Getting a car education

[Hucker]

Some of you may have seen my other post. Im 21, just passed my driving test, and plan to buy a Supra this time next year. In the mean time, I wanted to learn as much as possible about car mechanics. I was thinking about buying up a beat up old Escort, sticking it on my drive and mucking about with it as something to work on etc.

 

What do you recommend?

[SteveR]

Do an evening class at a local college, that's what I did and it's a good place to start. read *everything* that gets posted on here/similar places - even if it doesn't make much sense to you eventually all the pieces will soon start to fall into place.

[Kopite]

i'm gonna do something similar. i know a lot more since bein on this site, howstuffworks is a good site too

[Jake]

You could always buy a VVTi Supra TT, disconnect the vac hose to the FPR then take it for a blast up the motorway.

That'll give you plenty to work on for the next year or so.

 

 

[Kopite]

You could always buy a VVTi Supra TT, disconnect the vac hose to the FPR then take it for a blast up the motorway.

That'll give you plenty to work on for the next year or so.

 

 

 

[straightsix]

Try reading "Car Mechanics" magazine....I have bought it every month for years and although I have a fair amount of mechanical know how, I find the articles invaluable. They run a lot of "how it works" articles that explain things from air con to clutches and so on. Each month they cover a car and detail the diagnostic work, sensor testing, etc.

To my knowledge they've not covered a supra yet, although one of their project cars (bought cheap and done up) was a scooby!

[Nic]

A good place to start would be at a breakers, stripping down a car is relatively easy and helps you learn where stuff is and how stuff goes together in a backward sort of way and the best thing is you don't have to put it all back together again

 

When I was 16/17 I use to help out in my holidays as general dogs body at local prestige car engineers (Rolls, Astons, Ferraris, etc.) and learnt loads, watching, chatting with the mechanics, taking stuff apart. Did it for the love of it rather than the money, the boss would let me work on my own car when things were quiet or out of hours, fantastic experience.

[Pete]

Hmm... maybe I should formalise some training too..although I managed to build my own car and engine from the ground up, it was old technology (Sierra based). I'd love to update my understandings into the 21st century.

Anyone actually done a college course and found it useful?

[absz]

Try reading "Car Mechanics" magazine....I have bought it every month for years and although I have a fair amount of mechanical know how, I find the articles invaluable. They run a lot of "how it works" articles that explain things from air con to clutches and so on. Each month they cover a car and detail the diagnostic work, sensor testing, etc.

To my knowledge they've not covered a supra yet, although one of their project cars (bought cheap and done up) was a scooby!

 

 

i went on the diagnostic course which frank massey teaches. (the guy who does all the fault finding for that magazine. but the down side is that he charges £800 for a five day course.