# How to repair autos

As soon as you see a problem, fix it, since tiny problems can quickly become expensive to repair later.

If you see smoke coming from the exhaust, the color can give you some indication of what's wrong:

- Brown smoke means nothing is probably wrong, except that your catalytic converter may be failing (which would affect a smog check).
- Black smoke means the engine is burning too much fuel ("running rich").
- White smoke usually means coolant is burning inside the engine, which is a *very* bad problem (likely a blown head gasket), and will mean the engine will overheat.
- Blue or gray smoke is because the engine is burning oil, which often comes from a leak into the combustion chamber, and could come from many places (e.g., leaky valve seals, bad piston rings). The vehicle may also shake more than normal when idle or misfire when starting the car.

If you're willing to research, you can swap out most parts on your car *without* a garage full of equipment.

- Once you learn how, brakes, oil, air filters, and spark plugs are easy to change.
- Keep your auto on a level area, and secure it with chocks or a sizeable rock.

Get essential equipment *before* you need it.

- [Emergency kit](hardship-disaster-checklist.md) in the car.
- Jack and jack stands
- Latex gloves
- Air tools and an air compressor, which can be a few hundred bucks
- Scan computer(s)
  - Learn how to read them online if you don't understand how they work
- Shop manual for your model that shows a complete teardown of the entire vehicle
- If you live alone, a steering wheel holder and pedal depressor

To keep the engine running well, routinely change the oil.

- If you have a place to change the oil, it only takes about an hour if you don't know what you're doing.
- Since engine oil comes *from* the ground, you can dispose of old engine oil by digging a hole in the ground and filling it with fine gravel, then covering it up after you're done.

Stay mindful of parasitic battery drain.

- Many batteries are fine, but will drain due to systems that still run even when the vehicle is turned off.
- When possible, try to ensure all systems aren't running (e.g., door is fully closed, lights are completely off).

You can also often improvise solutions:

- Many medium-sized dents can be removed with a high-quality plunger.
- In small cars, pantyhose can temporarily serve as a fan belt.
- Use a spackle gun to hold brake calipers.
- Screw straight pieces of metal onto the wheel hub on both sides and use a measuring tape to do an alignment yourself.
- Many features will break down over time, and if you don't use them you can usually remove them without any issue.
  - However, be careful if those features are connected back to the car's ECU, since many cars will require some sort of data just to keep the vehicle running.

Try to buy replacement parts with a lifetime warranty, and keep the receipts in a safe place.

- If you need a new battery, take the old one with you to test to be certain, since you can get some reimbursement from giving them the old battery, and it may be an alternator issue instead.

Only replace the tires when you need to.

- Unless you live in a mountainous area or have snow, you can still drive with nearly bald tires.
  - Test tire treads with a penny (replace when you can see Lincoln's head through the groove).
  - If the sidewall has cracks, the tire is old and will probably blow with tread still on it.
- Inspect the tires' wear to diagnose other potential issues:
  - Wear along the outside means insufficient air pressure.
  - Wear in the middle means excessive air pressure.
  - Uneven spots indicate a balancing issue (which is a very affordable fix).
  - One side more worn than the other means an alignment issue.
  - Uneven crosses across the tires means a suspension issue.

Buy the specialized tools you need, since a $200 tool is less than a $500 mechanic's repair, and you can use it later.

- If your air conditioner is partly vented (i.e., it doesn't give high-quality air), you can recharge it with a kit.

Battery terminals with side posts need a bit more tightening than you may think, usually a few more rotations.

If you hear a loud noise at random times and can't reproduce it, have one person open the door all the way and rock the car while the other person gets under the car.

- From there, they can put their hand on a tie rod, sway bar bushing, or ball joint and feel for the noise.

To safely push a car without touching the body, place the vehicle in neutral and push the top of the wheels.

If a tire won't come off after all the lug nuts have been removed, loosely put one lug nut back on to prevent it from falling off, then strike the back of the rim itself.

When a brake drum and rotor are stuck together, very carefully strike a hammer in between the studs.

To take rivets off:

1. Strike the center with a punch to knock out the center.
2. Use a drill to fish the rivet out.

In an emergency situation, you can strike a starter on the solenoid portion (the smaller cylinder) for it to run long enough to get it serviced.

When brakes are making noise, the noise comes from vibration, but it could be from a variety of sources.

- It might be worn brake pads, brake hardware, or brake rotors.
  - Brake pads have a warning strip that emits a high-pitched squealing when they're thin.
- However, it could also be something that got onto the brakes (e.g., sand).
- Sometimes, it may simply be rust.
- In general, pay attention to the context:
  - A steady whine is probably the brake strip and it's time to change the brakes.
  - Rhythmic noise that changes with the speed of the vehicle is probably the rotor (e.g., warped) or something on the rotor.
  - If the noise goes away after a while, it may have been something on the brake.
- The brakes should be wearing down approximately evenly on both sides, but there may be other issues (e.g., alignment) if not.

## Technological Problems

The newer design features in autos have created issues for many drivers:

- [UX](engineering-design.md) that favors adaptive panels over buttons can create risks when the driver is trying to change a configuration while driving.
- [Auto-assist AI](cs-autos.md) which doesn't work correctly can create risks for drivers.
- Automation designed to make life easier can, sometimes, make life more difficult (e.g., automatically re-locking doors after a few seconds).

New technologies designed by a [dysfunctional corporation](mgmt-badsystems.md) will give new ways to make life more difficult.

The best solution is to deactivate those features whenever possible:

- Deactivate any [network-based components](cs-networks.md), such as [GPS](logistics-navigation.md) or [cellular network](engineering-radio.md) communication.
- Disable any automated features, such as auto-locking or auto-closing.
- Disable the driving assists, or diminish them to alert-only status.

The design of the vehicle may make deactivating features difficult or impossible, and you might have to find a [clever hack](mind-creativity-hacking.md) to deactivate them.

- Delete or modify parts of the [computer code](cs-software.md) that run subsystems.
- Reinstall an [open-source](legal-ip-floss.md) [operating system](cs-os.md) created by a developer community to run your vehicle.
- Retrofit the vehicle's engine to a non-computerized system.

Watch for overheating.

- If the temperature gauge ever ticks upward, you risk melting pistons or the gasket.
- To dramatically improve the life of your car by avoiding overheating, install an oil cooler.