You can save a lot by doing common auto repair and maintenance jobs yourself at home, but this requires special knowledge. Whether you are a classic car enthusiast undertaking a major restoration project or simply want to learn how to avoid expensive trips in to have the oil changed, here are some top destinations online and in printed form to check out for advice on simple or more complex DIY auto maintenance projects. YouTube YouTube has the advantage over competing video repair hosting sites because it has a huge variety of content. Classic car enthusiasts and professional auto mechanics have made a business out of creating step-by-step tutorials for nearly every conceivable car repair process. Video tutorials are great for those who have trouble deciphering repair manuals but understand a more hands-on approach, and YouTube is the largest go-to source for those tutorial videos. As such, it’s the first stop you should look up when tackling any new project for advice. Car Talk Car Talk, located at CarTalk.com, began as the website for a radio show and podcast all about DIY auto maintenance by the same name: Car Talk. While the radio show itself is great fun and covers all kinds of topics of interest to the DIY auto community, the website’s real value is in its forums. Each of several categories features thousands of posts from users with real-world auto repair questions and concerns. If one of the guys from the radio show does not chime in to help, someone else from the community likely will. It is a good and active place to go to find help with all those questions in the garage. Chilton and Haynes Repair Manuals Intrepid do-it-yourselfers can find complete auto repair and maintenance guides in book format published by Chilton, a longtime leader in auto repair books. Chilton guides are available for a wide variety of classic and later model cars, trucks and SUVs and offer basic, easy-to-understand information on the most typical maintenance and repairs as well as more in-depth topics, like engine work. You can order Chilton repair manuals from their own website in online or book form, from Amazon, from specialized online retailers like TheMotorBookstore.com, or find them at a local auto parts store. Another company specializing in auto repair manuals is Haynes, which are also quite good and written by professional mechanics. OEM Repair Manuals For even more in-depth information, than what can typically be found in Chilton or Haynes books, the auto manufacturers themselves publish in-depth repair “bibles” for each and every new model they produce, with these books destined to be used by technicians at the factory service bays you find at any new car dealership. Luckily for the do-it-yourselfer, these books can also be purchased, sometimes direct from the manufacturer or by checking online auction sites like eBay. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) book is usually known as the gold standard for repair manuals, but may have specialized language that would be more difficult to understand than a Chilton manual. Turning to the Pros Unless you are the most seasoned and knowledgeable DIY mechanic with specialized tools, chances are you will face a project that is a little over your head. Luckily, professional auto body and repair shops also maintain a presence online and can be a great lifeline to talk about DIY questions or to make an appointment to have some work done on a project that is too difficult for you to complete yourself.