3 Car Repairs You Should Never Try to Do on Your Own

If you know your way around a basic tool set, there are a number of simple repairs that you can do on your car.  You can take care of all of the easy fixes on your own, such as changing the oil and replacing the wiper blades.

However, some jobs are simply downright dangerous for the novice auto mechanic to attempt on his or her own.  The following are the top three repair jobs that you should never try at home.

Replace Your Brakes

First, it is not advised that you replace your brakes at home.  Even if you think you know how to replace the brakes from reading materials online or in a manual, it is a delicate and dangerous job and requires extensive testing before you can take your car back out on the road.  If you don’t install them correctly, you stand a good chance of having your brakes fail on you in a line of traffic or (worse) on the freeway, which can cause an accident or pile-up.  You will want to head to the professionals for this job.

Change Your Transmission

Second, changing out the transmission in cars can be problematic.  In many cases, you are going to have to lift the engine block out of the car to get at the transmission.  This is a job for professionals who have the right tools to do it.  If you must do this at home, enlist the help of at least one extra friend.  Engine blocks have been known to fall during this advanced repair, and you don’t want to be alone in the garage if the engine falls on you!

Fix the AC

Third, the air conditioning can be dangerous if you don’t repair it correctly.  Not only is the repair difficult, but also hooking it up wrong can cause some serious problems if poisonous refrigeration fumes escape or are routed into the interior of the car, and can even cause your engine to overheat or catch fire in some instances.

Remember: if in doubt – go to the auto repair shop or call the repairman out.