Auto Repair For Dummies

After watching my sister go through several Auto Tech classes to learn how to work on a car, I was intimidated by the amount of time & money I thought it would take to get the same knowledge. Then I found this book. I've been a faithful reader of the Dummies books for a long time, and this one just reinforced my opinion of them.

After reading this book, I am able to change my own oil, check & change my brakes, change a flat tire, know which replacement tire to buy and why, and diagnose almost any car problem myself. I have saved hundreds of dollars (maybe over $1000 by now) because I knew exactly what I needed a mechanic to do to my car whenever I took it in.

As a bonus, my car now runs better than it ever has before, because this book also covers preventative maintenance in extreme detail. It even lays out a monthly routine for you for checking most of the systems in your car.

I highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone who wants to learn about cars. Even if you know nothing except how to start, drive, and stop your car -- before reading this, I thought the rim CAME WITH the new tire! -- this book is for you.

Has been an all-inclusive auto resource. For newbies, but is packed with stuff.

Why hasn't there been any newer editions since 1999?

Self-reliance with regard to car maintenance is something that I have always wanted for myself.

A lot of complaints are written about how dated this book is - well, for a book who's first edition came out in '83, 8 years before the first "for Dummies" title in the series came out, it's pretty good. Remember also, it was written for people with no mechanic/auto knowledge. My father's mechanic friend recommended it to women who came into the shop who were intimidated by mechanics.

I bought this when I bought my first car, in 1983, along with my copy of Muir's "How to keep your Volkswagen alive...". Between the two of these books I was able to keep my car (9 years old at the time) maintained and tuned until it got destroyed in a crash.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't understand cars, though I would recommend your car's shop manual if you want to do more than basics.

this is amazing now i can go to the mechanic and actually understand what he is talking about, and avoid being ripped off...

also there are so many tips on how to do it yourself so no need to go c a mechanic ..