Your Mechanical knowledge/skill, what can you do, how have you improved?

J

Jack138

Member +
I'm sure the range of mechanical skill and know-how is massive on this site, maybe from members who can't change wiper blades to full time mechanics.

I was wondering how much you all have learnt over the years, where you started and any tips for less skilled out there.

Did you just go about fixing things as and when they went, performing upgrades etc. Alot of people doubt their own ability, is all you need a good guide and the right tools. Anything tips for the begineers out there?

Thanks guys!
 
churcherj

churcherj

Member +
get stuck in and practise makes perfect!

its all just about having a go and learning it as you do it, in my opinion. its the same with most things in life!

personally i knew shit all about cars before having my starlet "mechanically" thanks to this site and help from a few other starlet owners from near me i have learnt alot and would attempt most jobs now :)

at the end of the day what do you want to learn mechanics for? career? or for pleasure?

i like cars because they give me pleasure, but if you want to learn mechanics for a career move, have you considered doing a mechanics course?
 
A

ASHep82

Member +
I didn't know anything about cars except how to change the wheels lol.but after I got my 1st Ep Iv learnt so much thanks to the members on here.the 1st thing I ever did was change the suspension it took me 3 hours but now it's a 30 minute job.I'm still learning.you just got to give it a shot and have the right tool.
Just want to say thanks to all the members on here
 
A

ASHep82

Member +
I didn't know anything about cars except how to change the wheels lol.but after I got my 1st Ep Iv learnt so much thanks to the members on here.the 1st thing I ever did was change the suspension it took me 3 hours but now it's a 30 minute job.I'm still learning.you just got to give it a shot and have the right tool.
Just want to say thanks to all the members on here
 
williamocarroll1982

williamocarroll1982

Member +
churcherj said:
get stuck in and practise makes perfect!

its all just about having a go and learning it as you do it, in my opinion. its the same with most things in life!

personally i knew shit all about cars before having my starlet "mechanically" thanks to this site and help from a few other starlet owners from near me i have learnt alot and would attempt most jobs now :)

at the end of the day what do you want to learn mechanics for? career? or for pleasure?

i like cars because they give me pleasure, but if you want to learn mechanics for a career move, have you considered doing a mechanics course?
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Its ALL about being careful. I had no mechanical back ground what-so-ever before I started working on my car and I have built up the confidence to going building my own engine myself in the new year. Just use common sense and everything will be ok and if in doubt, ask someone that knows
 
J

Jack138

Member +
nike-just-do-it1.jpg
 
churcherj

churcherj

Member +
williamocarroll1982 said:
Its ALL about being careful. I had no mechanical back ground what-so-ever before I started working on my car and I have built up the confidence to going building my own engine myself in the new year. Just use common sense and everything will be ok and if in doubt, ask someone that knows
Click to expand...

i wouldnt say its "ALL" about being careful, sometimes having a go and making mistakes is all part of the learning curve, playing safe and being careful is not always the best way to gain knowledge of something in my opinion. obviously if you use the car everyday then be careful and dont mess around with things your not sure on, otherwise you might do some serious damage
 
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rage

rage

Lifer
6 years ago i hardly knew how to replace a spark plug.
slowly started doing more and more with the car thx to the forums.
the community is awsome! if you aren;t sure about something, ask and get answers or even entire howto's

my skills have grown over the years all thx to the forums and my wee lil starlet.
currently rebuilding an engine from scratch and feeling confident i will succeed :)

most important tip i can give: do your homework! read read read read read! search, read some more then just get into it :) know everything you need to know about what you are going to do, the right ways, the wrong ways, learn from other peoples mistakes and make sure it doesn;t happen to you.

oh, another thing, good tools and patience are a must
 
Rory

Rory

Lifer
I just picked up tools and went for it, when i was younger, having the family well into all things mechanical helps loads.
Its all common sense and being methodical.

Never stop learning though.
 
S

starbuck

Member +
Well i knew a few bits etc. Never fitted a FMIC so had a look on here and then gave it a go. Took me a while and the hot pipe was a bitch. This site is great for 'how to's' (Remember that show? lol).

Now has anyone rotated the exhaust housing on their CT9??......... lol
 
Iain@CRD

Iain@CRD

Lifer
Rory said:
I just picked up tools and went for it, when i was younger, having the family well into all things mechanical helps loads.
Its all common sense and being methodical.

Never stop learning though.
Click to expand...

x3

Also from reading/browsing the forums will help loads but nothing helps more than getting stuck in.
 
ChrisStarletGT

ChrisStarletGT

Member +
i hav a level 3 in mechanics which i finished in june this year i started on level 1 then they skipped me ahead ayear coz i got 11 distinctions on level 1 and was top of the class with out blowin my own horn lol the only hard part now is gettin a job in a garage no1 is taking on its a joke the best thing i can reccomend to every1 who hasnt got the time or money to go bk to college is buy the hilliers books there are three of them a red one blue one and a green one heres the link for them http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hilliers-Fundamentals-Motor-Vehicle-Technology/dp/0748780823 these books are alot of reading but tell u absolutly everythin u need to know bout car mechanics would be a great christmas present for yourself and would make some great snowed in sittin by the fire reading hope this helps
 
whiteglanzav

whiteglanzav

Member +
yer wen i started on here i knew jack shit - after reading up on stuf and with the help of a few mates i can now pretty much do anything on a starlet

changing/building engines - can't get more involved than that
 
W

wesgt

Lifer
TheStarletGT said:
I know everything, i can do all.
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why is this gimp not banned yet?!

but yeh, at first i knew nothing about cars, just how to change wheels as said above, would attempt most stuff now, have changed turbos and mani's etc and done services, small stuff but learning all the time, all thanks to tgtt!
 
Jay

Jay

Admin
Learned it all the hard way unfortunately. I don't really class myself as knowledgable, just experienced..

I knew how to refuel my first Starlet and that was it. Eventually got fed up being ripped off for parts and labour and started being brave. As Rory says, you just gotta pick up the tools and go for it. This site has been a trusted source of info for over ten years now and I trust it more than most mechanics.

I'm not young enough to know everything anymore so everyday is a school day!

Jay
 
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