DIY auto and home repairs can save you money, but there’s a risk – NBC 7 San Diego

The cost of car and home repairs may have you wanting to do the work yourself. It can save you money, but it does have its risks.

A DIY job gone wrong can cost much more than if you had hired a professional. Here’s how to decide between online tutorials and hiring the pros.

DIY for your vehicle

“Cars are expensive. I’m cheap,” joked Bryan Perrin, an automotive repair instructor at San Diego College of Continuing Education.

Perrin cautioned that if you have zero automotive experience, you should leave most repairs to the pros and stick to maintenance.

“YouTube is great for those things. It’s not great for helping me figure out what’s wrong with the car or do major repairs because a lot of people making YouTube videos are enthusiasts. They’re not people that do it for a living,” Perrin explained.

So if you’re comfortable popping your hood and maybe using a screwdriver, plug in the make, model and year of the vehicle, and check out online tutorials on how to replace the following:

• Wiper blades
• Headlights
• Engine air filter
• Cabin air filter

“Most cabin air filters pay a half hour, so if the labor rate’s $120, I’m charging you $60 to put the cabin air filter in,” Perrin said. “If the labor rate is $200, it’s $100 to put it in.”

And that may not include a marked-up price on the filter, which you can buy for about $20.

DIY for plumbing issues

“Once you feel the snake hit the blockage, that’s when you’ll turn it,” Edgardo Madrid, an instructional lab aid, explained to plumbing students at the school. 

He said there is nothing difficult about using a pipe snake, which costs about $30, and will clear up most clogs. Just don’t use it through your toilet because it may damage the porcelain.

“I mean, the majority of plumbers, they could charge us … maybe $100 just for the service call, just to come out and check your issue,” Madrid said.

He admitted that he, too, sometimes looks at online tutorials for help. 

When to call a professional

So when is it best to leave the work to the pros? Here’s what to consider.

Safety First. First and foremost, be safe. No amount of money you can save is worth more than your safety. Maybe stay away from all things electrical and gas.

Know your limitations. If, after watching a tutorial, you’re not sure you can pull it off, it might be better to just hire someone.

Watch multiple tutorials. Check out several tutorials as different looks can give you a better understanding of what you’ll need to do.

Have a backup plan. Have a plan B just in case it doesn’t work out the way you were hoping.

A backup plan can include a call to a friend or family member with experience, just like Madrid’s sister did when she couldn’t repair a leak in her bathroom. He was able to do the fix for $60 but said it would have cost a lot more if she had hired someone.