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: 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: 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: Keyless Entry Remote Not Working? Try This Quick Fix Before Buying a New One

Most cars made in the last ten or fifteen years can be unlocked with a keyless remote, and once you get used to them, unlocking your car with a traditional key feels like a pain. The most common reason they stop working is just because the battery needs replacing, but when they're broken for real, a new one can cost a small fortune. So before you go out and buy one, try this quick fix that worked for Redditor diggalator, and cost absolutely nothing. Basically, he pried the remote apart and to...

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: 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 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: 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: Figure out why your car A/C isn't blowing cold air

If your A/C in your car turns on but isn't blowing any cold air, you might have one of a few problems. In this video you will learn how to check the compressor, the pressure in the system, and how to add refrigerant if it's low.

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: 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: Replace the camshaft sensor on a Nissan Altima

In this video, Richpin demonstrates how to replace the camshaft sensor in a Nissan Altima. The cam sensor is located by the cylinder box. First, remove the electrical connector off of the sensor. Push up on the lock on the bottom of the sensor to pull back and remove the connector. The sensor is held in by a bolt so remove the bolt with a ratchet wrench. Next, pull out the sensor. Wiggle it to remove the seal of the o-ring. Rub the residual oil on the new sensor's o-ring. Then, slide the new ...

How To: Replace the wheel bearings on an '01 Ford Taurus

The wheel bearings on a car are the part of the wheel that allow it to spin and carry momentum so effectively, and properly functioning ones are essential. If you want to save some money and replace the wheel bearings on your 2001 Ford Taurus yourself, watch this video to learn how to do it.

How To: Remove a Vehicle Dent with a Hair Dryer & Compressed Air

Got a dent in your car? Joe Kelley and Greg Swanson show you how to get it out with a hair dryer and a can of compressed air. See how easy it is to remove minor vehicle dents without going to a shop.

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: 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: Check fuel pressure regulators for leaks on GM engines

A leaking fuel pressure regulator can cause your car or truck to be hard to start or die out. This may give a check engine light, also. It's a very common problem on many Chevy, Buick, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile 3.1L - 3.4L V6 engines. These are also know as the 3100 and 3400. Misfire codes P0300 and oxygen sensor codes will be stored in the computer memory. So, if you want to learn how to check your fuel pressure regulator for leaking gas on GM engines, then this video tutorial is for you.

How To: Apply fiberglass filler to a welded area

In this Autos, Motorcycles & Planes video tutorial you will learn how to apply fiberglass filler to a welded area. Fiberglass or aluminum filler should always be added to an area that is welded. This will ensure proper sealing and prevent moisture ingress. There are two types of fiberglass fillers; long haired and short haired. Long haired is stronger than short haired filler. First you got to mix the filler and hardener together as per directions on the containers. Wear rubber gloves and a p...

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: 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: 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: 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: Flush your air conditioning to prevent comebacks

Air conditioning comebacks are usually caused by an air conditioning system that needs to be flushed and cleaned. Watch this video to learn a handy little trick that will help ensure that you get all the debris out of your A/C every time you flush.

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: Replace a thermostat on a GM 3.1L or 3.4L automobile

Replace the thermostat on your GM 3100 or 3400 vehicle with this nifty tutorial. The video shows you how to replace a thermostat on a 3.4L GM but it should also help you repair a 3.1L GM as well. Just a heads up - you'll need to replace an o-ring when you install the new thermostat as well.

How To: Replace the electric fuel pump in a Chevy Tahoe

Don't let an overpriced mechanic take control of your Chevy Tahoe repairs, learn to fix your car yourself. Learn from an ASE certified Master Automobile Technician with over 14 years of experience. He'll teach you how to replace the electric fuel pump in a Chevy Tahoe. This step-by-step video tutorial will show you the exact actions to make when replacing the fuel pump. Pay for only parts and use your own time!

How To: Repair a car trunk that won't open

In order to repair a trunk that won't open, you will need the following: a screw driver. You will need to climb into your trunk, through the back seat. Remove the back seat. Pull the emergency release. Remove the trunk lock. Unscrew it. Look for anomalies. Bent screws could be the cause. You will need to repair any broken parts or replace them, if you decide not to replace the entire lock. Reinstall the lock in the trunk.

How To: Remove the crankshaft sensor on a Nissan Sentra

If you own a Nissan Sentra and know anything about working on cars, you've probably realized how blessed you are to own such an easy car to repair yourself. This handy video shows how to perform one piece of maintenance on the car quickly and easily, removing the crankshaft sensor. You'll need to do this if your sensor has corroded as the one in this video has.

How To: Change front brake pads on a Ford Escape

Don't waste money on pricey mechanics! Doing your own vehicle repairs can save you tons of dough, but just because you're avoiding the mechanics, doesn't mean you can't learn a thing or two from them. In this video, a professional shows you the quick steps to changing out the front brakes on a Ford Escape. After taking of the front wheel, you'll have to deal with the calipers and the brake pads, along with a few other things. But don't worry. Any do-it-yourselfer can change brakes. And the Fo...

How To: Confirm error code P 0340 on a Nissan by checking the cam sensor

Just because your car shows an error code doesn't mean you should pull any parts. This video will show you how to confirm error code P 0340 on a Nissan (Bad Cam Sensor) by using a lab scope to check the cam sensor.

How To: Replace a broken CV boot joint on your 4x4

When you're out offroading the bottom of your car takes a beating, and it's entirely likely that you could rip or otherwise damage one of the CV joint boots on your axles. This video will show you how to replace a CV joint boot and get your 4x4 back on the offroad.

How To: Change a moped spark plug

Josh Franta explains that if your motorcycle is not starting it is likely a bad spark plug. He leads you through the process of replacing the spark plug. Oil residue builds up on the spark plug and blocks the electrodes and prevents the motorcycle from starting.

How To: Drain and fill the coolant in an Infiniti G35

Infiniti is like no other car, it has emotion, it has soul, it inspires. There's a difference between being physically transported and emotionally moved, and you can tell them apart when you sit inside this magnificent automobile. Although the Infiniti is like a dream car, it has its problems just like any other brand of vehicle. There's maintenance, minor repairs, major repairs, needed replacement parts, oil changes, headlight adjustment, low tires, transmission and everything else you can t...

How To: Remove window tint at home

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to remove old window tint. This task is very easy, simple and fast to do. Users will need a steam cleaner. Begin by peeling off the top part of the tint on the window. As you are peeling down the tint, spray the steam cleaner behind the tint. This will prevent any marks from being left behind. Continue doing this until you have completely removed the tint. This video provides a demonstration for viewers to understand and follow along. This video will ...

How To: Fix a sticky tail gate handle on a Dodge Dakota truck

Rolf shows you how to fix a sticking tailgate handle on a 1998 Dodge Dakota 4x4 Sport truck. If you have a Dodge Dakota truck, or any truck with a sticking tail gate handle, this tutorial will show you how to fix it.

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: 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!