That makes keeping your car on the road vital, and knowing how to perform basic auto repair tasks a real bonus. Auto repair shops are great, but can be expensive. As you generally pay for time and not the job, even the most basic repairs can cost a lot. That’s why you should know the basics of what your car needs to stay healthy.

To that end, we have put together a list of the five auto repair tools you should have in your garage. They don’t cost much and will save you an awful lot of money compared to taking the car into the shop.

First up is the jack and axle stands. The jack often comes with the car, but should be partnered with a pair of axle stands to secure the car while you’re working on it. You need these tools when checking brake wear, rotating tires, checking wheel bearings and other simple tasks.

While a jack comes with the car, it’s basic to say the least. If you’re serious about doing your own automotive repairs, invest in a trolley jack. They are stronger, more robust and offer a much stronger lift.

An oil wrench is another essential auto repair tool you should have. If you drive in the city, or in bad weather, you should change your oil every 3-5,000 miles at a local Naples car repair shop. While there are plenty of places offering oil changes, it’s cheaper to do it yourself. An oil wrench is essential to remove the oil filter, so appears on the list.

Third in our list is the humble screwdriver. A basic but essential auto repair tool that has a million and one uses in the garage and around the home. You will need one to free fuses, change filters, deflate tires and a whole host of other tasks.

Fourth is the trusty socket set. If you have ever opened your hood, you know there are a dizzying array of fixings and bolts securing everything in place. A basic socket set is enough for most automotive repairs.

Finally, but certainly not least are the trusty vice grips. Sometimes, parts simply won’t come undone, or need to be held together while you work on them. That’s where vice grips show their worth. Get a good, strong pair to give you good purchase and leverage while working on the car.

Repairing your own car is a rewarding, if messy pastime. With money tight, it’s something every car owner should learn. Even covering the basics like changing oil, filters, tires and fuses could potentially save you hundreds of dollars. We have some of the best auto repair shops in the world, but you pay for the privilege.

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The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN is your cars fingerprint. It is original to the car and unless the car has been cloned, completely unique. It is used by manufacturers, the DMV, state vehicle registrars and warranty owners to identify and track the car through its lifetime. If you are involved in a vehicle theft, auto collision or other mishap you may need to provide this number to your insurance or authorities.

The VIN is placed on several positions within the vehicle. The first, and easiest one to spot is on the driver side. Stand outside the door and look through the window at the side of the dashboard. You should see a metal place with 17 digits comprised of letters and numbers. This is your VIN.

Alternatively, it can be found on the driver’s side door post, near where the door latches. This is often a black or silver place or sticker with other information on it too. It is also on the front bulkhead under the hood. With the hood open look down and you will see another plate or sticker with the VIN on it. If it isn’t there, it may be on your engine block, depending on the manufacturer.

There is also often a VIN plate under the spare wheel in the trunk if your vehicle doesn’t have any on the places already mentioned. The last place to look is the owner’s manual. If you can’t find a VIN then you should be concerned, especially if the car is new. Every vehicle made in the world has at least two or three VIN plates around it. If your doesn’t then it is advisable to contact either the manufacturer or the dealer you bought the vehicle from.

If you have ever been in an auto collision or a bump then you know that often cars simply won’t start afterwards. Even if the damage is nowhere near the engine. This has been an issue since cars were first invented and even now where most modern cars are more controlled by computer than the driver it’s still the case.

Bump starting a car isn’t rocket science but it can damage the engine if not done correctly. Here are a few simple steps to get your vehicle jump started with the minimum of fuss, remembering of course that this can only be done with a manual car!

If the car tries to turn over when you turn the key, you shouldn’t try bump starting it. It means that the problem is something other than the battery or starter. If this happens to you it would be advisable to get a tow home or to the shop.

You will need two people to effectively bump start your car, but it can be done single handed if you’re quick. Start by turning off all electrics, so the lights, washer wipers, radio etc and turning the ignition to the on position.

Remove the parking or handbrake, depress the clutch pedal and put the car into 2nd gear. Leave the gearbox in neutral if you’re pushing yourself. By either pushing yourself or other pushing, get the car rolling as quickly as you safely can. As soon as you get a bit of speed put the car into 2nd gear if you need to and release the clutch while giving the car a bit of gas. If the engine fires, pop the clutch again and keep a light touch on the gas pedal to keep the fuel flowing. Thank your helpers if there were any and get yourself home as quickly as possible.

Depending on what happened to the car you may find that the engine starts normally again after that. If it doesn’t then it is probably going to need professional help.

Nothing annoys a car lover more than finding a mystery scratch on your bodywork, especially if you have no idea where it came from. Fortunately, with a spare afternoon and a couple of tools we can make it as good as new. There is nothing like a little auto body repair to make you feel more in touch with your vehicle!

You will need some car paint, some clear base coat and some automotive sandpaper. Car paint is a specific mixture, combining different colors and lacquers to create the end result. This car paint is available from most good auto stores or online. Often they are make and model specific so you can get a finish as close as possible to your car color. The specific colors can also be provided by your manufacturers dealership in aerosol or pen form, but you will pay a premium buying it from them. You will also need sandpaper designed for car paint. It isn’t quite as abrasive as normal sandpaper and will give a much cleaner and softer finish.

Before even opening the paint, you need to prepare the vehicle properly. This is 90% of getting a good finish. Clean the car first and allow it to completely dry. Then lightly sand the area around the scratch with automotive sandpaper then clean all the old paint and dust away from the area being painted. This area needs to be as clean and uncontaminated as possible to give the best possible finish.

Apply a thin layer of clear base coat to the affected area and allow it to dry. This will give the paint a key to stick to. While that’s drying, find a spot on your car that nobody really sees. I generally choose the area where my spare wheels lives as it’s out of sight most of the time. Clean an area and apply a light coat of the base and then the color paint and let that dry too. Check the color match to make sure the paint is the right shade to match the bodywork. Car colors fade in the sun, and painting somewhere not generally seen gives you the opportunity to check the color match without displaying it for the world to see.

If the match is good and the base coat is dry on the scratch carefully apply the color paint to the car. Use light and even strokes in one direction until the area is covered. Allow it to dry thoroughly and repeat at least one more coat. Two coats should suffice but if you need to apply more repeat this process as many times as you need.

These touch up paints normally have lacquer built into them. If for some reason yours doesn’t you will now need to apply a couple of layers of lacquer to protect the color. Once the painting and/or lacquering is complete, apply normal car wax to the area buffing as you would normally.

If you have done this correctly the once annoying scratch should now be invisible to the eye. You have learned something about detailing and saved yourself a few dollars by doing it yourself!