Taking the car to a workshop for every little thing can quickly become terribly expensive. An hourly price of around NOK 2,000 is not at all unusual. And that also applies to simple things, which do not require special tools or a lot of expertise.
If you prefer to do it yourself, you can save a lot of money. At the same time, you acquire a nice hobby – and you build competence.
In this sense, creating a small mecca space can be a very good investment.
Although cars have become increasingly advanced, there are still quite a few things that you can easily fix yourself.
This is some of the things you can do
– Such as changing wheels, changing oil, getting a general service, changing light bulbs, changing fuel filters, changing brakes, repairing exhaust systems, or retrofitting equipment such as stereo systems or additional lights – these are among the things that many people can do themselves, says Broom’s car expert Benny Christensen.
He started his own bicycle workshop at the age of 11, in an old hen house. He decided that he would become a car mechanic already in his childhood. And so it was.
– I have always liked tinkering and fixing things. It started with my toy cars, I dismantled the alarm clock to the nut and never got it back together… Then it continued with cars. I had a car BEFORE a moped – and yes, it kind of just kept going.
Also read: Here you get a smart family car at a really low price
You don’t need a lot of space or a lot of fancy decoration to be able to do a lot with the car yourself.
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Bought spanners first
– What was the first tool you bought?
– I grew up on a small farm, so we had quite a few tools at home, but mostly carpentry stuff. I wasn’t that interested in that. The first thing I can remember buying with my own money was a set of spanners at Fåberg Samvirkelag. It cost NOK 59. I still have some of those wrenches – more than 40 years later. Later I remember it was big when I bought my own electric drill. A Bosch. It is in the garage and works just as well to this day.
– And what is the latest new acquisition on the tool front?
– It is so new that I have not received it yet. A special pliers that you use when you “build” spark plug cables yourself. It was ordered from the US and will probably arrive in just a few days now.
Also read: Knut Arne just wanted to follow the rules – but ended up with problems
Uses one thing more than anything else
– Because you’re still messing around in the garage?
– Absolutely. The last thing I did there was fix the charging on an old Volvo I have, Broom-Benny continues.
– There is not very much that is needed in terms of tools and equipment before you can sort out simple things yourself. Then you can blow in the car workshop and save a good chunk of money.
The article was first published by broom.no.
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