Starting Out

[garyd91]

Hey ,

I'm just wondering what would be the best way to start out and learn about cars.I'm in the process of building a garage at home and would like be able to work on cars,rebuild etc but I dont know anyone that I could learn off so some tips on what to do would be great..My background is in Maintence fitting (CNC,hydraulics,turning,welding etc.) so my fab skills are quite good but I dont know a great deal about cars.Any tips would be a great help.

thanks,
Gary

 

[my58]

A start would be to put where you are located in your profile, maybe someone close by you will let you hang out at their shop.

Some areas have good adult education classes. There are many ways to learn if you truly have the desire.

Many of us have learned from helping others and many are willing to teach others. You just need to get involved twith car clubs or welding groups etc.

you seem like you have a great skill set, you just need to find some people in your area for a bit of help.

Welcome to the GJ by the way.

 

[ratdoggy]

If you're in Ohio you can learn Kia Sedona front brakes this weekend!!!

 

[WeeTony]

buy an old volkswagen and fix it when it breaks.

DO your own services and do them thoroughly, with brake pads changed and coolant flushes.

Then after about a year of such maintenance, change engine bay components like the alternator and the oil pump and the water pump and the radiator and then change all the brakes, then change all the suspension.

Then take the engine out and take it apart and clean it and put it back together with new seals and stuff.

By this point you have a concourse volkswagen and a good knowledge of the workings of your basic engine.


Top tip: buy tools as you need them, and get the best tools you can afford.

This is exactly what I did, and I have since sold the VW for 5x what I paid and changed out 2 engines and 3 gearboxes.

VW worked for me cos parts were cheap and numerous and the car was fun (1.8 GTI)

I imagine a ford would suit you better in america, but get whatever you want and can afford to wrench on(and in my case, break more when trying to fix, until a $100 job costs you $400 - but the satisfaction makes up for it)

 

[garyd91]

If you're in Ohio you can learn Kia Sedona front brakes this weekend!!!

thanks for the offer but its a long way from Ireland

 

[garyd91]

A start would be to put where you are located in your profile, maybe someone close by you will let you hang out at their shop.

Some areas have good adult education classes. There are many ways to learn if you truly have the desire.

Many of us have learned from helping others and many are willing to teach others. You just need to get involved twith car clubs or welding groups etc.

you seem like you have a great skill set, you just need to find some people in your area for a bit of help.

Welcome to the GJ by the way.

Yea I should have a look around for car clubs in my area I never thought of that! its a pretty small area so I wont get my hope up

 

[bazzateer]

With club rallying being so popular in Ireland there may be a car club near you which you can join?

 

[garyd91]

buy an old volkswagen and fix it when it breaks.

DO your own services and do them thoroughly, with brake pads changed and coolant flushes.

Then after about a year of such maintenance, change engine bay components like the alternator and the oil pump and the water pump and the radiator and then change all the brakes, then change all the suspension.

Then take the engine out and take it apart and clean it and put it back together with new seals and stuff.

By this point you have a concourse volkswagen and a good knowledge of the workings of your basic engine.


Top tip: buy tools as you need them, and get the best tools you can afford.

This is exactly what I did, and I have since sold the VW for 5x what I paid and changed out 2 engines and 3 gearboxes.

VW worked for me cos parts were cheap and numerous and the car was fun (1.8 GTI)

I imagine a ford would suit you better in america, but get whatever you want and can afford to wrench on(and in my case, break more when trying to fix, until a $100 job costs you $400 - but the satisfaction makes up for it)

I currently have 2004 a 1.9 tdi Skoda octavia ..would I be better of maybe buying an older one out of maybe a breaker yard and just playing around with that?? Not that my car is exactly new or anything oh and sorry i just updated my info there Im living in Ireland!

 

[my58]

thanks for the offer but its a long way from Ireland

Oh, your in Ireland, its easy... Just grab a few Harps and walk into any auto shop, hand them a Harps and hang out and learn.

Warning, Careful if its a shop servicing black cabs

 

[garyd91]

haha harps as in the beer?? thats some strong stuff i dont know how much ill remember after a few of them

 

[my68spit]

Find a friend that does their own maintenance on their cars. Hang out with them, talk cars, watch them do oil changes and brake jobs, etc. If you have multiple friends that fit this profile, find the one with the oldest car and/or an old British car. There is a lot more to learn on older cars than newer ones.

Tear apart your lawn mower and put it back together. Take anything you have with a motor on it, tear it apart and put it back together. This is how my father got me into tinkering. He picked up a couple snow blowers from a neighbor that didn't work and helped me tear them apart, clean them, fix them and put them back together. great learning experience and takes away a lot of the fear of taking something apart.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun. It turns into an addiction and can lead to an expensive hobby.

 

[garyd91]

Find a friend that does their own maintenance on their cars. Hang out with them, talk cars, watch them do oil changes and brake jobs, etc. If you have multiple friends that fit this profile, find the one with the oldest car and/or an old British car. There is a lot more to learn on older cars than newer ones.

Tear apart your lawn mower and put it back together. Take anything you have with a motor on it, tear it apart and put it back together. This is how my father got me into tinkering. He picked up a couple snow blowers from a neighbor that didn't work and helped me tear them apart, clean them, fix them and put them back together. great learning experience and takes away a lot of the fear of taking something apart.

Whatever you do, good luck and have fun. It turns into an addiction and can lead to an expensive hobby.

I actually have my lawnmower apart since the other day there! just have to re assemble it now and hope for the best! thanks for the advice! much apprectiated!

 

[DpSyChO]

What kind of cars are you into?
I offroad Suzuki Samurai's and Sidekicks. There are a couple of forums for those that are the equivalent of garage journal, they offer a abundance of knowledge without the sarcasm and smart @ss's that can be found on some forums. See if you can find such forums for the type of vehicle you are interested in and use their faq as a way to "get your feet wet". By the background you have listed, you have mechanical aptitude and should have no problems.

 

[justanengineer]

If youd prefer not getting deep into a project, you could always take your daily driver and just update it a bit. Usually if you put the word "custom" in front of most any car model, an internet search will give quite a few results. Just be forewarned, some results may be hideous while others both beautiful and useful. Something else to try would be simply to fix every little detail of your daily driver, theyve all got something wrong with them whether its a ding, scratch, broken plastic bit on the interior, or a leaky valve cover.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

If you're in Ohio you can learn Kia Sedona front brakes this weekend!!!

You use dynamite to do those don't you?

 

[signcrafter]

The best way is to learn by doing. If you can get an older car for cheap and just take things apart and put back together. Also do lots of research online and buy a factory service manual for each vehicle you work on so it will walk you thru the repair. Youtube and vehicle specific forums can be very informative.

Have you done simple maintenance on your own vehicle like change oil, coolant, trans fluid, brake fluid? Then start working your way up doing things like brake changes and any other repairs your car might need.

Also just ask questions on this forum, there are a ton of very knowledgeable folks here. If you're interested in a particular part or system of the car watch some youtube vids and google and then ask questions.

 

[ratdoggy]

If you're in Ohio you can learn Kia Sedona front brakes this weekend!!!

You use dynamite to do those don't you?

I wish I had some.....Last time the pins were rusty.

 

[ratdoggy]

If you're in Ohio you can learn Kia Sedona front brakes this weekend!!!

thanks for the offer but its a long way from Ireland

If you do drywall I'll pay airfare!!!

 

[garyd91]

If you do drywall I'll pay airfare!!!

I'm sure I could learn quickly a holiday is always nice

 

[garyd91]

The best way is to learn by doing. If you can get an older car for cheap and just take things apart and put back together. Also do lots of research online and buy a factory service manual for each vehicle you work on so it will walk you thru the repair. Youtube and vehicle specific forums can be very informative.

Have you done simple maintenance on your own vehicle like change oil, coolant, trans fluid, brake fluid? Then start working your way up doing things like brake changes and any other repairs your car might need.

Also just ask questions on this forum, there are a ton of very knowledgeable folks here. If you're interested in a particular part or system of the car watch some youtube vids and google and then ask questions.

Yea I have done oil changes etc,I have the haynes manual for my car but really I just dont have the know how yet to be confident to take on bigger jobs or even to diagnose problems ,I think ill just buy and old cheap car once i have the garage finished and just take it apart and try rebuild it .its really the only real way to learn as far as i can see

 

[WeeTony]

I currently have 2004 a 1.9 tdi Skoda octavia ..would I be better of maybe buying an older one out of maybe a breaker yard and just playing around with that?? Not that my car is exactly new or anything oh and sorry i just updated my info there Im living in Ireland!

Well, skoda will be fine to learn on but older cars are better cos a) they're easier, b) they're cheaper, c) they're cooler.

Avoid scrappies, you dont know what you're getting and chances are if its in a scrap yard its beyond saving. Set a budget for a cheap car to learn to work on, and buy an hinest one but not a mint example. Then get the haynes manual, and go round making it perfect. I would recommend old vws as thats where i learned and there are lots of helpful forums. Oull get a mk2 golf for £500 - parts are cheap. Try and get a car without power steering and electrrics galore, nobody likes auto electrics!!

Good luck, you'll love it!

 

[garyd91]

Well, skoda will be fine to learn on but older cars are better cos a) they're easier, b) they're cheaper, c) they're cooler.

Avoid scrappies, you dont know what you're getting and chances are if its in a scrap yard its beyond saving. Set a budget for a cheap car to learn to work on, and buy an hinest one but not a mint example. Then get the haynes manual, and go round making it perfect. I would recommend old vws as thats where i learned and there are lots of helpful forums. Oull get a mk2 golf for £500 - parts are cheap. Try and get a car without power steering and electrrics galore, nobody likes auto electrics!!

Good luck, you'll love it!

Yea that seems like the way to go for me! I'm looking forward to it! Thanks for the advice ,It's greatly appreciated

-Gary

 

[signcrafter]

Yea I have done oil changes etc,I have the haynes manual for my car but really I just dont have the know how yet to be confident to take on bigger jobs or even to diagnose problems ,I think ill just buy and old cheap car once i have the garage finished and just take it apart and try rebuild it .its really the only real way to learn as far as i can see

Diagnosing problems is the hardest part. I can take anything apart and repair it. I've rebuilt a couple engines, changed transmissions, head gaskets, timing belts, etc but still have trouble figuring out what the problem is sometimes since I don't do this for a living I don't get a ton of experience to learn how to diagnose. But if there is a tool to help diagnose the problem I will buy it to help me figure out the problem.

Buying an old cheap car is a great idea and when done you can always part it ut and sell the parts on ebay to recoup some of your investment. Might even make some money if you're lucky and then you can get paid to learn!

 

[signcrafter]

Well, skoda will be fine to learn on but older cars are better cos a) they're easier, b) they're cheaper, c) they're cooler.

Avoid scrappies, you dont know what you're getting and chances are if its in a scrap yard its beyond saving. Set a budget for a cheap car to learn to work on, and buy an hinest one but not a mint example. Then get the haynes manual, and go round making it perfect. I would recommend old vws as thats where i learned and there are lots of helpful forums. Oull get a mk2 golf for £500 - parts are cheap. Try and get a car without power steering and electrrics galore, nobody likes auto electrics!!

Good luck, you'll love it!

This may be true but these days if you want to learn to work on cars you better learn as much as you can about electronics.

 

[92GreenYJ]

Well you found your way here, find yourself a good car forum. Maybe one specific to the vehicle you will be working on. That's the first thing I do when I get into anything. Web forums such as this are one of the best sources of knowledge and ideas available. As a Jeep owner I belong to 8 different Jeep and off-road related forums. As A Dodge truck owner I belong to three Dodge specific forums. As a gun owner I belong to four different firearms forums. The list goes on. Many forums will also have regional sub forums where you can chat with and meet others close to you that share your passion and can get together to hang out, and wrench and so on.