RepairPal Blog:

We hear a lot of stories and get a lot of questions from drivers all over the country who are looking to save money by performing a repair themselves on their car.  We've heard everything from changing oil, to brake work, to replacing an intake manifold or fixing a check engine light that's just turned on.

At RepairPal, we have spent a lot of time working with master technicians and with auto repair shop owners.  Getting to know the industry intimately is the best way that we can provide consumers with the information and advice that they need, when they need it.  One thing we learned immediately is that modern cars can be tough to fix, and even simple jobs can require specialized tools or special knowledge.  When it gets into emission control, which is what lights up that Check Engine Light or Service Engine Soon light, things can get extremely complicated, involving potentially dozens of computers and sensors.

It seems the news media is picking up on this, since the economy and high unemployment rates is shining a spotlight on ways to save money.  Do-it-yourself auto repair sounds like an obvious answer, but we strongly recommend investigating just what you are getting into before trying a repair, especially for the first time.

Check out this AP article; it makes some strong points:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijCM-dEuoBHz-1Uztz1goJfS7A4QD999PKKG0

Author's note: The above article has been moved.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.