Maybe I'm having a quarter life crisis, but I want to learn some DIY car maintenance. Fortunately, I'm in a position where my family really could get by with one car, and my partner's old car, a 6th gen Ford Fiesta, mostly sits unused.

I figure that this might be the best opportunity for me to learn some new skills. I have to force myself to take occasional errands in this car just so it doesn't rot in the driveway, so I'm pretty sure I can take my sweet time with any project I start on it. I'd like to think I have some mechanical aptitude and have half a clue on how basic systems work on a car. I already do some really basic stuff - air filters, wiper blades, windshield washer fluid.

What are some basic projects that I should look into? What are some essential tools to have on hand that may not be too obvious?

  • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    8 months ago

    That's the goal - a new hobby that'll eventually save me some money!

    I'd recommend getting a torque wrench for safety reasons. Buy a repair manual or find a tutorial before you start and check what tools you'll need. A good guide will include torque specs for the caliper mounting and slide bolts.

    I picked one up last week, actually, and used it this weekend when I fixed a misaligned hubcap (held on by lug nuts) on the family car. I'll probably shop around for repair manuals next.

    • LanyrdSkynrd [he/him]
      ·
      8 months ago

      I've had luck finding pdf repair manuals on torrent sites and on web forums. The Haynes/Chilton physical manuals are convenient sometimes, but the factory service manual in PDF format is usually better quality especially the diagrams.

      I found this, it's for a 2014, which I believe is mk6: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s7wts7x85s2yu9e/2014%20Fiesta.zip?dl=0

      Hope that helps, enjoy!