Want to learn how to work on cars

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 02:21 PM

Hey everyone names Pete and I was wondering what advice you guys have about learning on how to work on cars. Based in n Melbourne and keen just to be able to chop someone out and learn a few things hands on

.:4:. · 22-02-2021, 02:43 PM

Hi Pete, what kind of repairs do you want to get hands on about? Maintenance work, like changing oil, spark plugs etc only requires semi basic tools. Im no mechanic, but basics arent difficult to get your head around and work out. The cars manual tells you a fair bit for that. The slightly more advanced stuff, thats when its best to, even if its your free time, observe and be the helping hand for someone in the know. There are night courses for car maintenance at technical colleges. The advanced stuff, you need more advanced tools, but i wouldnt recommend attempting advanced stuff unless completely confident. There's a reason mechanics do apprenticeships for 4 years and are mechanics.

BENT_8 · 22-02-2021, 04:24 PM

First thing you'll need is some tools etc.
My suggestion, apart from the obvious is a left handed screwdriver, long wait and a box of spots for spot welding just incase.

Citroënbender · 22-02-2021, 04:31 PM

There’s more money in other trades, is the desire to learn for a hobby or to make money?

.:4:. · 22-02-2021, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENT_8

First thing you'll need is some tools etc.
My suggestion, apart from the obvious is a left handed screwdriver, long wait and a box of spots for spot welding just incase.

Dont be discouraging, if the bloke wants to learn, be encouraging. Dont send him to a VW dealer for a radiator hose for an air cooled beetle. Just try and point in the right direction. Something like a Haynes manuel will assist. Yeah, tools are required. But for myself, i personally learn better from observation then what a book says. I can read, but i personally find you learn faster with a person on your back telling you when you **** up. Well, a person in the know. Learn it once learn it right. Basic maintenance isnt rocket surgery or brain sciaence. Most of that, you can do yourself. The first time you drop the oil plug in the pan, miss the pan, coat your hands in oil. Thats a lesson.

22-02-2021, 05:01 PM

First step is to join forums and watch plenty of how to's on youtube

Next is decide how much you want to actually do yourself and on what vehicles and then budget accordingly for tools/ TAFE courses etc

Good Luck

Daz

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 05:24 PM

Cheers for the advice everyone, i just want to learn how to do my own service, get a rough idea on how each part works and how to identify issues for when it needs to get changed and then hopefully start to get into doing a few mods by myself. I’m a second year apprentice plumber but yeah more just looking to get into the car scene and learn a thing or two

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

There’s more money in other trades, is the desire to learn for a hobby or to make money?

So far just as a hobby, but if I find myself enjoying it and getting the hang of it I wouldn’t mind doing it full time.

Citroënbender · 22-02-2021, 05:30 PM

Definitely more money in plumbing (eventually!) unless you have specialised car skills like used in building hot rods.

Two posts from an apprentice with no “lols”. I’ll pay that - you’re serious.

BENT_8 · 22-02-2021, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Dont be discouraging, if the bloke wants to learn, be encouraging. Dont send him to a VW dealer for a radiator hose for an air cooled beetle. Just try and point in the right direction. Something like a Haynes manuel will assist. Yeah, tools are required. But for myself, i personally learn better from observation then what a book says. I can read, but i personally find you learn faster with a person on your back telling you when you **** up. Well, a person in the know. Learn it once learn it right. Basic maintenance isnt rocket surgery or brain sciaence. Most of that, you can do yourself. The first time you drop the oil plug in the pan, miss the pan, coat your hands in oil. Thats a lesson.

It was a joke, relax.

22-02-2021, 07:09 PM

For years i payed a lot of money to workshops for even basic maintenance items and tuning and then one day i actually believed in myself.

After an eternity i finally built my own Barra and did my own airbrushing and if someone like me can do it mate with all my demons then you sure can as well

CyberWasp · 22-02-2021, 08:11 PM

If I was game, I would find a cheap Nugget that nobody wants / loves anymore and resurrect it.
In doing so you would learn a lot along the way and save a vehicle from the wrecker.

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrVrPhiLpsiNdstrys

For years i payed a lot of money to workshops for even basic maintenance items and tuning and then one day i actually believed in myself.

After an eternity i finally built my own Barra and did my own airbrushing and if someone like me can do it mate with all my demons then you sure can as well

image

Wow that’s an absolute work of art, honestly my dream cars always been a b series xr6t. Would you guys say that would be beginner friendly to learn how to work on? Atm I’ve got a NA fg mk2 xr6 and all I’ve done is chuck in a kn filter and hooked up already existing wires to the sub and amp

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

If I was game, I would find a cheap Nugget that nobody wants / loves anymore and resurrect it.
In doing so you would learn a lot along the way and save a vehicle from the wrecker.

I feel like I’m no where near close to having a crack at that, personally I kinda just want to help someone who’s fixing up a b series xr6 since i don’t really learn to well unless I do something hands On

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Definitely more money in plumbing (eventually!) unless you have specialised car skills like used in building hot rods.

Two posts from an apprentice with no “lols”. I’ll pay that - you’re serious.

After copping a used tampons and some other bits n pieces unblocking drains ya really tend to question what you’re doing with life

.:4:. · 22-02-2021, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokes

I feel like I’m no where near close to having a crack at that, personally I kinda just want to help someone who’s fixing up a b series xr6 since i don’t really learn to well unless I do something hands On

Whats up with the xr6? If you dont ask the question you wont get an answer.

Pokes · 22-02-2021, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Whats up with the xr6? If you dont ask the question you wont get an answer.

Nah I was replying to someone else who suggested to fix up an old nugget as a way to learn how to fix up cars. But I don’t feel confident committing to that and rather just help someone who knows what they’re doing and can explain a few things along the way

Yellow_Festiva · 22-02-2021, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokes

Hey everyone names Pete and I was wondering what advice you guys have about learning on how to work on cars. Based in n Melbourne and keen just to be able to chop someone out and learn a few things hands on

I got a few handbooks for my cars and motorbikes - either paper or electronic versions and referenced them often.

I watched people at work. My Festiva constantly cooked rear bearings. The 2nd or 3rd time I took it in to get done I watched them like a hawk and went home straight away and stripped them out and re-installed them.

Never needed to pay for those to be installed again.

Same with front pads, taught myself on YouTube how to replace them.

Most basic servicing is straight forward and you can actually do much of the non technical stuff yourself - replacing filters, changing oil, coolant, plugs, leads, wiper blades etc.

Rotating your tyres, replacing blown globes etc.

I plug my own tyres as well - kits are cheap to buy and easy to use.

You can set yourself up for a few hundred dollars spent at Supercheap - tools, jack, axle stands etc

It starts to get harder when certain processes need specific tools.

roKWiz · 23-02-2021, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokes

After copping a used tampons and some other bits n pieces unblocking drains ya really tend to question what you’re doing with life

Stick with the trade, like every apprenticeship it has its ups and downs but will pay off for you later. Unblocking drains can lead to highly specialised career but remember its not always about money.

I'm with Cyberwasp, buy a cheapie to work / learn on in your spare time.

BENT_8 · 23-02-2021, 08:27 AM

Grab your tools and head for your local pick a part wreckers, we have U pull it here in SA.
For a couple of dollars you can play with all different types of cars and understand how things come apart and go back together, i do it occasionally when im not 100% sure of something rather than over commit on a running vehicle, has been very useful over the years.

Citroënbender · 23-02-2021, 08:54 AM

You haven’t lived until a fermenting sewer choke has blown back, showering you with liquefied #2 and everything else.

A well-spread plumbing apprenticeship (not just rough-ins and fit offs) will provide skills for finding lateral solutions to many problems.

If one were to take the “fix up a car” route, an older Cherokee or Territory would be my suggestion. Cheap enough to get into, tools are basic, hard to kill, roomy for adventures and good tow pigs.

bangm001 · 23-02-2021, 10:26 AM

Can i give some advice? Please get a decent car jack and axle stands before you crawl under it, and never get under the car unless the stands are positioned right. Other than that go your hardest! Oil change, filter, plugs etc are not that difficult even in modern cars.

Franco Cozzo · 23-02-2021, 11:22 AM

Don't do an automotive as a profession, it pays **** all.

But if you're still in the midst of your apprenticeship as a plumber , you'll probably still be eligible for government subsidies for Cert II in Automotive Mechanical at TAFE, this is basically the entire first year of schooling for a 1st year apprentice LV mechanic, you could do it concurrently with your Cert III in plumbing.

It'll cost you **** all and you'll cover all the basics, 'back in my day' a decade ago when I was going through the system that first year included rebuild on a 5sp manual gearbox.

It'll give you everything you're asking for and how to do it safely for around $1500 bucks with the subsidies.

The catch is you have to do it before you get your Cert III otherwise you're not eligible for government subsidies and it'll probably cost circa $10K at that point

If you go this route make sure it won't **** you on extra certifications at a cert II level for plumbing, with us auto tradies we did this to get our Cert II in automotive refrigeration for **** all, it basically only cost us a couple hundred bucks, the guys who did the preapprenticeship cert II prior to starting their apprenticeship got stooged and ended up paying a couple thousand bucks for their AC certification because it precluded them for government subsidies.

This is also a good option for any of you oldies who have certifications that predate the universal student number system implemented circa 2014, your qualifications don't exist on the system so you could probably go do some heavily subsidized TAFE courses in something you're interested in courtesy of Australian tax payer

simon varley · 23-02-2021, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokes

I feel like I’m no where near close to having a crack at that

you are. honestly. and I don't even know you. grab something real cheap and oldish without too much of the electronic control stuff, and it's literally nuts and bolts. even a plumber can manage that stuff

**Polyal** · 23-02-2021, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simon varley

you are. honestly. and I don't even know you. grab something real cheap and oldish without too much of the electronic control stuff, and it's literally nuts and bolts. even a plumber can manage that stuff

Maybe an 80's corolla or an AU?

Also books such as Haynes etc give fairly good step guides to work.

At the end of the day many trades follow procedures so its just a matter of finding them and learning from there.

danzvtil · 23-02-2021, 05:30 PM

I find YouTube invaluable for car learning. Chrisfix is great, as his vids are split up into individual how tos that you can search as required.

CyberWasp · 23-02-2021, 07:57 PM

Also if you buy a Nugget, post it in the project car thread on the forum.
Many people will have knowledge and help for each step of the way.

I hope ebv8 doesn't mind posting a link to a recent project of their Hilux Build.

I find it inspirational as it shows an excellent example of how a Nugget can be turned around and what can be achieved in the process.
I sort of need to practice what I preach and jump in the deep end also.

https://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11485194

**Jastel** · 23-02-2021, 08:16 PM

Hard to find someone willing to teach or even watch...a lot of legal BS these days if you get hurt over the magic line as well.

I am dismantling a wreck atm and wouldn't mind a helper but live over 4000kms from you.

SSVPom · 23-02-2021, 08:17 PM

I myself hadn’t carried out much serious car maintenance, other than stereo installs in my first few cars back in the day in England, and basic cleaning and detailing. I fixed that only a few years back (and finally got some oil under my nails and skin off some knuckles) by picking up a Falcon XH ute as a 2nd car/run around/tinkerer project, and got stuck in maintaining and improving it. Cheap as chips, plenty of parts around at the wreckers and all service items available at Repco.