I am an 18 year old trying to find a way into working on cars. i have a father who didnt teach me anything on cars and have a 2 month old son who im trying to pass down knowledge onto. if youre willing to lend a hand or give me some tips on how to start, please let me know.

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My dad didn't teach me anything either, I learned by working on my daily driver. Back then I had a Haynes manual and car messageboards to get info from, you are fortunate that in this day and age of YouTube, there is a tutorial for just about everything to do on every make and model.

The hardest part about working on cars is amassing the tools.

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I think my Haynes was the heaviest book I ever owned.

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I had no idea how to work on cars or drive a manual transmission, so I bought a cheap old Italian sedan (Alfa Romeo 164S) with the expectation that it would force me to learn. I had the car for a few years and learned a lot by figuring out how to keep it on the road.

Information for just about any vehicle is readily available, and there are tons of DiY videos for every type of repair on YouTube. Get an inexpensive project car and a basic set of tools (you can rent the specialty stuff at AutoZone) and go have fun.

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18 with kid, man life comes fast.
What is it about cars that’s interests you in teaching your son?
Is it cars, specifically, or do you just want to be able to share wisdom with him?

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Do you need specific education? I’m sure that you could get started working on cars in some apprenticeship form

As you’re 18, OP, you have plenty of time. I know little about cars (though I can work on marine diesels—my sailboat). Cars these days are super complicated. When I was getting my car serviced at the MB dealership in Miami, I asked out of curiosity. The mechanics that work there can make $60k per year—more once they become master technicians. Mercedes apparently has its own school and apprentices at dealerships to start. To me, it would seem very helpful to look into enrolling at a technical/vocational school and pivot into a job you want. But that just what I’ve seen people I know do who have a love of cars and working on them.

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I agree with you completely, except, id like to add to your statement "it's not a very reliable business to get into for full-time employment". This is true if you are an employee. If you don't work for anyone and work as an independent contractor that does automotive mechanics, essentially being your own boss, it can work. That's what I do. Automotive is one of the few businesses that can turn a profit in the first year. Most new businesses lose money in the first year after startup. You just have to be ON TOP of marketing for yourself and advertising. Word of mouth is crucial too. So you have to do stuff that makes a client want to spread the word about your services. For example, every client of mine, no matter if it's a simple oil change, head gasket job or a complete engine swap, I give them all a complimentary interior detail. Nothing crazy, don't spend a lot of time on it. Trash removal, a quick vacuum, wipe the dash, instrument cluster, center console with some vinyl protector or something similar, Windex to the windows. Done. 20 minutes. Your client will appreciate it. You'll have a repeat client and they'll tell their friends about you. I also tell my clients that whatever the price is to have the job done at a local shop, I'll beat it. Competitive pricing. Also being able to go to the client (a mobile mechanic) really helps as well. Id also like to add that 95% of what I know about working on vehicles is self taught. If you don't want to self teach, find yourself someone who's been in the field for a while and ask them to be your mentor. I would advise anyone in most, not all, but most fields, don't go to school for it. Find a mentor. 1 on 1 hands on experience and no student debt.

18 with a 2 month old son… good luck with that. Cars are an expensive hobby, kids are even more expensive. Half a million per kid.

Youtube is your best friend, and chat GPT. And repair manuals such as this https://www.alldata.com/diy-us/en/advanced-automotive-diy

I’m self taught too

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Mine are 22 and 8, my eyes are plenty wide open.

OP, welcome. IMO the first key is to just be interested and willing to learn—which sounds like you are!

From there I’d start researching cars you’d like to work on, and find out how to acquire a decent option. I have an ‘80s Mercedes, 300D and it’s fairly “easy” to work on with Google.

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I recommend staying out of automotive and trying to get into diesel or forklift/material handling, instead.

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