There was a day that we could do almost anything on our own car. Our parents would take us and show us how to change oil, filters and other necessary aspects of our car. There was very little about the car that we could not personally handle. However, as fuel injection replaced carburetors and computerized diagnostics took over the various systems, the ability to be a weekend fix-person started to go the way of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Cars became more complex and the details of getting under the hood in your garage became less and less.
With that being said, there are still minor functions we can still handle as laymen. We can still put the car on a drive up ramp or jack it up to change the motor oil, lube the joints, change a tire, change belts and deal with other functions. Working on your vehicle is not at a complete stop and that is a grateful position to be in. Economic times have weakened our ability to do various things, but those we have access to means we still save some money.
However, since cars are more dynamic in their design, it takes specially trained experts to handle the maintenance and repairs. This is a good thing because it takes the pressure off us to try to figure out what caused the engine check light to come on or why the temperature gauge pegs out at "engine hot" status.
Most garages and services centers require their mechanics to be ASE certified, which is a credentialing service, to be able to work on newer model automobiles. These professionals spend a lengthy time in educational classes to become adept at handling all aspects of a cars engine. To simply read a tune-up machine, a mechanic must have the knowledge base to understand the cars workings.
So let's look at basic benefits of one over the other:
1. A private individual can save some money by doing their own basic work, like checking and changing tires, changing motor oil, flushing coolant systems, some brake work, and a sundry of other minor issues.
2. Self-service work done at your own leisure eliminates the need for scheduling an appointment for service calls.
3. Newer cars require the need for an ASE certified mechanic, who can handle the more complex systems and fixes.
The age and engine system of your vehicle will predetermine how you choose to fix your car.
This article is for informational purposes and is the opinion of the author which may not be the opinion of the site that this article links to.
