A skilled mechanic is something every driver needs to be aware of. It doesn’t matter the brand of the car that you drive, it doesn’t matter whether you drive to work, for pleasure, a short distance or a longer one. Your car is not invincible which means that it can and it will break down. A skilled DIY person can tackle any car problem – or can they?
There are some issues that you could handle on your own, such as an oil change or a hubcap change. There are other issues however, such as coilover springs being replaced that need to be handled by a mechanic. Below, we have 10 car problems that you should let the mechanic handle before you try to handle it yourself and end up with a car off the road! Let’s take a closer look.
- Transmission problems. This one is specific to automatic vehicles, but there is nothing worse than your automatic transmission breaking down. It’s even worse, when this breaks down on a road trip or long distance trip. The reason automatic transmission systems are quite complicated and because they can vary greatly between vehicles, do you think you may know how to fix it but it’s too late by the time you find out that you can’t. It’s a repair job that is far beyond somebody who loves to do it themselves, and it requires the attention of an experienced mechanic who understands your brand.
- Electrics have shortened. You can often tell that there is an electrical short by the hot smell as the wire insulation burns. This can create a really serious fire hazard but you can’t just go ahead and fix wires. If you don’t have intimate knowledge of the model of the vehicle and you don’t understand electronics, there’s a chance you won’t be able to find the problem right away and this is gonna be a big issue in the long tab. Take your car to a professional and don’t allow one electrical short to ruin your vehicle or your driving experience.
- The clutch needs to be changed. You might think you can handle this one, but depending on the vehicle design the clutch and other important auto components may be hard to reach. It could be even harder to reach without moving the engine. You should take your car into the shop for professional work for one good reason – you don’t want to lift the heavy engine and disconnect yourself. You need specialized equipment to do this and you can’t find that in your garage. Make sure that you have a mechanic on hand who knows how to change a clutch for your specific car brand.
- Replacing engine components are specific to the manufacturer. Whether it’s to do with your engine or your brakes or your transmission or other important parts of your vehicle, you may need manufacturer specific parts. It’s not a good idea to ask for parts instead because the substitution could be very dangerous. It’s much easier to go to a mechanic and have them order the parts for you and know you’re going to get the right field and try to date yourself and lose out.
- Your windshield has a crack. It’s annoying when your windshield has been broken, but you shouldn’t try to replace the windshield yourself. Sometimes it can be a DIY project, especially if you’ve had experience in doing it before. However, it’s always a better idea to leave us to the professionals and let them do it. The windshield is a structural component of your car, which means if it’s installed incorrectly it’s a serious safety hazard and you could find yourself stuck at the side of the road with a windshield off work off the highway.
- You can smell something bad. Your car should smell like a car, and sometimes you might be able to smell the petrol but after you fill up. A strong smell can indicate a problem with your catalytic converter, and other nasty smells could indicate burning oil or coolant leaks and this can lead to very serious problems. You need your car to be looked after properly and not handing this over to an expert who can help you instead of doing it yourself could be a bad idea.
- There is car frame damage. If you’ve just got into a fender bender and your call frame has been damaged, you need to speak to an expert to do this for you. Not only will you be able to get your car fixed properly, you know that your frame has been fixed in accordance with your car manufacturer’s warranty. Taking the time to find the next set for this is just smart going for your vehicle.
- You feel fried. It might be tempting to try to fix your air-conditioner on your own but without a lot of experience it can be a pain to work with. Your car’s air conditioning unit is not the same as the one in your home so even if you can fix the one in your home you shouldn’t be doing that either! If there’s not an obvious solution to the air conditioning issue in your car then take your car and have a professional do it for you. It’s the best way to make sure that your car is going to work correctly no matter what.
- Your airbags aren’t working. Always think twice about working around the airbag if you don’t know how to do it by trade. Messing with them is far too dangerous because it can cause you some harm even when they work in the way that they are supposed to. Leave it to a professional and make sure that you are safe while you are working on your car.
- You put the wrong type of gas in the car. If you’ve put diesel in your car instead of petrol, then you need to speak to a mechanic to help them siphon it back out again.
