Start with the oil and put the car on stands
Thinking of doing your own car maintenance? Start with oil and filters, and never go under a car held up by a jack alone. Brakes can wait.
From people's advice and experience shared online about doing their own car maintenance, including people speaking from the repair trade; the safety guidance was checked against government and motoring-association guides in October 2026.
Somebody has told you to work on your own car. It might be a friend, an article, a video. Maybe you want to, because the labour line on a shop bill made you wince. Maybe it left you feeling that everybody else can do this and you cannot.
Some people object to that advice. Some people say that others cannot do this work because they lack the tools, the physical ability, a place to work such as a driveway or garage, or the inclination, and some call a blanket “just fix it yourself” elitist. Others answer that the advice is only about simple jobs, and that it is practical rather than snobbish. If you cannot do this, or do not want to, this page is not asking you to, and paying a shop is a fair choice. It is written for the person who can, and wants to know where to start and what to leave until later.
Begin with an oil and filter change, and if the car has to be lifted, put it on jack stands before any part of you goes underneath.
Why the oil and filters come first
Some people say oil and filters are the least risky place to start, and that simple jobs like oil changes, air filter swaps and brake replacements save a good deal over the life of a car for anyone who is able to do them. About shops, some people say they charge a high hourly rate and a minimum labour time even when the part is trivial, which makes the simplest jobs the ones where doing it yourself saves the most. Some people say the tools and the time you spend learning pay for themselves over a decade.
The tools do not have to be expensive. Some people say the tools for the basic jobs are inexpensive and reusable, and one person adds that you should not skimp on sockets. One person says auto parts shops lend tools, and another says the deposit can go on a card and comes back when you return the tool. One person suggests practising taking things apart at a self-service salvage yard, where you can also pick up spare bolts and fittings. One person says a repair manual for their exact car paid for itself on the first job.
Whether the oil change itself is worth it is something people argue about, and the fork below keeps both sides. A shop’s own labour rates differ from place to place, and this page does not know yours.
Stands before you go under
A jack lifts a car, and stands hold it. If the car is lifted and any part of you is going underneath, it goes on jack stands first.
One person says that a car held only by a hydraulic jack is never somewhere to work under, and that stands and wheel chocks are what stop a fatal accident. An Australian government product-safety guide agrees: it says “never get under your car using only a jack”, and that it can be fatal. It tells you to slide the stands into place after you raise the car, to put a wedge or chock behind every wheel that stays on the ground, and to work on a hard, flat surface that can take the weight of the whole car, and not on grass. It also says to put the car in park with the handbrake on, find the lifting points, and give the car a push and a shake to check it is stable. An Australian motoring association’s guide gives the same rule: jack stands of a suitable capacity for your car, and chocks under the wheels that stay on the ground.
That costs a few minutes and some money, and nothing is saved by skipping it. When the safe answer costs this little, take it.
Brakes and steering: the one place people split
Here people are divided and this page does not pretend otherwise.
Some people say replacing the front brakes makes one of the simplest and best-value first projects, if you watch the tutorials thoroughly, with a basic socket set and a clamp to push the piston back. Other people say the opposite: brake and steering work should be left alone by beginners, or by anyone not comfortable with mechanics, because when it goes wrong the failure can be catastrophic. One person says not to attempt brake or steering work at all unless you are already highly experienced. Some people agree and add that engine work, by comparison, only strands you at the roadside.
What decides it, they said, is how much you already know, how rusty the car is, and whether an experienced person can stand beside you. Some people say having a knowledgeable friend help, perhaps for a small thank-you, is a fair alternative to paying a shop, and some people say that a video is not enough for everyone and a person in the room is. Some people also say the work can drag on when it happens in a friend’s garage, with clutter and argument over the cleaning up and the timetable. Some people say that doing it yourself suits only someone who already knows the specific job, and that otherwise a professional is the safer pair of hands.
This page does not start you on brakes, which is why they are not the first job here. It also does not give a brake procedure; your car’s manual does that. A few things people said are worth having beforehand. One person says the brake pedal has to pump firm again before the car moves. Some people point out that a common worry is wrong: a standard pad swap does not open the hydraulic lines, so there is no need to bleed the whole system unless a brake hose or line is opened or air gets in, only to push the piston back and pump the pedal. That is their account, and your own car’s manual is where to check it before you rely on it.
Two single warnings are worth knowing before you open a caliper. One person warns that some newer cars use one-time-use bolts on the caliper that can shear if reused. One person warns that cars with an electronic parking brake need their service mode switched on first, or the part can be damaged. For steering and suspension work, one person says axles and tie rods need a wheel alignment afterwards, which adds cost and a visit to a shop.
The hard part is not the bolts
Some people say the physical work is the easy part of a repair, and that working out what is wrong is harder. Some people say doing it yourself can cost more, either because you lack a specific tool, or because you misdiagnose the problem and end up paying a tow. One person says mechanics meet customers who bought parts on the strength of a free code reading from a parts shop, and the problem stayed.
That is one more reason the first jobs here are the scheduled ones, the oil and the filters, where nobody has to guess what is wrong.
Who this page is not for
If you rent somewhere that bars car work on the property, one person says a lease can forbid even an oil change, and some people say living in an apartment can rule it out altogether. If you have no driveway or garage, this advice assumes space you may not have. Some people agree that if you cannot physically do the work, you pay for it. If your car is a recent one with a lot of electronics, some people say it is much harder to work on than older cars, and risky for a beginner.
Time is the last mismatch. One person says doing your own work only makes sense if your time is worth little to you. Some people answer that unless you earn a very high hourly wage, the shop’s labour costs more than your time does. Both are about the same arithmetic, and you are the one who knows what your hours are worth.
None of this is a failing. The page is for someone who has a place, a car that suits it, and a first small job in mind.
The community disagrees on this one
People disagree about whether doing your own oil change is worth the effort. Both sides are describing real jobs.
It is worth doing yourself
This side values doing your own oil as a skill: it saves money, and you know the job was done properly.
It is not worth the time
This side finds it often costs more in time and hassle than a shop charges, especially once the cleaning up and the disposal of the old oil are counted.
What decides it, they said, is how you value your time against the money, whether you have a proper way to get rid of the used oil, and how much you want to control the job yourself.
Common questions
Will doing it myself void my warranty?
Some people say doing the work yourself can void a warranty or complicate a claim, and that using the dealership is safer. In the United States the Federal Trade Commission says something different: a company cannot void your warranty or deny coverage solely because you had repairs or service done by someone not associated with the company, and its page names a do-it-yourself fix as one of the choices you may prefer, beside an independent repair shop. The FTC adds one limit. A company can still refuse to cover a defect or damage that was caused by the third-party parts or services. Read your own warranty booklet for its wording; this page cannot tell you what your car’s says. Outside the United States the rules differ and this page does not cover them.
Is a video enough to learn from?
Many people say video tutorials are an effective way to learn a repair step by step, and some people add that videos are generally accurate for basic jobs. Some people say they are not enough for everyone: they need someone beside them to guide each step. One person warns that many videos skip critical steps, assume you already know things, or carry outright errors, including missing safety warnings.
What do I do with the old oil?
Do not pour it down a drain or onto the ground. The US Environmental Protection Agency says used oil from one oil change can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water, and advises checking with local auto maintenance shops, waste collectors or local government waste officials to find where you can drop it off for recycling. It also says to keep it in a leak-proof container. One person says getting rid of used oil is not as easy as it used to be, so find your drop-off point before you drain anything, not after.
What if the job turns out harder than the video?
Some people say simple jobs often turn into bigger ones: a bolt is rusted solid or a fitting strips, and you need a tool or an amount of time the video never mentioned. One person adds that working in very cold weather makes parts break more easily. Some people warn that a little knowledge is dangerous: a skipped or misunderstood step can turn a small, cheap problem into an expensive one, or into a safety hazard. Some people say a beginner can cause extra damage, and one example given is a spark plug pulled out with its casing. Some people from the repair trade say they see cars damaged by DIY attempts, and say their higher price is for that expertise. One person says a timing belt fitted wrongly can bend engine valves and cost more than a professional’s labour would have. Some people say to have a knowledgeable friend nearby for the hairy moments.
Questions this step helps with
Same situation, another step
What people worked out
Shorter, plainer notes on the same ground — each with the number of people behind it.
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