Don’t Try This at Home: 8 DIY Car Repairs You Shouldn’t Do Yourself

Knowing how to make basic car repairs can save you hundreds of dollars every year.

But there are several DIY car repairs you should never attempt on your own. These are potentially dangerous, and they can make the damage even worse if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Take a look at these eight DIY car repairs you should always leave to the professionals.

1. Snapped Coil Springs

The reason you shouldn’t attempt many car repairs on your own comes down to lack of experience. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you may damage the car further and wind up spending more money in the long run.

That’s not the case with snapped coil springs.

This auto body repair can be dangerous if you don’t have the right tools, the right knowledge, and the right strategies. Coils springs are held under a lot of pressure. Trying to remove them or install new ones is incredibly risky. Even a slight mistake can cause injuries, and in the most serious cases, a coil spring mishap can lead to death.

Though you might save some money doing this yourself, it’s not worth putting yourself in danger to do so.

2. Paint and Body Work

These types of repairs seem a lot easier than something as dangerous as coil springs, but they come with their own set of challenges.

For example, fixing damaged body panels requires experience and training. It’s already an expensive DIY job, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up with sanding gouges, bubbles, etc.

Paint and body work are also messy, time-consuming fixes that expose you to a lot of noxious fumes. It’s easy to make the car look worse than it was before.

Even for a “simple” paint job, you might find yourself stuck with a car that has bad coverage, orange peel, overspray issues, and insufficient clear coats if you don’t do the job right. And these DIY problems aren’t uncommon.

Saving money is nice, but not if you have to take your car back to the Auto Import Services when you’re done.

3. Restoring Your AC System

Restoring your automobile AC systems is such a complex and detailed job, most professional mechanics hate making this repair. So when you’re AC systems shuts down and stops working, it’s not something you should attempt to take care of on your own.

If your AC compressor locks up, you’ll need a multitude of new parts to get it going again. Because of this, any DIY fix that manages to get it working again may not be a permanent solution that takes care of the root cause of the problem.

Tiny shards of metal are sent throughout the entire system when it locks up, so you’ll need to replace the evaporator, compressor, condenser, along with every fitting and every line. On top of this, AC repairs can be dangerous, so you should leave this fix for the professionals.

4. Replacing a Windshield

Doing this on your own isn’t going to save you as much money as you think. Without buying any other supplies, you need to shell out upwards of $300 right away to get a new windshield.

What if you find a used windshield in a junkyard instead? You still have to get all the adhesive, tools, and required trim pieces of the job. This job takes special tools, and trying to make the replacement without them can leave you with more problems.

For example, while it might look like you installed the windshield right, it could start leaking when the rain comes. And there’s always the danger of breaking the windshield while you’re replacing it.

There’s a good chance you’ll save money with this job by letting the professionals handle it.

5. ECU fixes

You should always let an ASE master technician handle any problem that comes up with your ECU. Trying to fine tune automotive computer repairs yourself isn’t a good idea. Keep your hands off your shift points, redline limiters, and fuel ratios.

6. Electrical Repairs

If the electrical repair is minor, like switching a fuse, you might be able to handle it on your own. Anything more involved you should turn over to the professionals.

Why?

There are yards upon yards of electrical wiring, called gremlins, that run through a car’s body. These wires have their own sensors, connectors, and computers attached at various points. All these components are interconnected and complex. If one part fails, it can affect the entire system.

Odds are you don’t have the right kind of tools to take care of these issues. And trying to find and buy them all would cost more money than just having a professional take a look.

7. Fuel System

This is another one of those dangerous repairs. You should never attempt anything that has to do with your fuel pump, rails, injectors, pressurized lines, tank, etc. on your own.

If you do something wrong, you can give yourself serious burns and headaches or render yourself unconscious. In serious cases, you can even start a garage fire or blow up your entire car.

It’s always safe to let someone who has years of experiences and all the right tools take care of this kind of job for you.

8. Brake Repairs

By repairing the brakes on your own, you’re taking your life into your hands. Not only that, you’re trusting the lives of everyone one else who ever rides in your car to your repair skills. This includes your children, your friends, and other family members.

Are you willing to take that risk?

Brakes have a lot of parts, and even jobs as simple as replacing rotors or pads can put you in danger the next time you’re on the road. A professional will make sure the brakes work the way they’re supposed to and keep you safe when you’re driving.

Why You Should Never Attempt These DIY Car Repairs

There are several DIY car repairs that are easy, safe, and beneficial to do on your own. They help you save some money and teach you new life skills that can come in handy. But there are several car repairs you should leave to the professionals. These jobs can put you in danger if you don’t have the right experience or the right tools.

Need help choosing a good auto shop for these repairs? These tips will help you pick the best shop for your car.