviceable items. Spark plugs. Oil. Brakes. Coolant. Etc.

Most cars will have some common faults though, and you may want to do some preventative work depending on what they are, rather than waiting for the inevitable to happen. So do a little research on your car, maybe join a club/forum, and you should get some good tips.

One point to consider with your SAAB is the oil sludge issue are you aware of it?

https://www.saabplanet.com/saab-2-0-and-2-3-l-saab-engines-with-nasty-oil-sludge-problem/

id not use a suction removal of oil, use good quality fully synthetic oil & filter & change more often.

id also think about dropping the sump and cleaning out unless you know it’s been done already.

also dedicated forums and YouTube should have many good guides to the more frequent jobs.

So , the internet is a big help here - almost any job is discussed somewhere for your specific vehicle ,

this is important as there are gotchas that can make life difficult with almost any car.

For your specific car there are a bunch of very useful tutorials here :

http://saabworld.net/forumdisplay.php?f=29

As a long term owner of the same specific vehicle I can advise you:

1/ You will need axle stands as the car is too low to do anything useful safely. , access is good for oil filter change, a strap type oil filter wrench is fine. something to drain the oil into - cat litter tray will do , oil filter will drop a fair amount of oil so make sure the tray is under that when you remove it.

2/ use only fully synthetic oil and not thinner than 5w , never leave oil changes beyond 10k or 1 year with these engines.

3/ Get a new sump bolt and washer before you do the job, the sump bolts on these cars are soft and easily round off, also you can use the new bolt to make sure you have the right size. Neo brothers on ebay do a service kit including all the bits and are Saab specialists so they are the right bits.

4/ Do the air filter when you do the oil/oil filter change , unlike most cars the air filter is changed from underneath and you will have to jack the car up to even get the filter out of its housing.

5/ Its a good idea to change the cabin filter if it has not been done recently, again tutorials online  will make this less difficult.

6/ if its an auto then consider changing the auto fluid , its easy to do a 3 part fluid change , you need a funnel to fit the auto dipstick and the right fluid - jws3309 , details here  http://saabworld.net/showthread.php?t=474

If you get stuck on the oil filter, you can always put a screwdriver through it… Those straps can be really fiddly if it’s in an awkward place

I've always thought that's really bad advice. My uncle did it once and the filter was so tight the screwdriver just ripped its way through the filter can. You are screwed then, as you are stuck on your drive with a car you can't drive to the garage for professional help. The strap wrenches can be fiddly, but if it doesn't work the filter is still serviceable.

There is a knack to getting canister  filters off , I am not strong but I can get many off by hand , the thick sealing ring  grips the filter land like a tyre - sustained pressure (10 seconds)will creep it undone. As mentioned above , never use a screwdriver through the filter its messy and not easy unless you know how to do it.

Even when you use a strap wrench or specific filter  tool it will need the sustained pressure technique to get them off easily.

In fact most things on cars are easy-at the end of the day someone designed it, someone built it, so I should then be able to take it apart!

Note: this does not apply to French cars

Since filters are only hand tightened, they should come off by hand.  A rubber glove helps.

The problems come about when you need specific tools, or things become seized/broken, parts don’t fit and you need the car the following day for work!

This. It's when it doesn't go well and you're stranded to get it to help that it suddenly seems less economic. That said, if you're in NW Hants you can always come and practice on my van, need to swap the starter out - a theoretically easy job once its on ramps but...

And if you are doing oil, change sump bolt and washer always worth it for a few pence. I've had garages forget to put the washer back on more than once, drips all the way home ;-(

Oil filters shouldn't be tight, you only hand tighten them anyway and put a thin film of oil on the rubber gasket to stop that from softening and adhering to the block. I've never had a problem with the chain type of filter removal tool - but mostly they come off by hand. Other jobs that are easily within the capability of an amateur mechanic with basic spannering skills and plenty of time on their hands and patients are:-

Timing belts, Alternator and accessory belts, water pump replacements and alternator replacements, brake fluid replacements - also transmission fluid, power steering fluid and engine coolant changes, fuel filters, brake pipe replacements, most suspension bush replacements  - but may need a pro to do proper wheel alignment afterwards, suspension coil spring replacements and shock absorber replacements.

Really most car mechanicing stuff isn't really hard or even requires particularly high skill levels. I've had cylinder heads off cars and stripped down and as long as you're methodical and have good instructions/manual you can work through anything step by step. And the kids across the road from me do complete engine rebuilds in their garage, so really you can do anything you want really. The challenge becomes the logistics of doing the work on your drive without a proper ramp, access to some things can be hard when you're under the car with the underside a couple of inches from your nose, and dealing with those tricky unexpected things along the way like stubborn nuts and bolts, parts breaking when you remove them, unexpected things you find when you're halfway through a job. With old cars I'd say that 90% of the jobs you do you will come across something unexpected that causes delays. I've often I've gone out to do a 'quick' job and ended up having the car out of action for a week while I wait for a part or something. That's why I don't bother anymore!

Great fun though if you have the time and space to do it and can afford to have the car off the road for a few days just in case.

not taking any wheels off yet

It's one of the first things I do on a secondhand car, even if you only have the jack that came with it (buy a new wheel wrench though, the ones that come with cars are terrible). Take each wheel off, make sure the wheel locking key works, can inspect the bolts, make sure the wheel isn't stuck to the hub, and smear some copper grease on the surfaces to make sure they stay that way. Can have a quick look for any damage to brake lines, suspension, etc while you're in there.

And if they are totally stuck, or you have a rogue locking nut that you don't have a key for, better to know about it now and get it sorted rather than halfway through a job you'd planned.

Hi , tightwad Yorkshireman here. I'm at the stage where if it bolts onto the outside of the engine (filters ect) or is a suspension part (bushings, springs ect) then I do it myself.

Three weeks ago I sat in the snow replacing the front wishbone bushes , taper balljoints and front and rear droplinks on my mk2 CRV. It was bloody freezing but probably saved me over £200 in labour costs. On my last car I even replaced the clutch as the it wasn't worth what a garage would charge to do it for me.

As above a Haynes manual is useful as is YouTube and some decent tools, it's just a pain sometimes undoing nuts and bolts that have been attached and not loosened in 7-8 years plus but as long as you're methodical most jobs are fairly easy with the right tools.

good thread, bookmarked.  not having much cash means im always looking to do simple jobs myself but i have no auto knowledge at all, so just watch youtube vids, join car forums and ask on here etc.  to be honest i find this place better than the dedicated forums 😀

currently looking to change the heater fan on my wifes nissan note, a real pig of a job.  its a learning curve for sure.

A long breaker bar and decent sockets make light work of most stuck bolts.  If 75cm or even a metre of leverage doesn't unstick it, youre in trouble.

Cheers all ! Ok oil change it is. Concern now is getting ramps that a Saab can drive on to, looks like it can be an issue due to the long low (and slack? 🙃) front of the car.

I agree with the above comment on breaker bars! my Halfords one (75cm approx....the biggest they do) is my default wheel removal tool. For stuck bolts I have a Makita impact driver that is normally better than a breaker bar, but the breaker bar is invaluable.

Torx screw drivers have been very useful for any work inside my cars / van.

That and if you have not done somthing before take a few photos with your phone as you go

and if it’s all going a bit wrong , stop and have a brew before you destroy somthing

Concern now is getting ramps that a Saab can drive on to, looks like it can be an issue due to the long low (and slack? 🙃) front of the car.

you can get little cheapo extension things that go on front of ramp to lengthen it so it’s shallower .

I loathe em but they do work

and if it’s all going a bit wrong , stop and have a brew before you destroy somthing

Definately this.... be very aware that once you start applying crazy leverage to stuff shearing and rounding of bolts happens very quick and makes a five min job into possibly days of work.

Exactly CHB, that's why o thought of it. I spent the evening swapping back to the summer tyres so 75cm bracker and impact rated long 17 mm socket to loosen, torque wrench to tighten.

If using an impact driver you want impact sockets, normal ones can be too brittle and break, and bolts can so eye protection is a good idea.

use only fully synthetic oil and not thinner than 5w

All oils will be thinner than that at operating temperature. Educate yourself on the subject.

You don't need ramps for an oil change. It does make it tons nicer to do, though. Actually a huge amount of spannering is like this, you can do it like a noob generally has to do it with just barely enough tools and room, then a few years down the line you've got all the kit and it's actually miles easier not to mention nicer.

On that note, get a really fuggin massive oil pan. I used to make do with a little one that had the capacity but not really the catch area, and every oil change ended up with so much oil on the ground Greenpeace turned up

Decent oil catch trays come from a supermarket usually marketed as turkey roasting trays. I'm loathe to drop warm oil into a plastic container as 'lucky' appears to be my middle name!

Don't get ramps first. Get a good 2ton trolley jack and axle stands.  The ramps will be useless if the next job requires the wheels off such as brakes suspension or steering.

cheers, how much are they @conkers

in swedish but something like these?

https://www.jula.se/catalog/bil-och-garage/garage/lyftdon/domkrafter/garagedomkraft-002094/

https://www.jula.se/catalog/bil-och-garage/garage/lyftdon/pallbockar-och-ramper/pallbock-601024/

there are cheaper ones on there too

use only fully synthetic oil and not thinner than 5w

All oils will be thinner than that at operating temperature. Educate yourself on the subject.

??    please be helpful and help the OP understand what I meant  , if you don`t understand then ask.

As with most things you don't want to buy the cheapest as it will be poor quality and in this situation lethal if it fails. But you also don't have to buy anything anywhere near the top end of the price scale. As these may well be tools for life you should consider the mid price range and look for jack and stand bundles.

I bought a 2t jack and stands from Halfords in 1996 for about £20 and I'm still using them now on a lwb Land Rover.

What you linked to does seem to be a good choice. In the UK I would look to spend around £50-£80 on a set.

[i]dudeofdoom wrote:[/i]

you can get little cheapo extension things that go on front of ramp to lengthen it so it’s shallower .

Or bricks. Which is what I've just used to get my car onto the ramps to do an oil change.I suspect any big modern car is low enough to the ground and has enough front overhang to make it impossible otherwise (I currently have a Mondeo but also had to do that with my previous 406). Put the bricks in front of the ramps and drive over them onto the ramp - it lifts the front wheels enough before meeting the ramp to clear the bodywork. Once the car is on the ramps use the bricks to chock the back wheels (and then remember to swap them back when you're coming off!) As mentioned above though, if you don't already own ramps don't buy them - I inherited them from my dad, so have used them, but about to buy axle stands so I can do the brakes. I'm struggling to think of a job where you'd need ramps rather than axle stands - I guess it's less hassle to get the car onto them, but if you're having to use extensions (or bricks) maybe not so much.

I'm really not convinced it would be feasible to do an oil change on my car without lifting the front (or using a pit). Maybe with a smaller car, but it's very tight under mine and you have to get a long way under and then reach up to undo the filter. Which just undid by hand since that's been mentioned.

I'm really not sure what the discussion about oil grades is - do people do something other than go to the motor factor and ask for the specific oil for their car?

Agree with pretty much everything above.

Halfords tools are great, yes the standard sockets are splined, but the long reach ones are nearly always hex. Their ratchet spanners, particularity the flex head ones are superb for working in fiddly spaces. Their torque wrenches are also amazing value. Biritish Cycling membership gets you a good discount off all their stuff, including filters and fluids, though your local independent will almost certainly be 1/2 the cost for consumables.

Cars are increasingly built down to a standard with packaging becoming cleverer and cleverer to the detriment of the home mechanic. If you approach it all logically however, pretty much anything can be worked on at home - I've rebuilt and changed engines, gearboxes, refurbished subframes, swapped bushes all with relatively cheap halfrauds tools. Freezer bags and sharpies are great for storing & labelling parts as they come off.

If you ever work on suspension try and pre-soak all the fasteners with a decent release fluid. GT85 or WD40 are ok, but for proper stubborn stuff PlusGas is the king.

In addition to new sump plugs and washers, I always replace nylocks on suspension with new. They're only a couple of quid but give me much better peace of mind (my dad had an alfa 156 on which the rear lower wishbone fell off after being "repaired" by an alfa dealer - they'd not replaced the nylocs).

Watch out for really really cheap pattern parts from ebay as there's loads of Chinese junk around at present (track rod ends and wishbones with ball joints made from cheese).

^ I buy either genuine ford or Volvo from main dealer or OEM (Lemforder, Cortego, Mann etc etc) from Euro Car Parts / carparts4less. There is a lot of cheap Chinese &Indian junk knocking about. Doesn't make economical sense fitting cheap parts that then need to be changed prematurely when they fail.