Car repairs and conversions should be fun and save expensive repair costs. But this is not always the case and some mishaps can be very expensive. Find out now what the most common mistakes are when repairing a car and how to avoid them.
Mistakes to avoid when repairing a car – it can get expensive.
Whether changing the engine oil, repairing accident damage or completely restoring the vehicle, many auto repairs are happily carried out by professional salespeople themselves. However, sometimes mistakes are made by amateurs.
Mistake 1: the wrong couple
Many screws and screw connections on automotive parts must be tightened with a certain torque. To do this, we use a torque wrench on which we can set the desired torque. When this point is reached, the torque wrench is triggered and the assembly can no longer be tightened.
Many amateur screwdrivers tighten screws as hard as they can, without even considering the prescribed tightening torque. The consequences are torn screws or ruined threads, which are difficult to reverse. The risk of accidents also increases, because overtightened screws may subsequently break under load.
Mistake 2: Bad engine oil
Regular engine oil changes are important to ensure long life of combustion engines. Many motorists want to save the cost of oil changing and carry out the operation themselves. It’s entirely doable, but there are certain things you need to take into account. It is particularly important to choose the right engine oil, because many engine oils differ in their properties.
Car sellers should therefore not just buy the engine oil that is on sale nearby. The viscosity and other characteristics of the oil may not be suitable and, in the worst case, lead to engine failure. It is preferable to use an engine oil intended and approved by the vehicle manufacturer. Most information on this can be found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.
Mistake 3: Ruined oil drain plug threads
To be able to drain the used engine oil during the oil change, you must loosen a screw under the engine. The drain plug is usually located at the lowest point of the oil pan. When the used oil has drained from the engine, the drain plug must be replaced. It sometimes happens that the drain plug is placed crooked, especially when amateur mechanics do not have a lift.
In doing so, they ruin the oil pan threads by tightening them. The thread is then so damaged that all that remains is to replace the entire oil pan. It is certainly possible to buy cheap used car parts, such as the oil pan, from an auto recycling company, but the cost of replacement is not negligible. Therefore, always install the oil drain plug carefully and tighten it gently by hand at first.
Mistake 4: Unapproved spare parts
Many car owners want to save a little money when repairing their vehicle. Advantageous offers on the Internet are often tempting, but not all the pieces offered are always of good quality. Tuning parts and imitations, in particular, are often offered without the ABE general operating license. This problem does not arise with original parts with an OEM number, which you can also buy second-hand at a low price.
Mistake 5: Wheels mounted in the opposite direction of travel
Modern tires have many positive characteristics. It is not uncommon for these to result from a certain direction of rotation of the tire. Winter tires in particular, but also sports tires, have a direction of rotation predefined by the manufacturer. Many enthusiasts ignore this and mount the wheels against the direction of travel.
However, if tires with the prescribed rotation direction are mounted and used upside down, the positive properties of the tires can quickly turn into negative properties. Therefore, wheels should not be swapped crosswise when changing wheels. The direction of rotation of the tires is indicated by an arrow and the inscription Rotation and must be respected.
Mistake 6: Overestimating yourself
Many amateurs overestimate themselves in their projects. This concerns on the one hand their own car repair capabilities, and on the other hand the estimated effort. For example, restoring a classic car often requires a lot of unplanned work, even though suitable replacement parts can be purchased inexpensively from a car recycler.
