Tafe course to help u learn more about servicing your own car?

[KC.]

I'm not looking to become a mechanic, but I am looking to learn more about my car in the regards to continuous upkeep/service maintenance.

I've done things like changing my own oil and other small work with refilling fluids. But I basically want to know if anyone has done some sort of short tafe course to teach u about these things and if they found it beneficial at all, or would it be something you could basically learn from DIY threads??

I'm meaning things like changing my own fuel injectors, intake manifold slightly bigger jobs but nothing like engine conversions etc. Would you learn this from a tafe course?? or as an actual apprentice?

Is it worth it? I basically want to be able to do all the work on my car unless I don't have the equipment for it

[jeremydawg]

Do you want to learn about cars cause you love them? or simply because you want to save money doing your own stuff? If you really loved cars you would be reading about them night and day! During breakfast, while your taking a dump, daydreaming about them at work, get home look at your car for an hour, clean it, look at it a bit more, have dinner read some more, sleep dream about your car - repeat. Thats how you get knowledge about cars, then you spend some time with your friends who LOVE cars and maybe have some mechanical knowledge, do some backyard auto jobs with them - Knowledge + Experience = fun times!

srs, if your doing it for the wrong reasons you will never be able to do more than change your oil :D

[KC.]

^ a mix of both though i'm not to keen on messing with my type r with things such as changing fuel injectors etc. when i've never had the experience with them. i don't want to dive into it thinking i'm pro mechanic then end up with the car not running when im gonna need it the next day to get to work.

you dig??

[jeremydawg]

true blue! well, you can do pre apprenticeship courses im sure! But things are best learnt by reading and spending time with car nuts. If i wanted to learn how to do stuff i would buy a crappy old car for like $500 and just try restore it (get an old skool car you would like to restore). Get a mate who would be keen as to do it with ya and shebang, youll be progressing like a pro. T'is what im gonna do :) get an old ke70 and rape the motor

[na-118]

they usually dont do courses like that unless your getting into the trade,,, the problem is so much diy works going around, and the automotive industry is going down where workshops are loosing work because of it

[KC.]

@jeremy
yeah man I was looking, but i think the first few courses just teach you basic things that i would already know. I've thought about that but everyones got their own situation and i don't think i'm gonna be gettin much time for it or have the space for it

@na-118
word. i guess i'll just have to work it out with myself and a few mates. mostly just a few small jobs that i wanna do, fair few DIY's on here that i've done. gonna change the rotors + pads later in the year. hopefully get a mate to help with putting on some new coilovers etc.

[jeremydawg]

^ damn OH and there seriously god DIY's

[davidvtec]

Learning to maintain and build your own car can be self taught with the internet being a big advantage to help you. I wouldnt waste money unless your looking to join a trade. Any problems, just type into the search bar. If not, just ask us honda enthusiast on this forum :)

[jeremydawg]

Lawl, time is a essential for learning about cars, if ya dont have the time then ya aint gonna learn :D

[KC.]

cheers dave. yeh been learning most things through the net, but some jobs just seem to big that i dont wanna take the risk

[jeremydawg]

^ lol we really need to stop posting our comments at the same time

[KC.]

^ dude i mean having the time to buy that car and build it up..... what part of don't have the time or space do u understand??

[KC.]

^yep i think so haah

[jeremydawg]

no offence but your the one whos asking for help, if someone gives it to you no need to be rude. your right, i dont understand, you have the time to go to tafe and do a full course to learn about cars but you dont have the time to fix up a car?

[grifty]

look up a course called automotive pre-vocational, its a 6 month course and you learn a fair bit from it.

here u go

https://www.tafensw.edu.au/howex/servlet/Course?Command=GetCourse&CourseNo=18038

[KC.]

time + space....

who said anything about a full course, i meant something like a short course, i've heard of things which are like 2x a week for 2hrs or so, i'm not talking about a full course seeing as i already go to uni fulltime and working 9-5pm 4 days a week. i'm asking if anyones done something similar to this. what do u want me to do tell u in detail why i can't buy an old car to restore.

btw how can there be any wrong reasons for learning to DIY on car mods/maintenance??

edit: cheers grifty!

meh mods can close this if they want

[jeremydawg]

lawl, thats exactly why i gave ya that idea, you prob work full time so having a car to stuff around with would actually save you time, dont have to restore it, thats just a suggestion. Fair enough ya dont have the space though. It's just when you said you dont have the time i was like, huh?

...ive had a bit of booze, ill check back in the mornig and see where i went wong

[TheSaint]

well im doing a Diploma Mechanical Engineering ... lol

nah seriously - over the last few years iv learnt EVERYTHING i know right here on ozhonda (and various other sources - google, honda-tech, mechanic ebooks etc)
and i have pulled down and rebuilt a few engines now
it feels like just yesterday i was too scared to even change my own spark plugs

the internet really does have everything you need to know
the best way to learn is buy a cheap car - unlicenced even
and just pull it apart and put it back together and learn as u go

[dougie_504]

Anybody who is somewhat mechanically competent will tell you to use the internet/workshop manual/books to learn how to DIY, and that at some point you really just have to say 'f*ck it' and stop caring if you break something or not - otherwise you'll make it very hard to learn anything.

I broke my radiator hose neck at 6:30pm last Saturday night with a planned cruise to Apollo Bay the next morning (430km return) but managed to swap my radiator out for a spare one in time.
Today I broke my differential oil seal when I was changing my driveshafts and I'll have to give up some of my sleep today (I get home from work at 8am because I'm on night duty) to go to a shop to try and get a new one.


Basically you just use whatever resource you have. Friends, people on this website (they told me how to DIY my clutch master cylinder about a month ago :)), other internet searches etc. Then you just get a pair of nuts and have a go. Don't need to do any course to learn how to 'maintain' a car. Not the end of the world if you stuff up. Everybody stuffs up a job some time.

[KC.]

yep :) i guess it's startin to make a lot more sense now. no hard feeling jeremy

[TheSaint]

Anybody who is somewhat mechanically competent will tell you to use the internet/workshop manual/books to learn how to DIY, and that at some point you really just have to say 'f*ck it' and stop caring if you break something or not - otherwise you'll make it very hard to learn anything.

I broke my radiator hose neck at 6:30pm last Saturday night with a planned cruise to Apollo Bay the next morning (430km return) but managed to swap my radiator out for a spare one in time.
Today I broke my differential oil seal when I was changing my driveshafts and I'll have to give up some of my sleep today (I get home from work at 8am because I'm on night duty) to go to a shop to try and get a new one.


Basically you just use whatever resource you have. Friends, people on this website (they told me how to DIY my clutch master cylinder about a month ago :)), other internet searches etc. Then you just get a pair of nuts and have a go. Don't need to do any course to learn how to 'maintain' a car. Not the end of the world if you stuff up. Everybody stuffs up a job some time.

yeah i found that the less i cared that i would break something the more i learned
but its a slow process ... u cant just jump in and rip down ur engine

[integragsi96]

you could download a manual for your car.
the one i have for my dc4 tells you step by step and even the nm's of force it takes for every nut and bolt to get off
mines about 1600 pages long and very good...

[KC.]

^ where'd you get it from ??

I tried downloading the one from hondatech but it's not working..
Is there a specific one for the DC2R??

edit:

for future reference from anyone else.
u have to sign up and activate ur account to download these
http://www.hondahookup.com/manuals/
it has a type r manual and the 98-01 integra manual and a bunch of others.

[integragsi96]

mines an american one...so the LS and the GSR...but it doesnt cover the ITR....
umm i cant remember where i got mine from but mine is in PDF file too.
it wasnt off any forum...i think i just typed in 1996 honda integra service manual (cos mines a 1996 model)

[KC.]

yep^

i linked the site where i got mine from, it's got the acura type r manual as well as a 98-01 both acura...

[dougie_504]

<sigh> yeah space is a huge issue. My CRX is parked in the garden under a tarp!

Just got it home now - left it overnight at my mate's house when I fooked up the driveshaft swap by screwing up the dust seal on the differential oil seal :(

[mugen_ctr]

there is in fact a course in Vic for those wanting to know, Kangan tafe offers it, an its nite course as well, if i recall, and im talking about a good 4 yrs ago LOL, that they also offer a 6 month in how to dyno tune a car, ofcourse this is very ambiguous as theres many different types of ECU an they are all differently tuned to one another, but same principal apply to all of em... and than there was a motorsports course believe it or not, i was gonna do it, but i saw no real career prospect from it after leaving skool, being a pit mechanic or tuner for that matter... i didnt really see myself in that position, so i trashed that idea, this involved learing to tune and setup rally cars, track cars etc... as well as doin pit stop with a few racing teams later on... an eventually a trial into V8 supercars or similar national motor sport.... and than if ur lucky... into intercontinental motorsports, such as American Le mans Series, FIA GT1 and the likes... And if u really got high hopes, F1 or WRC.... but this is goin off topic

And oh, if u like traveling, id highly suggest aim for a spot with WRC teams, American Le Mans, FIA GT, F1, again these are the best of the best racing categories in the world atm