Auto Repair For Dummies by Deanna Sclar
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Book Reviews of Auto Repair For Dummies
Book Review: Fantastic beginner's book
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased an older model American car... the kind with a carburetor and distributor and--get this--spark plugs that you can actually reach without removing half the stuff from the engine. It has been so long since I could really work on my own car that I had forgotten how to do basic tuneups and keep my auto in primo condition. This book is outstanding for explaining how it all works and how to do the basics yourself. It begins with a simple but thorough explanation of all the systems (electrical, fuel, suspension, steering, etc.) and how a car works. Then it goes through each system and, with the aid of very effective diagrams, explains how to check and fix each one. I have, thanks to this book, the knowledge and confidence to keep my new/old car in tune, running smooth, and at a fraction of the cost of taking it into the shop.
You don't need an older car to appreciate this wonderful resource, either. The author goes through modern cars and their systems, too, like fuel injection and rack-and-pinion steering and disc brakes. If you have always wanted to know more about cars, and want the confidence to do the basic maintenance yourself, this IS the book for you. Highly reccommended.
Book Review: Fantastic, Easy-to-read, Informative Book
Summary: 5 Stars
After watching my sister go through several Auto Tech classes to learn how to work on a car, I was intimidated by the amount of time & money I thought it would take to get the same knowledge. Then I found this book. I've been a faithful reader of the Dummies books for a long time, and this one just reinforced my opinion of them.
After reading this book, I am able to change my own oil, check & change my brakes, change a flat tire, know which replacement tire to buy and why, and diagnose almost any car problem myself. I have saved hundreds of dollars (maybe over $1000 by now) because I knew exactly what I needed a mechanic to do to my car whenever I took it in.
As a bonus, my car now runs better than it ever has before, because this book also covers preventative maintenance in extreme detail. It even lays out a monthly routine for you for checking most of the systems in your car.
I highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone who wants to learn about cars. Even if you know nothing except how to start, drive, and stop your car -- before reading this, I thought the rim CAME WITH the new tire! -- this book is for you.
Book Review: Definitely more of a guide to having your car repaired by someone else
Summary: 5 Stars
I confidently give this book five stars because it is exactly what I was looking for. Coming from that generation that does not always receive alot of the accumulated knowledge of previous men, I was very happy with the information in this book. As the previous reviewer says this book does not help you to repair your car yourself. It does however, explain very well how the systems in your car work. It mentions a few things you can do yourself but primarily limits these to the regular external things like fluids, tire pressure, etc. I believe that a book of this kind is actually more helpful than one that might explain how to repair a car yourself. I think that the ability for a layman to actually do any sort of profound repair on a modern car is practically impossible because of advances in computer technology and their integration into the workings of automobiles. This book however explains how the physical parts work and tells you what to look for so that you know if it is something that needs fixing. This is helpful in planning repairs, selecting a mechanic, or deciding to buy or sell a car.Book Review: Excellent book for beginners
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew nothing about cars, except where the oil goes and all the very basic stuff. After reading this book I now understand a lot more about how a car works, and what to do for certain repairs.Granted, the book won't allow you to magically repair your vehicle, but that's simply because there are too many cars out with different systems. If you want to make serious repairs in your car you MUST have the owners manual, but then what did you expect?
This book goes from really incredibly basic stuff like opening the hood to how a car works and what different signs you'll get for different problems you may encounter. Sure it's silly to explain how to open the hood, etc. but that's only one chapter and there's 24 of them.
SUMMARY: If you don't know what a differential is, or what piston is or how to change your brakes, after reading this book you will. I bought 2 other books to try understand the basics of how a car works and how to repair it and none of them helped much, but this one covers it all with plenty of pictures.
If you're a beginner, buy it.
Book Review: Can't Recommend Highly Enough
Summary: 5 Stars
Obviously I am a dummy because this book is exactly what I needed. Although I can figure out how to open the hood, pretty much everything else about that machine is a mystery. When my car made 200,000 miles it developed a rough idle. What a horror! A car with that many miles with a rough idle! Boy, have the mechanics been licking their chops with my check book. I've had the head gasket checked twice. Three different mechanics said that the engine would need different major repairs, all different parts of it. In this book I read the Chapter which includes information on the PCV valve, went to the dealer to buy one myself, took it to a mechanic to have it installed (he said the whole time that this couldn't possibly be the problem and charged me for some other work) and now the car runs fine. Don't know how long that will last but THANKS!!! to the author of this book. I don't want to know how to fix my car, I just want to be able to get it fixed without getting taken and I wish I had found this book 40,000 miles ago.