Do you have any idea what it costs for someone just to look at your car to figure what might be causing a running problem? The going labor rate for a car mechanic averages about $80 to $100 an hour (usually higher). Now, the mechanic him or herself is only making about $28 of that charge; the rest goes to the mechanic shop, overhead, employee taxes, and profit. And, for that first hour, do you believe that they are doing anything involving a wrench or a lift?

I hate to say it but, probably not.

Instead, they have taken your car, rolled it into the work garage, connected it to a $50,000 diagnostic machine and scanned the codes on your car's onboard computer. And, for the code or two that pops out, they get the luxury of the machine telling them what it means as well. Most times then, the mechanic might spend another 10 to 15 minutes typing that information into the work order on their computer for service tickets and then telling the service desk what to tell the customer is needed next. Usually, that's some kind of work that's anywhere from $300 to $1,000, and two-thirds of it is for labor. Even marked up, parts are cheap in comparison.

Interestingly, you can do all the above yourself by simply going and spending about $20-50 in an auto shop and getting and OBDII scanner. This little gizmo then plugs into your car reader socket, turns on when you turn on the ignition but not the engine, and it scans the computer codes. The only extra step you might need to do then is take the code and look it up on the Internet to get the meaning. I suspect most of you can do that. It's called using your phone and googling the code. Real hard, right?

I use this one in my truck all the time. Easy to operate, and Wal-Mart has it for sale for under $20, nice!

Shockingly, most people don't do the above. Instead, they go into an anxiety-driven panic when they see the check engine light come on, they stop the car in the middle of nowhere, pay $300 to a tow truck to bring them to mechanic and then they get ripped off. If they knew in many cases the issue might just be a bad oxygen sensor and they could have driven the car another two months, granted wasting some gas, but with a lot less cost, they might have gotten angry enough to have their own session of road rage on the I-95.

Let's try a different situation.

What do you do if your car doesn't start until the last second or seems like the battery is failing? Let's think...when was the last time you changed your car battery? If more than three years or you can't remember, you're probably experience the lasts gasps of a dying car battery. Discount car batteries run about two years in age, and premium ones like Sears Die-Hard up to four or five years.

Do you just wing it, drive, hope the charge saves the battery and wish to God it will start again after your park and turn it off? Then, when it doesn't do you spend hundreds for it to be towed again and fixed?

Instead, for the cost of about $190 with tax included and core charge, you probably could have just replaced the battery yourself. It's really simple. Even if you don't have tools, you could just buy them where you buy the car battery as well for maybe another $15. You then simply open the hood with the car turned off. Put on gloves (battery acid is nasty stuff). Put on goggles (you only have one set of eyes). Remove the black terminal first. Then remove the red one. Disconnect the battery harness, pull it out, and clean up the battery bed. Put the old battery way to the side or you will trip on it. Trust me, this happens all the time. Now, put the new battery in. Remove the terminal protectors. Connect the red terminal first to the positive post, and then the black one last to the negative post. Secure the battery harness to make sure it doesn't come loose. Clean off anything else, turn on the car, and make sure it starts. Close the hood, put your tools away, and go take it for a drive for about 30 miles or a half hour to fully charge it again and park it in the garage at home. Your car is now fixed.

If you had depended on someone else to figure out the above, you would have paid a couple hundred for the tow to the shop, an hour for diagnostics, a new battery marked up by the mechanic by another $50 over cost, then another two hours for installation and testing, and then giving you a nice little air freshener tree hanging from your mirror that smells like the bad side of a Pine-Sol sponge if you're lucky. That probably would have totaled $300-400. Wow.

Ok, let's go for one more scenario.

Your left light bulb on the front headlights or rear taillight goes out. What do you do? Pay $200 for someone to fix it for you with a $15 bulb?

I think you know the answer to this by now. If you're not quite sure, and granted, some of the modern car designs are a pain, check how to replace the bulb for your specific car on YouTube or similar. I do this before doing any new car work on my truck, just to be sure I know the right steps. In fact, I watch two or three different videos since there can be variation, depending whom you watch. Once comfortable, then go about replacing the bulb yourself. Sometimes you might have to curve your hand a bit (Volvos were an absolute be*tch for me, at least the V70 was anyways).

Again, why you might not have the tools or training for every single car need, there is a lot you can take care of on your car with some very simple common tools and know-how. Watch videos, always be willing to learn, and don't believe the hype that everything has to be done by a car mechanic shop. 7 out of 10 times they are laughing there way to the bank for what you can do in your driveway or on the side of the road if needed in a pinch.

I would also advise you always keep a small, compact toolbox in your car trunk with a few clean shop rags, a pair of basic mechanic gloves, and unopened bottle of engine oil specific to your car or truck. You'll thank yourself for doing so when you need it. A simple pair of knee pads might be a good idea too. Trust me, sitting on your knees on asphalt for 30 or 40 minutes will hurt like nothing else when you try to get up again, including the pebbles and bits stuck in your kneecaps afterwards.

I've added some useful article links at the bottom for some additional tips and further video links on how to do simple car repair. Your bank account will love your for it. And remember, wrenches and tools don't discriminate; they'll accept anyone holding their handles - men, women or non-binaries. :)