What do we mean here by “Safety”?

There are two types of safety involved here: safety when actually doing the job and the safety of the vehicle once the job is done. This article addresses both of these. The bottom line is that, whilst fixng your vehicle yourself can be rewarding in terms of both money and enjoyment, getting it wrong can be painful – or worse. Working safely not only keeps you, your friends and your loved ones safe, it will often save you money!

Use the right tool for the job

Using make-do tools frequently ends up in tears because you hurt yourself, break a piece of the car or – more frequently – both.

Use a solid support

If you have to jack the car up, put a solid support – such as axle stands – under it. Gently lower the car on the jack until most of the weight is resting on the stands. You can leave the jack there to take some of the weight, thereby subjecting all the supports to less stress. Whilst we’re here, make sure the jack has sufficient oil in it and if not, only top it up with oil meant for the job – car engine oil will not do. Read the rest of this entry »