Those who know their way around the inner workings of a vehicle may feel confident enough to take on certain vehicle repairs themselves. After all, doing your own repairs rather than taking your vehicle into your local mechanic can often save you a nice chunk of change—that is, unless you mess up. Trying to take on complex vehicle repairs outside of your skill and experience level can end up causing even more damage to your vehicle, or worse, result in a trip to the hospital. Here are some examples of vehicle problems you shouldn’t try to fix yourself.
Transmission issues
Your vehicle’s transmission is one of its most important and complex components. Due to the transmission’s complexity, it is incredibly difficult to determine what the exact problem may be, let alone resolve it. As such, trying to adjust a transmission’s maze-like series of cogs, gears, and bearings that must seamlessly work together will likely only end in trouble—no matter how many video tutorials you watch. While it may be expensive, it’s better to fork up the money for professional repairs than risk causing more damage.
A cracked windshield
While there are several vehicle repairs that most people can DIY, a cracked windshield isn’t one of them. Don’t let the commercials for quick crack repair kits fool you—repairing a chipped or cracked windshield isn’t as easy as it may seem.
When a windshield with a small crack or chip doesn’t receive the proper repairs, it can eventually cause the entire windshield to crack, turning what would have been a $50 to $70 repair into a complete windshield replacement, which often cost upwards of $700. Probably not a risk you want to take.
Faulty shock absorbers
To avoid a trip to the hospital, repairing a shock absorber issue is one vehicle problem you shouldn’t try to fix yourself. Attempting to repair or replace your own shock absorbers poses several significant safety risks. For one, doing this incorrectly could cause your tires to lose contact with the road and impair your ability to brake or steer properly when driving.
In addition, the act of replacing your shock absorbers is dangerous in itself. Jacking your vehicle up and climbing underneath it to replace the shock absorbers puts you in a precarious situation that may result in significant injury if you aren’t careful. To avoid such safety risks, it is best to take your vehicle to a professional.
