Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102484 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
Auto expert paul brand offers consumers all the basics and blends his repair advice into a visual format to provide novices with the easiest tips in How to Reapair Your Car. it dosn't get much more basic that this: fifty step-by-step projects can be done with a few simple tools, yet can save thousands. from helpfull troubleshooting charts and maintenance routines to colour photos nd diagrams, this "real world" guide is a pick not just for car owners but for general-interest libraries --Midwest Book review

I think this book is pretty good for the 'mechanic wannabe' who's just getting started (like me). All the 50 projects are implemented with photos which is pretty neat. At the end of each chapter, there is a troubleshooting chart listing common problems associated with the specific components that are discussed in the chapter. Now, after reading this book, I think some projects could have been a little more detailed, and some other a little less: The project on 'how to fill coolant' takes two pages front and back, but the one on 'how to change thermostat' only takes one... Also, some projects explain how to replace such and such part, but it doesn't explain why you would want to replace these parts if your car breaks down: * "how to replace distributor cap and rotor"; sounds great, but how do I know that these are the parts I need to replace if my car breaks down? It doesn't say anything about that in the electrical troubleshooting chart in this chapter. * "How to replace the starter"; sounds great too, but where do I find it? there's no diagram in this book that shows you where to look under the hood, beside a picture of a car, at the beginning of the chapter, with a front mounted engine (my car, like most front wheel drive nowdays, has an engine mounted sideway); and the car used as an example in this project is different than mine. Anyway, the point is, a little more details would have been nice. However, it is a decent book and it gave me a better comprehension of how things work under the hood. It also gave me more confidence to work on my car. My advice is: buy this book to familiarize yourself with cars, and learn very basic car maintenance stuff such as changing your oil, checking your fluids, tires etc. For bigger projects like 'how to replace a water pump' (project 29), this is probably not the book you need. --California Bookwatch

Synopsis
In an easy-to-follow guide to automotive maintenance and repair, a noted expert shares the simple steps that can add years to the life of a car and save a driver thousands of dollars in repair costs, focusing on post-1985 cars as he discusses the various automotive systems, common problems that occur in each, and fifty do-it-yourself projects to ca