Working on our cars or trucks could be lots of fun. Not only will it save you some serious bucks, but it also gives you that great sense of pride that comes with knowing you’ve maintained your own machine, and it’s running only because you’ve made it so!
That said, with great power comes great responsibility – we’re working under gigantic machines weighing from one to over four tons that will squash us like a bug if we aren’t careful.
Here are a few safety tips any DIY mechanic ought to know:
Tips for Safely Working on Your Vehicle
Note: This is by no means an exhaustive list. Always refer to the factory manual before attempting a job. If at all unsure, take the car to a local mechanic or ask an online mechanic.
#1. Lift and Support the Car Properly.
The first step in most jobs is jacking up the vehicle, and it’s one of the most important to get right. Putting the jack or jack stands at the wrong jacking points can damage the vehicle.
In some cases, the vehicle can even slip off the jack or jack stands, and you certainly don’t want to be underneath if this happens. Knowing how to properly use a floor jack is something every home mechanic should know.
You can find the proper jacking points in every factory manual or specific auto repair manual, and they can also sometimes be found on the forums for your vehicle.
Also, remember to use the right saddle for your jack or jack stands. Using the wrong shape or material increases the chance that the vehicle will slip. That happened to me once.
On my car, the front subframe is an acceptable jacking point. I put the jack there to lift the front of the vehicle, but my jack had a metal saddle, and the metal-on-metal contact didn’t grip enough for safety, and the car just slid right off of it without warning.
Fortunately, I was well clear of the car, so the only things I bruised were my ego and front of the subframe. I got lucky – if I’d put my jack off the back, I probably would have put a hole through my oil pan!
Don’t be a cheapskate in this department. A good floor jack will last you many years of reliable usage. Always make sure your stands are rated high enough to support the weight of your vehicle.
The best jack stands for you now could be worthless if you get a heavier vehicle in the future, so when in doubt, buy stronger stands than you think you’ll need, but make allowances for their clearance, or footprint.
#2. Work With a Buddy (or Another Person In the Vicinity).
Some jobs that are almost impossible to tackle alone are a breeze with a buddy’s help. At times, you simply can’t manoeuvre a part back into position without an extra hand. At other times, you simply need someone to hold a flashlight.
A friend may also be able to call for help if you become incapacitated yourself. Safety is always priority number one, but be especially vigilant if you’re alone at home and know it’ll be hours before someone else wanders in.
If your spouse is going to be gone for hours, then work with the garage door open so that the neighbour nearby can see and hear you if something were to happen. If you have kids, this might be a good way to work in some bonding time, fixing up the family car. A small child can hand you the tools needed, hold the flashlight, and learn some useful skills!
#3. Follow the Factory Manual Diligently.
The factory manual (as opposed to the owner’s manual) is written by the manufacturer, that is, the group of engineers who know your car the best.
While the owner’s manual will contain useful everyday tidbits, the factory manual contains everything you need for more substantial operations, such as torque specs, wiring diagrams, fuel system depressurization, and airbag diffuse procedures (if you’re comfortable replacing an airbag, although it is not recommended).
These are not things it is wise to attempt to do on a seat-of-your-pants basis, as there is generally a specific order in which you have to do things in order to maximize safety and minimize potential for damage.
While factory manuals tend to be the best, they are also often not cheap. As an alternative, a Chilton or Haynes manual specific to your vehicle is a good enough option in most cases.
#4. Take Her For a Test Drive When Done.
Any time you take something apart and put it back together, you run the risk that something didn’t go back the way it was supposed to. It’s easy to skip a step in a more complicated job, and you want to make sure your car is nice and dependable before you really need to trust it to get you somewhere safely.
Take it slow at first and pick a nice, safe area to do a systems check where you aren’t going to damage anything if you lose concentration for a moment.
For example, my buddy almost drove off without tightening his lug nuts all the way because he was talking to me and forgot. Don’t be that guy!
#5. Wear Gloves.
While it may be cool to show off your wounds to the ladies, nobody likes scraped knuckles. If your wrench’s going to give and you’re really having to crank on it to break a seized bolt rods in a confined space that’s what’s going to happen.
At this point your hand is a guided missile and always manages to find the sharpest thing in the engine bay. A good set of mechanic’s gloves will help reduce the blood, pain, and swearing associated with this. They’re an absolute requirement if you don’t have time for some things to cool on the engine.
You may not want to come away covered in engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, and other poisonous fluids that come out of a warmed-up car at the boiling point. I love nitrile gloves for changing my engine oil, fuel filter, or coolant since they minimize my hands’ contact with toxic substances my skin could absorb, and they also help protect against burns.
And nitrile gloves are cheap, so just throw them when you’re done and save yourself a few minutes scrubbing grease off your fingers or under your fingernails.
#6. Wear Eye Protection.
Nobody likes dirt falling in their eye, but how about a bell housing bolt? One time, I dropped a bell housing bolt into place during a clutch change. While I was lining up the transmission to go back into the car, that bolt fell out and bounced right off my glasses.
If I hadn’t been wearing eye protection, it would’ve gone straight into my eye. It made a nick that was a good-sized chip out of the lens, but man… that could’ve been my cornea.
Wear safety glasses whenever you can; these are built to withstand higher impacts than standard prescription glasses aren’t designed for. Consider them cheap insurance for your eyes.
#7. Wear a Dust Mask.
Nearly everything we touch in the garage “contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm”. Some jobs are inherently dusty, even if you’re careful not to blow it around the shop.
Take brakes, for example. Brake dust is airborne and can linger, even if you’re careful. Some older brakes even contain asbestos, which can cause a fatal condition called mesothelioma (you’ve likely seen those lawyer commercials).
One way to prevent these toxins from entering your body is to cover your mouth and nose with a particle mask (aka: dust mask). A mask also has the benefit of keeping road grime and caked-on oil out of your mouth when you’re under the car, cleaning the undercarriage.
#8. Know Your Limits.
My father always told me, “A man knows his limits.” Don’t be a coward and be willing to ask someone for help or even take your setup to a true mechanic. Better to kill a project half-finished than risk serious injury, or even death.
If you find yourself getting frustrated, don’t be scared to just walk away from it for a little while and come back later. If you’re like me, you’re more likely to take a handlebar to the shin while you’re pissed off.
Taking five minutes to calm down, grab another beer, and Google around for a tip you might have missed is time well spent.
Final Advice
While garages are fraught with dangers, there is little to fear if you use common sense and take the necessary precautions. Following instructions, concentrating on what you are doing, and having a proper respect for your vehicle will keep you safe.
When in doubt, ask someone who knows more than you do. At the end of the day, it’s not worth dying to satisfy your pride or save yourself a few dollars.