5"Easy" Car Problems You Should Still Bring To A Mechanic
Posted February 10, 2015 by Bobby Gaglini
With tons of YouTube videos and online tutorials, it might feel that sometimes you can fix anything wrong with your car. And while studying and hard work might help you accomplish a lot, even one small mistake can cause catastrophic problems with your vehicle. Here are 5 of the “easy” car fixes that many people say you can do yourself, but should probably leave to a professional mechanic.
Brake pad changes
While the concept of changing brake pads might seem pretty straightforward, if you haven’t done it before with someone who knows what they’re doing, it can end up being dangerous in the long run. There are too many things that could go wrong, like your brake line being compromised or the pads being on backwards that can put your safety at risk.
Tire replacements
This one might seem like the easiest task on the list, and granted, you can probably do this yourself. But (and this is very important), you should get the tires balanced immediately if you do this on your own. Too often people replace their own tires, don’t get them balanced, and as a result see extreme wear on one side of their tire almost immediately.
Broken side mirrors
If you’re living in a city and park on a main street, chances are pretty good that at some point you’ll have your side mirror obliterated by a bike, car or snowplow. It happens. And while replacing it can be done on your own, if you’re unfamiliar with the equipment, it might take you more time than you think. Taking this issue to a mechanic or dealership will be simple for them to replace, and you won’t have to worry about electronic pieces like your power mirror connection and things like that.
Serpentine and timing belts
Unless you have a very good understanding of what the internal belt systems look like in your car, removing or replacing them can cause further issues to your vehicle. It’s unlikely that you’ll save any time while trying to figure it out, and if you do it wrong, your car will probably sound like it’s screaming in pain…because it will be. Better leave this one to the pros.
Radiator issues
When radiators leak, it usually means it could be time for a new one. Taking it out can be a laborious and difficult process though. Removing the radiator hose is easy enough, but taking out the fans and placing them back can be very difficult. As well, if you have a transmission cooling line, you’ll need to move that out of the way. Any time you have to work with an important line of any kind, you’ll want to be extra careful with it.
Even though it might mean spending a few extra bucks, it’s usually worth it to have a mechanic fix these issues.