Customer Reviews

The Family Handyman: Simple Car Care & Repair

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was easy to understand and as I was reading it, it seemed to cover a variety of very specific topics such as fixing sagging headliners and replacing an oxygen sensor. However, when I had finished, it seemed I hadn't learned a thing about the jobs <I> foresaw myself tackling.

The book seemed to jump right from the incredibly basic (what octane do I need?) to the beyond-me (fixing a misaligned door with a block of wood and a big heave-ho) without touching on the more common points in between. For example, how to change oil was not covered, but there was a great section on how to wash (yes, wash) the car and why you should choose a natural chamois, along with a section on electrical work this weekend mechanic wanna-be wouldn't touch with the proverbial ten-foot pole.

The book does a great job explaining the things it actually does talk about, but this 180 page book is about 100 pages short. In other words, I'm definitely keeping the book in case I do want to try reattaching some peeling trim or replace a PCV valve (huh?) one day, but I still have to buy another to learn about the stuff I'm more likely to do in between, like change my own oil or deal with the beginnings of a little rust patch...

This book is great for those wanting a basic understanding of cars in general and how to maintain them. A great starting point for those like me who don't know a lot about working on cars but are willing to learn the basics. The book covers a lot of thing that are good to know such as how to identify different fluids in the car (along with what to look for to see if there are signs of something wrong in them), what to look for to tell when belts need to be replaced (along with way to get rid of belt sqeak), along with some of the "simpler" repairs such as hoses, lighting, and spark plugs. It's best as a starter, and then a companion to something like a Chilton manual for your specific car. For example, this book talks about the PCV valve, but I had no idea where it actually was on my own car until the Chilton manual showed me a photo diagram of the engine I actually had.