It’s tough to be at the mercy of an auto repair shop.

A few years ago, my husband and I paid a dealer $6,000 for repairs that didn’t fix the problem. Frustrated, we decided to DIY it. Although it took days of research, the solution ended up being just a $200 part and an hour of labor.

We hear similar stories of disgustingly high repair bills from a lot of friends and family. So for some of us, wrenching on our own cars is a great way to save money and become more self-sufficient.

But our vehicles are also one of the most sophisticated pieces of equipment we use daily. Especially with newer cars, there’s a lot that can go wrong when we tinker with them.

To find out when it’s a good idea to DIY car repairs — and when it isn’t — we asked two experts: Longtime Family Handyman contributor Bob Lacivita, an educator and Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified auto technician; and pro Porsche mechanic and restorer Nhu Nguyen. Here’s what they said

Is DIY Car Maintenance and Repair for You?

Maybe.

DIY car maintenance can save a lot of money, but it also takes a lot of time. So if money isn’t an issue and you have access to a trustworthy mechanic, that’s the easier bet.

But if you aren’t lucky enough to fit into that category, or you just really enjoy learning, then it may be time to dig in and get to know your vehicle.

What You Need To Get Started On DIY Car Work

RealPeopleGroup/Getty Images

Nguyen cites four keys to DIY repair: Having the correct parts, tools, service information/literature and work space. “If you’re missing any of those,” she says, “you’re not going to have a good time.”

Basic maintenance and repair tools include:

• Wrenches, ratchets and socket sets. Domestic cars often use standard, while imports use metric.
• A high-quality jack and jack stands, key for safety. A jack should be rated to lift at least 1.5 times your car’s weight. Stands should be able to lift at least twice your car’s weight.
• Rags. “Lots of rags,” says Nguyen. “Hardly any job on a car is not messy or dirty.”
• Screwdriver sets (flathead, Torx and Phillips).
• One 16-ounce ball peen hammer.
• Utility lights.
• A quality lug wrench for tires.
• Safety glasses.
• WD-40 or PB Blaster.

For more extensive repairs, you might also need:

• Tools specific to each job, like hose-clamp pliers or ball-joint pullers;
• An OBDII scanner;
• Digital multimeter (always use digital, never analog);
• Multiple socket sets (1/4-, 3/8- and 1/2-in.) with breaker bars;
• Pneumatic or electric high-power impact gun and a set of impact sockets;
• Pry bars;
• A box wrench set;
• Swivel and socket extensions;
• Allen and Torx wrenches and sockets;
• Straight and curved needle-nose pliers;
• Torque wrenches;
• Channel locks;
• A magnetic pick-up tool;
• Wheeled mechanic’s creeper.

Of course, you may need more or fewer than these, and some auto parts stores let you borrow specialty tools. You’ll also need a dose of desire and determination, plus a sense of humor for when things don’t go as planned.

What You Need To Know To Get Started on DIY Car Work

Read your owner’s manual to familiarize yourself with your car and basic maintenance items. “As with learning anything new, take your time and have patience,” Nguyen says. “And use every safety precaution!”

YouTube is the go-to for many DIY mechanics. But watch at least several videos on the repair job, because there’s a lot of misinformation out there. Other good places to learn include:

How To Get Started On DIY Car Maintenance

Ensup/Getty Images

Maintaining your vehicle is the first step toward learning diagnostics and repair. It’s good to learn how to:

• Change the oil and oil filter;
• Change air and cabin filters;
• Service the battery;
• Check tire pressure and tread depth (including the spare);
• Lubricate hinges;
• Check fluids, including windshield washer, antifreeze/coolant and oil.

“They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” says Lacivita. “So that’s what I tell people. Just maintain it.”

What To Know About OBD Scanners

An OBDII scanner, aka a code reader, can diagnose some problems, including check engine lights. Basic versions show which system caused the fault, and many auto parts stores will read your code for free.

More complex scanners, like these from Innova, perform a range of pro-level systems testing, which can turn half a day of troubleshooting into a 20-minute task.

How To Get Started on DIY Car Repair

RealPeopleGroup/Getty Images

While the ease of repairs varies from car to car, here are some good places to start:

• Boosting a dead battery;
• Replacing brake pads and belts;
• Changing flat tires, light bulbs, spark plugs and thermostats;
• Recharging the air conditioning.

Some second-tier DIY repairs to try include:

• Oxygen sensors (often why a check engine light is on);
• Starter motors;
• Alternators;
• Suspension parts. (Buy a complete, ready-to-install strut assembly, otherwise compressing the spring yourself can be dangerous.)

Make sure to buy the precise specified replacement parts — bulbs, thermostats, oxygen sensors etc. — or they might not work correctly. Just because it fits doesn’t mean it’s the right part.

DIY Car Repair To Avoid

Avoid anything you don’t feel comfortable with.

For safety reasons, until you’re more experienced, it’s also best to avoid most electric and fuel-related items. And definitely steer clear of anything that involves opening up the engine or transmission.

Whatever you do, never touch the high-voltage battery on an electric vehicle, or add DIY EV accessories like stereo amplifiers and speakers.

More Advice From the Experts

• Be prepared for it to take a lot longer than you expect;
• Use leverage to your advantage;
• Use a torque wrench on items that require it, especially wheel lugs;
• Disconnect the negative battery cable before doing any repairs;
• Don’t forget O-rings and gaskets;
• Stick all your bolts in a piece of cardboard, in the chronological order in which you removed them;
• Take lots of pictures of what you’re disassembling;
• Look up the correct cleaners for various surfaces;
• Look up the correct fluids specific to your vehicle’s various systems.

About the Experts

Nhu Nguyen is a Red Seal Certified Automotive Technician, Silver Certified Porsche Technician and the first woman in the world with Porsche Classic certification. She earned a 310S Automotive Service Technician designation from Centennial College in 2015 and currently works at Pfaff Tuning as a specialist in air-cooled Porsches.

Bob Lacivita was an award-winning General Motors master technician for 27 years and has been an ASE master technician since 1978. For 25 years, he also worked as an automotive technical educator and administrator. Today he writes about DIY car repairs and vehicle maintenance for Family Handyman, Reader’s Digest and other outlets.