Auto Repair For Dummies Paperback – November 17, 2008

I love this book because I am incompetent with vehicles.I know how to fill up my gas tank. I know how to pop my hood. I know the check engine light coming on is bad. Literally, that is the extent to my car knowledge.I don't know how to change a tire. I struggled to pop hoods. I have no clue what a radiator looks like, or even what it does. My father worked on vehicles when he was younger but never taught his children about vehicles; he did all the work for us. I always took my car to the local quick change to get my oil change. I have relied on everyone else to take care of my vehicle for me, and I have to trust their judgment and what they ask to fix my vehicles.I am an analyzer. I analyze numbers and trends. I have great business skills, am technologically advanced and can type 117 words a minute. I have two Master Degrees and am working toward my PhD. I am confident in what I know. And what I know, is I don't know a blasted thing about vehicles in any form, and that aggravates the snot out of me.I was having problems with the battery in my truck a few weeks ago; it was just not getting enough juice to start. I would did everything I knew to do (see aforementioned) and had people come examine it to no avail. Some days it would start and other days it wouldn't. I was on my lunch break when my truck died, again. I couldn't get back to work. I called my supervisor and she sent one of my co-workers (very capable with auto-mechanics) to come take a look. He opened my hood looked at the battery and said "your clamp is loose, that's why your not getting any power." I looked at him dumbfounded. What's a clamp? He then took a screwdriver, unscrewed something, and pushed a little on this thingymajig called a clamp.The truck started.I decided that was the last straw.Something so simple made me late and affected my job performance. If I knew the basics about vehicles I could have gotten my truck started. I didn't and I didn't.I went to work in a foul mood, determined to learn auto-mechanics. I searched amazon, found this book, and knew it was for me.Since that time:I can change my oil. I take care of all the fluids. I can change all tires, check the gauges, coolants, anything basic. I have decided I am going to take an auto-mechanic class at the local community college. I also want to build a little garage some day, and start small repairs on my own vehicles. I would genuinely like to take a clunker and fix it with the time I don't have.You can be like this too! I knew absolutely nothing about vehicles! This manual will teach you how to pop open your hood and fill up your gas tank. We laugh at this, but some people genuinely don't know how to do this. My wife didn't when we wed. Fear not; we all have to start somewhere! The manual gives detailed descriptions and accurate, simple pictures of everything you can do without seeing a mechanic for a serious problem. And the book will even elaborate when you may be doing something out of your league. Time to pony up and call the mechanic!Your car should be your best friend. It takes you wherever you need to go and you pray it starts up every morning. Why not take care of it? Not to mention, if you do your own small maintenance repairs starting now until the rest of your life, you could very well save a lot of money. Plus, it's satisfying to look at your vehicle, knowing you have accomplished.If you have basic skills (typing, can change a lightbulb, count to 100, know how to breathe) but don't know the first thing about a vehicle, this book is for you. I believe the book should spark interest and give a desire to learn about vehicles, teaching how to take care of them while saving the reader money.I believe the investment is worth it. And hey, perhaps the cost of the book will be far less than the mechanics hourly rate of fixing your car. I am inclined to think such is probably true in most circumstances. But I could be wrong. After all, I couldn't change a tire until someone showed me how.

I started at a job as an automechanic about 7 months ago doing basic oil changes, brake jobs, tires, and the odd catalytic converter. I wanted to learn more in hopes of becoming a more important member of my team and making more money. This book has helped me so much in my off time better understand the ideas behind the things im working on. every time im introduced to something new at work I pick up the book when im home and read the section on it to understand it better. Its become my automotive dictionary and introduction before i do research online. It really is the best way to learn mechanics cause it doesn't start paragraphs with things over your head and discourage you.

The book is a basic, logical approach auto repair book, with a lot of good helpful information and hints to go about taking care of your car. Will it make you a professional mechanic? well, it will give you enough confidence to do a lot of maintenance on your cars and wonder why you ever paid 300 dollars to have a tune up and alternator put in your car when you realize that you can buy a good rebuilt alternator for 25 dollars and doing your own tune up will total much less than 300, not to mention the fact that you will get the satisfaction of doing it yourself and learning as you do it.It is my experience (and I'm sure a lot of folks can relate) that there is almost not a bad book if you put the time and effort to get what you need to accomplish something. If you don't use the book for the intended purpose, then no good will come out of buying it. Get a sandwich instead.

You may never do your own car repairs after reading this book, but it is worth the read just to understand all the systems in your car and how they integrate to get you to work in the morning.This book is written for all those people sitting in car repair shops dreading when the service rep calls out their name to deliver a prognosis on their car. You have no idea what they are talking about and feel like you're the only one in the waiting area that doesn't have a clue- so you just agree with what is said and tell them to "just do it" so you can get your car back.Deanna takes the reader through each of the car's systems and clearly describes the purpose, process, and component parts associated with each one. She helps you be proactive with your car's maintenance so you can avoid costly repairs in the future.Even if you just gain a basic understanding from each section, you can face your mechanic and ask intelligent questions, discuss possible alternatives, and prioritize work needed. For the most part, when mechanics see you making an effort to understand and participate in the discussion, they'll spend more time with you to explain the problem(s)- some will even take the time to show you what they are talking about on your car and provide you with options to proceed.Knowledge is Power, but it also helps build mutual respect and trust where fear, doubt, and mistrust once dominated.

Money well spent!