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: 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: 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: 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: Replace Headlight Bulb on Pontiac G6
Cars are quite different than they used to be. Sure, modern cars have some cool things, but repairing them are becoming difficult. Even simple things like changing a headlight bulb.

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 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: 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 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.

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: 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: 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 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: 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: Troubleshoot and fix broken windshield wipers
If your windshield wipers don't come on when you turn the switch, then try out the solutions in this video! First, check to see if there's a blown fuse. If that's okay, next check the power going to the wiper motor. You have to take the wiper arms off to get to the motor. Watch Scotty Kilmer in this video for all the remaining troubleshooting tips for broken windshield wipers.

How To: Reset the speedometer on a Chrysler
Knowing how fast you're going is an important part of safe, legal driving. If you own a Chrysler and your speedometer has stopped working, there is hope. Watch this video for the procedure you need to reset the speedometer on a newish Chrysler.

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.

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: Install a New Serpentine Belt Tensioner on Your 96-06 Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra
In this video we will show you how to install a new serpentine belt on your 96-06 Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra.

How To: Use Fiberglass Filler For Auto Body Repair
Assuring A Proper Repair When Welding Vehicle Sheet Metal Any weld that is performed on a vehicle requires certain steps to assure a proper repair. For example, weld-through-primer must be applied to the welded surface being welded; corrosion protection must be applied to the back side of the welded area, etc. In this article we are going to discuss why fiberglass is required for auto body repair.

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 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: 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: Install Replace Radiator 2004-08 Dodge Ram 5.7L
In this video 1A Auto shows you how to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken, damaged, or leaking radiator. This video is applicable to the 04, 05, 06, 07, 08 Dodge Ram pickup

How To: Get Out Car Dents & Dings Without Damaging Your Paint Job
According to George Gjoka, a professional Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) technician, when you attempt to take a dent out of your car, you're probably doing it wrong.

How To: Make an external fuel tank and pump for starting dead cars
If your car cranks and won't start, you may need to put some fresh fuel in it. Rather than push the car inside, why not construct an external fuel tank and pump system for fixing the car in the field? This video will show you how to do it.

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: 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.

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 the fuel filter 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: Replace the lower ball joint on a Ford F150 (two-wheel drive)
Want to replace the lower ball joint on your two-wheel Ford F150? It's easy! So easy, in fact, that this repair video can present a complete, step-by-step overview of the process in about 13 minutes. For all of the details, and to get started yourself, take a look!

How To: Replace an oil pressure sending unit to fix a low engine oil pressure gauge
Your "check gauges" light comes on inside your vehicle, which prompts you to notice your oil pressure gauge, which is reading pretty low. What do you do to resolve this car problem? In this video, Scotty Kilmer shows you what you can do to shut that low engine oil light off for good!

How To: Lift a pickup truck bed instead of dropping the tank for fuel pump access
For most vehicles, the only way to replace the fuel pump is by dropping the tank, which could take a long time. But on most flatbed pickup trucks, there's a simpler way to access the troublesome fuel pump. Simply unbolt the bed and lift that sucker up! See the trick to avoiding the gas tank.

How To: Replace the valve seals if your engine is smoking
Does your car engine blow white or blue smoke when your first start it up and then stop? That usually means that your engine valve seals aren't working correctly. Watch this video to learn how to find and fix the problem.

How To: Replace the windshield washer pump in a Saturn car
This video demonstrates how to replace the windshield washer pump in a Saturn S series car. Remove the reservoir by unscrewing the bolt and lift the reservoir and slide it back to take it off the mount. Disconnect the electrical connector by squeezing the clips and pull the connector off. Next remove the hose, making sure to cover the opening with the winger to prevent loss of fluid from the reservoir. Drain the fluid from the reservoir as shown. Get the pump off the reservoir by tapping the ...

How To: Replace the clock spring on a Chrysler van
If you own a Chrysler van and find yourself with a broken horn and an air bag light on, those are probably caused by the same problem: a broken clock spring. Watch this video to learn how to replace your own clock spring and get your horn back.

How To: Decipher multiple error codes from a car
When you use a scanner to look for error codes on a car, many can show up at once and confuse you as to the nature of the problem. Often, all of the codes are responses to the same problem. Watch this video for tips on interpreting multiple error codes.

How To: Fix error code P0171 on a 2000 Ford Escort
Automotive computers and error codes are a blessing and a curse for mechanics. If your 2000 Ford Taurus shows error code P0171, that means the air fuel mixture is lean. This can be caused by a number of things, and this video will show you one easy thing to check for that might save you a trip to the shop.

How To: Remove the steering stem of a Kawasaki KLR650
This motorcycle parts tutorial shows you how remove the steering stem (fork and triple tree) on a Kawasaki KLR650 bike. If you are replacing the steering stem or just doing work on your KLR 650 and need the steering stem off, this video will show you how to remove the steering stem. Make sure the front wheel is removed before starting.

How To: Install Replace Rear Struts 2001-05 Honda Civic
1A Auto shows you how to repair, install , fix, change or replace your front struts with their loaded struts. This video is applicable the 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 Honda Civic