How'd you learn?

[zachhandley]

Hey Guys,
I wasn't a huge car guy before I got my car, and I'm always really careful so I don't like to mess with things on my car. How'd you guys learn a lot about your car/cars in general?
Just curious,
Thanks
-Zach

[Mad Monkey]

This website. Reading it, reading it, talking to others on it.

[DanPrixGTP]

Personally. I research a lot.

I've learned just about everything I know from this Forum. I read random posts about car problems and installations of stuff, so I can learn.

On top of that, I've met a few members on this forum that personally help me out locally. Plus, I watch them do something when wrenching on a car and pay close attention on how to do it.

You just need to go for it, for whatever you're trying to do to your car. Read some write-ups on this forum and other sites and then give it a try. If you get stuck, come back to this website and ask a question. We all are willing to help.

Plus, I have a few members numbers, so if I get stuck, I just text/call them as well.

[DirtDog]

I agree with Dan. That's the way I've learned what I know and read something new daily on here and a few other forums.

And lots and lots of trial and error...I've messed things up or not done something correctly then I realize it and know not to do it again.

And find some people close by and talk to them. Go to meets and get to know people who are good at what they do and if u run into problems call them or text em...then if all else fails post here and the smart ones who know stuff will help

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

I read alot, then try it, likely fail and go back to reading/watching.

I also graduated college for automotive so I have a better idea of what I am doing now.

[Scottydoggs]

the whole reason behind my wrenching is from when i was kid, my parents helped with nothing, car wise, was told if i want a car, its mine, not theirs. i even had to get my own insurance.

so i get my first car, and of course stuff goes bad or breaks. you got the internet, i had the public library card to take out a chilton manual lol

went junk yarding for parts that are re usable, buy only what i had to new. important parts, you buy new. brakes pads, rotors and steering parts, and tune up parts.

ever since if the car had no more warranty, aka free parts and labor, the work falls in my hands for the most part. to this day i cant bring my self to pay a shop to do a job i know i can do myself in less time, and way less money.

[Mad Monkey]

also if you are not sure how to do something, read up on it on here/internets, then GO to a junkyard and practice

[Slowpoke]

Read, try, fail. Reread, try, fail again. Reread again, try, succeed. Forget what I learned a year later, the process repeats.

[camopaint0707]

My grandfather teaching me since I was about 10.

[JDrach]

This website. Reading it, reading it, talking to others on it.

This. Along with a couple mechanics at my work, my dad, and my girlfriends dad. And I still barely know anything. I don't mind learning stuff that I want/have to do to my car. That's why if I haven't thought about it, or haven't done anything to my car in particular, I don't know jack about it.

[QUICKSILVER462]

The most important part of working on cars, or anything for that matter, is recognizing your going to a make mistake, and your going to learn from those mistakes, and take the responsibility to fix your own mistakes, and NOT take it personally, it happens. Every mistake is a road to further success.

[Scottydoggs]

ive found that doing interior work is when you find yourself breaking stuff. its the not knowing that gets you. after you break it, you now learned how to not take it off next time.

out side of the car, as long as your not a animal and dont snap bolts, working under the hood and under the car is all pretty simple, as far as not breaking parts.

ive seen some nightmares here of some easy to change parts that would just not cooperate with the removal process tho. thank god those are rare.

[TexasTanker19kilo20]

Grew up with shade tree mechanics, first job ever was at a tire shop. Used to be a Dodge/ Jeep tech. Also, I was always too broke to get it done, so learned by hands on. The forum helps when working on Grand Prix's. Figured out long ago that I was a mechanical person, not much for books. Can't be scared to get dirty and know your limits. Never be afraid to ask for help, you look better than the Jack nuts that thinks they know all.

[Scottydoggs]

it all starts with broken toys, then we try to open them up and fix them, never works out well when your 9 or 10 lol

[SlowNA06]

Lots of reading, asked a friend's dad to show me some basic things, then my brain wrapped itself around the thing, stopped being afraid of breaking stuff, so now I fearlessly break stuff all by myself.

[BillBoost37]

Asked questions when I saw things being done. Thought about things and realized that most stuff needs only a few things. First and foremost is confidence, that can be built. Second is knowledge, you may never have scaled a mountain...yet if you see a video of it, you can approximate what it takes to move your hands/legs and get up there. Third...right sizing. That's correct, many people look at something as a whole, not as pieces. Almost no project is a one thing and done, there are many little components that make it work. Look at a spark plug replacement as an example, step 1, step 2.. many small steps lead you to a successfully running engine. If you've gathered the information on the steps and understand that most things in life come apart by turning them counter clockwise, and go together by turning clockwise. Then there's simply a matter of learning how tight and the little pieces in between.

Willingness to learn is a huge thing. You have come here asking us how we learned. Well.. we did so by asking, watching, trying (in some cases breaking stuff and telling each other about it). Feel free to pick our brains, ask things that may sound silly or end up being pretty silly in the end. It's all good.

[loopy smurf]

My dad taught me TONS as I was growing up. I remember helping him change the brake pads on my brothers car when I was 14. My first car taught me a ton of stuff as well. It taught me that shift linkage can be held together with zip ties so you don't have to spend life in 3rd gear...

Working with my dad gave me alot of confidence that I could do stuff. Since I've been on my own, I do alot of research on sites like this one, or vids on YouTube (1aauto has a GREAT library of videos). When I had my Grand Am, I got step by step instructions on changing out the heater core, for instance. This site has alot of those same types of things on it for the GP.

[stinger440]

I have always been a gear head. No one in my family ever was. So I learned everything on my own. Lots of books, forums and talking with those that already know. The #1 thing you have to do is get rid of the fear of "I might mess things up" Heck its already broke, you can't make it not work more.

[coolone]

Experience is the best teacher there is... As stated before me, you come up with an idea of what you want, plan it, reasearch it, assemble all that's needed to accomplish it, then execute the plan. Test it, see if it works, what doesn't, fix, start over, do it again till its just as you originally wanted, or better.

In the days before the all knowing Internet, it wasn't as easy. You really needed to networkowing people socially to get information, especially reliable solid information that worked. But you essentially benefitted the same as today, by incorporating others experiences, then building on that with your own. But like it is with anything, if you're afraid to fail or break things, you won't get far. If you think you'll do it once and it's over, you'll set yourself up for disappointment.

But modding has great rewards as it allows you to make it your own and that is what draws us in... The 3800 is a prime example today of benefitting from what has been done before and yet, there are those still daring to try different things and go where it hasn't been. This is what it's all about! (to me)...

: )

[FriboRage]

My first car was a Grand Am, 4cyl, when I was 17 and it made me start reading on Grand Am Owners Club about mechanical stuff... I had no idea how cars worked or what parts were involved or how anything was put together, I had rarely even seen under the hood of a car. I got the idea to change the spark plugs on it... I took the cover plate off and saw what I now know to be the spark plug wires... couldnt figure out where the plugs were, panicked, and put the cover plate back on before I broke something... I even made one of my friends do my first few oil changes.

I had that car for about a year and then I got my first GP, NA car... that's the car I did most of my learning on. I learned how to efficiently do an oil change quickly without getting dirty, learned spark plugs, which was easy but way more involved than a 4cyl motor. (I laugh and feel embarassed when I think about how scared I got about that, and how easy it is in reality, lol.) I did my first mod which was tearing apart the stock intake and fabricating my own intake... removed the factory downpipe and installed an aftermarket one, then I removed the front exhaust manifold to do a plog... the most involved job I've done so far was the hv3 installation which is just taking the plenum off, removing the factory insert, putting the new one in and slapping it all back together. Made some mistakes along the way that taught me what NOT to do or how to do things efficiently... tricks and little ways of doing things that prevent headaches later or just make things easier.

I repeated the intake, plugs, downpipe, and plog when I got my comp g and now I have those jobs down to a science... the first time I did the plugs on the NA car, it took me like 3 hours to do the back plugs, second time I finish the whole job in under an hour, oil changes take me 10-15 minutes normally, Im gunna be doing rockers and lim gasket soon so that'll be more experience... Im also in the process of redoing the brake lines on another car, but I never would've had the confidence to do any of that if I didnt have this forum to read on and get advice or help when I needed it, I had many panic moments where I ran in and hopped on gpf for help, lol.

In between the NA car and the gtp, I got a job at a parts store so I learned a LOT there, too.. you tend to grasp things quickly with a sweaty, angry redneck staring you down on the other side of the counter...

Point being, 95% of it is getting your hands dirty and learning by doing and seeing, the other 5% is a combination of discussion with people who are knowledgable and reading reading and reading. I started off being absolutely helpless, but between this forum and the other communities around, and getting out there and actually doing the jobs I feel way more confident in my abilities now, and you'll grow too if you want to.