There was a time when car engines were simple to fix, depending on the problem. But today, even changing oil can be challenging with certain vehicles. And yet, any kind of car repair – even a tune-up – can be expensive. We use the Internet for practically everything these days. Wouldn’t it be nice to use it to get some online professional mechanic help? Well, you can!
What’s Available?
The Internet is overflowing with information to help you with your car troubles. And, while it won’t provide guidance to fix every problem, it will show you how to fix simple issues, including turning off the Check Engine light that so often comes on with newer vehicles. In some cases, you will find simple, DIY explanations to walk you through problems. For other, possibly more complex issues, you’ll find videos to help you along. Either way, here’s a small sampling of things you can find on the Internet to try doing it yourself:
- Your car won’t start
- Your air pressure continues going low, especially in colder climates
- Your lights or blinkers don’t work
- The car is leaking fluid, but you don’t know what it is or how to stop it
- The car makes funny sounds when going over bumps or hitting potholes in the road, even going slowly
- Your brakes are acting funny
- The car is pulling in one direction and you think you might have an alignment issue
- Your tires are starting to show wear, but you’re not sure if it’s time to get new ones
Why take the car or truck to a shop and pay those high prices if it’s something simple you can check out for yourself by using professional mechanic guidance online?
A Word to the Wise
The internet is great for a lot of things, but you should make sure you’re at a website where the person giving advice is actually a mechanic, and a certified one, at that. Ask him or her to post their certification online so you can see it. You should also make sure they are familiar with your make and model of vehicle.
Finally, understand that any site providing online professional mechanic help is not meant to take the place of a certified mechanic for all things. The reality is there are some things for which you’re going to have to seek professional help at a local service shop. But if you can just understand the basics enough to do the simple things, and speak the mechanic’s language for the bigger ones, you’ll be ahead of the game.
