Hot Auto Maintenance & Repairs How-Tos

How To: Open Your Car Door Without a Key: 6 Easy Ways to Get in When Locked Out

Locking your keys inside of your car is frustrating, to say the least, especially if you're in a hurry to get somewhere. You can always call AAA roadside assistance or a locksmith, but you'll probably have to fork over some money, as well as wait for them to get to you. You might even get towed.

How To: Use Lysol to Clean Bacteria Out of Your Car's Air Conditioning System

Air conditioning systems are cold and wet and make great breeding grounds for bacteria and mold, and adding a nasty odor to the air coming out of the vents.

Boiled Water: The Easiest Way to Remove Dents from a Car Bumper

Even if you're lucky enough to not be injured in a car accident, it's rare to escape without some sort of damage to your vehicle. It goes without saying that there are some things you shouldn't try to fix yourself, but if it's just a scratch or dent, DIY can be a cheaper way to go.

How To: Jump start a dead car battery

Opps! Left my lights on again. Luckily watching this video by Eric the Car Guy will help you learn how to jump start you car and get you ready to get back on the road without waiting for AAA. This video with clear instructions show you the safe way to jump start a car from another car. You'll learn how to attach the jumper cables and get the battery to recharge the right way. Eric will help you get your car running and back out on the road in no time!

How To: Clean your AC drain if water is spilling into your car

This next tutorial is going to be showing you how to take care of a problem that is very common amongst drivers. If water has ever spilled on you from inside your car, it's probably from your HVAC. When you use your A/C, condensation builds up as well, and this usually goes down a drain. But if it gets clogged then you might have a problem.

How To: Unlock a Car Door Using a Cell Phone and a Faraway Keyless Remote (Faux-To?)

What if you forgot your car keys and that keyless entry remote banded to them, how are you going to get in your car? Well, if you haven't forgotten your cell phone, too, you can call up someone who has access to that keyless remote, so you can unlock your car or truck via the wireless mobile phone! What?!?

How To: Bypass the kickstand safety switch on a motorcycle

In this tutorial, we learn how to bypass the kickstand safety switch on a motorcycle. If you have broke your kickstand switch, you can easily bypass it while you are on the road so you can set your bike. All you need to do this is a piece of electric tape. If you don't have this on your bike, the vehicle will completely turn off while it's in use. To do this, unplug the switch that is the kickstand safety switch. There will be two electrical tabs in this, stick a screwdriver in them to remove...

How To: Fix Broken Plastic Tabs on Bumper

A common problem on bumper covers is that the tabs that attach the bumper to the car get broken. This is critical, as this is what secures and aligns the bumper cover. Many times, a broken tab is all that is wrong with the bumper cover. With the cost of these plastic parts $200 to $700, the replacement cost can break the bank.

How to Fix Car Dents: 8 Easy Ways to Remove Dents Yourself Without Ruining the Paint

Only three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and getting a dent in your car or truck. Even if you're as careful as possible, you can't always account for runaway shopping carts, wrongly thrown footballs, out-of-nowhere light posts, and other real-life annoyances.

How To: Fix a Huge Dent in Your Car at Home Without Ruining the Paint Job

There are two options when it comes to a dent in your car — live with it, cringing each time it enters your view, or get rid of it. While the latter is obviously the best option, most of us will probably just live with dents and dings since spare money is better spent on the actual functionality of the vehicle. However, there is a way to knock out automobile dents yourself with relatively little cash in the bank.

How To: Reset a Busted Speedometer After Jump-Starting or Replacing a Vehicle's Battery

In the past, most mechanics ended up having to replace the speedometer head when a vehicle came in with a broken speedometer. Nowadays, there's a possible reset procedure that can be used, and it can be done by most car owners right at home.

How To: Replace the AC condenser on a Nissan Altima

This video demonstrates how to remove the air conditioning condenser from a Nissan Altima. If your air conditioning isn't working, especially if you live in a hot, traffiky part of the world, your life is probably pretty miserable. This video will help you to rectify the situation yourself at home without having to pay half of your monthly salary to a mechanic.

How To: Replace the radiator cooling fan in a 1998-2004 Dodge Intrepid

Get under the hood and get your hands dirty with some home auto repair. This video will explain how you can remove and replace the radiator cooling fan in a 1998-2004 Dodge Intrepid. Once you've watched this do it yourself auto repair video you'll be ready to roll up your sleeves.

How To: Identify a Jeep rear axle in order to replace it

RichPin shows how to identify a rear axle on a Jeep Grand Cherokee to determine the correct replacement part. The first thing to do is to identify the axle by cleaning the fill plug on the back cover. Look at the inscription of the plug to find out the style of the rear end. In this example, Rich has a "Dana" style rear end. To determine if it is a 35 or 44 Dana, look at the web area to the right of the plug to locate the number. The two steps outlined in this video allow you to identify the ...

How To: Fix error code P0300 for random misfires on your car

Error code P0300 is one of the most infamous in auto maintenance, indicating random misfires in the engine. This can mean several different things, and in this video mechanic Scotty Kilmer will teach you how to figure out where the problem is and fix it.

How To: Remove and replace a Mitsubishi valve body control center

If you're Mitsubishi transmission is acting up, there could be something wrong with the DSM valve body, which is the hydraulic control center located in the engine. This video is super helpful for anybody needing to troubleshoot their valve body. You'll learn how to take the valve body out, and then reinstall it.

How To: Fix transmission and oil seal leaks fast with AT-205 Re-Seal

If you've got an oil seal leak in a very inconvenient place, then this video by Scotty Kilmer will show you how a little bottle of re-sealer may be able to fix that leak. The vehicle in this video has a leak in the front main seal of the automatic transmission. The seal is pretty cheap, but you have to pull the transmission off to replace it, which can take a serious amount of time. The re-sealer is a better solution, a polymer oil that can mix with all kinds of oils. If you mix AT-205 Re-Sea...

How To: Troubleshoot the air conditioner in a Saturn S-Series

One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple maintenance on your automobile, but you may need a few tools. Invest in the basic tools and you'll be prepared for just about any car malfunction you can think of. These tutorials will help get you on your way, as long ...

How To: Bypass a broken air conditioning computer system in a car with a bypass switch

More and more car parts are controlled by computers, and the results are not always what we hope they will be. They often break for what seems like no reason and are expensive to fix. In this video you'll learn how you can fix a broken air conditioning control system on your car with a $30 bypass switch that will be much more reliable than your computer was.

How To: Fix a Broken Door Latch Cable in a 1980-97 Ford F150, F250, F350, or Bronco

Can't get your door open? Could be the door latch cable. This video will help you install a new door latch cable in your Ford F150, F250, F350, or Bronco pickup truck (1980-1997).

How To: Unlock Your Car Door with a Shoelace in 10 Seconds

Have you locked yourself out of your car? Well, as long as you have a shoelace, you may be able to get back in.

How To: Get a Dent Out of a Car Using Just a Plunger

Paying for someone to get a small dent out of your car can be expensive, especially when you realize that you can just do it yourself. If you've got a bathroom—and you probably do—then it's a surefire bet that you've also got a plunger.

How To: Stop Running Over Plastic Bags! And More Small Tips for Keeping Your Car Running Smoothly

Approximately 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. That’s more than 1,200 bags per U.S. resident and more than 54 times the number of people who live on the planet. That's why here in Santa Monica, thanks to a city-wide plastic bag ban, you won't find a plastic bag at any of the major retail stores.

How To: Replace the hydroboost unit on a Chevy Astro van

If your Astro van is performing poorly (or perhaps not at all), one solution is to replace the hydroboost. Fix your power brakes and power steering with a new hydroboost. You'll need some moderate familiarity with auto mechanics to do this.

How To: Find electrical shorts in a car with a test light and fix a broken 12v plug

Your car's electrical system is massive and complicated. Trying to find a short in the system might sound like a job for a professional, but in this video you will learn how you can use an $8 test light to locate a shorts in your car's electrical system. It will also teach you how to fix it if the problem is the cigarette lighter, now more commonly known as the 12 volt plug.

How To: Stop the AC from blowing hot on Chevy Colorado pickup

The air conditioner in your car is supposed to keep your cool, so if yours is blowing hot air all the time you're probably pretty pissed. If you own a Chevy Colorado and your condenser is good, watch this video to learn a fix that may get your AC working again.

How To: Feather edge paint to prepare a damaged car for primer

In this Autos, Motorcycles & Planes video tutorial you will learn how to feather edge paint to prepare a damaged car for primer. Feather edging is the process of feathering or layering each layer of coating in order to prevent a rough edge. Use a 6 inch DA and 150 - 220 grit sandpaper to feather edge the paint edge. Apply the sandpaper all along the edge of the paint till the edges are smooth. Feel it with your hand to ensure that all the edges are smooth. Feather each layer of paint at least...

How To: Wire a Trailer on a Nissan X-Trail 2005

Hi there, first I'm canadian and my SUV so. I'm a hobbyist doing his best, not a mechanic, I don't take charge of other people's installation issues. Anyway, I decided to buy a SUV some months ago, and it comes without the wiring harness for the trailer and the hitch. I made it myself. In this part, only the wiring will be presented. This is for 4 pins harness connector. In any doubt, you can do as I have done for some wires; use a multimeter. Everything on that car works on a 12VDC. Ground y...

How To: Replace the rear brakes on a Chevy Silverado GMC Sierra 2500HD 00-07

Brake repair bills from a mechanic can be unmanageable, so learn how to do this auto repair yourself by watching this video. Using a 2000-07 Chevy Silverado as the example, this video demonstrates how to remove and replace a truck's rear brakes.

How To: Test a car starter using an amp meter

The starter on your car's health is directly related to how many amps it pulls from the battery. This video will show you how to use a multimeter to check volts going from the battery to the starter, and use an amp meter (don't use the multimeter for this part!) to check the amps at the starter.

How To: Replace a front wheel bearing on a Chevrolet Impala

One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple maintenance on your automobile, but you may need a few tools. Invest in the basic tools and you'll be prepared for just about any car malfunction you can think of. These tutorials will help get you on your way, as long ...

How To: Fix the lamp out module on a 1996 Ford Explorer if your headlights are broken

Ford Explorers have a weird problem where the lo-beam headlights won't work even after the bulbs and fuses have been replaced. This is because they draw their power from the lamp out module, and this often breaks. Learn how to fix it in this video.

How To: Fix sticking power steering with Sea Foam Trans Tune

Is your power steering binding when you're trying to turn? Or maybe it turns real easy to the right, but extremely hard to turn to the left? Well, that's a classic sign of a power steering rack that has problems. But before you go out and buy an expensive rack and pinion, and take the whole front end of the car apart to replace it, you might want to try a little trick first— Sea Foam Trans Tune, which is also for hydraulic and power steering systems.

How To: Fix and Repair a Broken Wire Using Butt Connectors

This video will show you how to repair and fix a broken wire using different butt connectors and also a wire tie.

How To: Replace the door check link in a Saturn S-Series car

One day, your car may break down and you won't be able to afford to hire a mechanic, so what do you do... you look on the web for some how-to vehicle repair videos and become your own car mechanic, that's what. You don't need any advanced training to perform repairs and simple maintenance on your automobile, but you may need a few tools. Invest in the basic tools and you'll be prepared for just about any car malfunction you can think of. These tutorials will help get you on your way, as long ...

How To: Patch a radiator hose

Find out how to patch up your radiator hose long enough to drive to the auto parts store or your local mechanic and replace it with a new one.

How To: Fix Your Car Dent with a Hair Dryer

If you've ever dinged your car—or worse, a friend's or parent's car—and caused a dent, you know how expensive it can be to fix. A two-second mistake can end up costing hundreds of dollars, but you can save yourself repairs costs and a headache with just a couple of household items.

How To: Replace an inner tie rod on a Ford Explorer

In order to replace a inner tie rod on a Ford Explorer, you will need to loosen the jam nut first. Remove the pin and the nut, next. Loosen the outer tie rod. Count the rotations as you remove it. Remove the bellows boot. The inner clamp is not removable. You have to damage it to remove it. You will need an inner tie rod tool. Use your inner tie rod tool and adapter. Spin it. Compare the old and new part to make sure that you have the right one. Now, reinstall the rod. Align the vent tube wit...

How To: Fix the driver side window in a Dodge Dakota truck

This automotive repair tutorial shows you how to fix a broken power window on a 1998 Dodge Dakota Sport 4x4 when it won't go up or down. Even if you don't know exactly what is causing your power window not to work, this video will show you how to diagnose and fix the problem in your Dodge Dakota 4x4 truck.

How To: Replace and repair the rack and pinion on a Ford Escape or Mercury Mariner

The Mercury Mariner, Ford Escape, and Mazda Tribute are the exact same car with different skins, so what works on one works exactly the same on the others. Watch this video to learn how to replace the rack and pinion steering gears on any of these cars.