There are a number of myths about vehicle maintenance that come from a lot of different sources. Some are urban legend, some are people trying to save money, and others are misinformation that’s been shared and re-shared. Buying into a myth can cause damage to your car, so we feel it’s important to bring the truth to light.
Myth #1: Fixing your car at home is the same as taking it into a shop.
A lot of people with tight budgets or who are just looking to save some money may opt to go the do-it-yourself route for their car. This isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. There are plenty of small jobs that can be easily done at home with the right education, like changing a tire or refilling the wiper fluid. However, most people aren’t going to have the skills and knowledge needed for car repairs. Searching Google can only get you so far. If you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing, you could be causing additional damage to your car or even voiding your warranty. Car maintenance is far more complicated than people think. When in doubt, let professionals handle it.
Myth #2: Reading a Check Engine light fault code will tell you all you need to know.
We’ve written a longer post on this already, so here’s the Cliff Notes version. When your Check Engine light comes on, you can have the fault code read just about anywhere, including a parts store or even at your own home if you have a basic code reader. However, while the code will tell you WHERE the car has failed, it won’t tell you WHY. Simply replacing the part often won’t solve the problem, and you still won’t know why your light’s on. It’s better to have a professional diagnostic ran instead of doing trial-and-error. At the end of the day, it will save you time and money.
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Myth #3: If a specific part is failing, you’ll know.
Not always. Just because a part is bad doesn’t mean it’s going to set a fault code. It’s a big tree of processes – you have to follow each branch and see where it ends up. It may seem like one part is faulty, when it reality it’s a completely different part that’s setting off a chain reaction. For example, if you’re having poor gas mileage, you may assume it’s an issue with the filtration system when in fact it’s a bad thermostat that wasn’t properly heating the car, which means it’s not operating within normal parameters.
Myth #4: Over-the-counter solutions are great for temporary fixes.
Some of the stuff you can get over the counter can help in an emergency, but some of it can also cause further damage to your car. Don’t rely on “leak stoppers” and similar to “fix” your car. One example we can think of was a customer who tried to fix a small antifreeze leak with a product called Stop Leak, but ended up plugging the heater core, which meant the car was getting NO heat in 18 degree weather. Definitely not an ideal situation.
The common thread here is often in trying to take shortcuts or avoid a perceived expense by having a technician look at the car. In reality, you could actually save a lot of money and stress by having a professional diagnostic done. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing, it’s rarely a good idea to attempt more than basic maintenance. Technicians have years of experience, which always trumps HowStuffWorks.com. If you have questions, we have answers.
