Cars

[HansBraggart]

i have never much cared about cars. they were little more than a transportation vehicle to me. growing up, the cool kids were into sports and cars, while i was into video games. because i was a nerd and was picked on, i associated cars with my enemies and developed an irrational animosity towards the subject of cars.

 

this past weekend, I changed a tire for the first time in my life. at age 30. it was a fulfilling experience. it was an epic win, if you may. i gained so much satisfaction from that experience that now, all of a sudden, i feel stangely compelled to learn more about cars.

 

what resources would you be able to recommend to me? is there a site like NerdFitness but about cars instead of health/fitness?

[Rooks]

To be honest, I'd recommend finding a forum specific to the make and model of your car.  For example, I've owned 2 Ford Rangers and I've found ranger-forums.com very helpful for a long time (gone down hill a bit lately, but still a lot of useful stuff).  Usually that's the best approach since you'll get specific information for your specific car.  Granted the level of internet douchery is all dependent on the forum and how well the mods handle things.  It's varies a lot depending on the forum (as with any forum, not just car forums).  

 

Otherwise, I'd highly recommend how stuff works for things about cars.  They have a ton of general articles about generic topics for cars.  Gives a lot of the good basic information.  

[Akhkharu19]

I wish they had a forum for crazy old chevettes lol

[WizardTrip]

What Rooks said. The best way is to find a forum on your particular make and model. I'm a nerd on many different levels, and aside from my tech/computer/movie/music loves, cars are just another one of my addictions. In the past 16-18 years I've been driving, I've owned over 10 cars and a motorcycle. I started doing my own car maintenance early on. I would buy service manuals for my cars, and the model specific books that auto stores use to carry (not sure if these books still exist, but I'm sure they do).

 

I'd recommend just starting with some basics. Look up guides and videos on:

 

Changing

1 - Tires (you've got that one), including rotating tires

2 - Air Filters

3 - Oil / Oil Filter

4 - Fan belts

 

Then later on:

1 - Change brake pads

2 - Change brake rotors

3 - Spark plugs / wires

[HansBraggart]

(not sure if these books still exist, but I'm sure they do)

 

heh-heh, that is a paradox.

 

thank you for the help, rebels! would any of you be able to recommend a forum for Toyota 4Runners?

i discovered AutoMD.com, thanks to LifeHacker, and i believe that will be a useful resource.

[WizardTrip]

(not sure if these books still exist, but I'm sure they do)

heh-heh, that is a paradox.

thank you for the help, rebels! would any of you be able to recommend a forum for Toyota 4Runners?

i discovered AutoMD.com, thanks to LifeHacker, and i believe that will be a useful resource.

Doh! And I'm sure you're correct. Hah!

[WizardTrip]

Dupe post

[swarneke]

I'll admit that I don't know much of anything about cars, but at the library I used to work at the Chilton's Autor Repair books were always popular.