March 2021

Occupational Safety For Car Repairs

More and more car owners are lending a hand and trying to carry out some repairs on their own . Which is understandable, because after all, you only pay for the spare parts and can save the costs for the workshop.

Conveniently, there are the so-called do-it-yourself workshops, where you can rent a lifting platform cheaply and even the right tools for it. Which can make repairs a lot easier.

An important point, which must not be forgotten, is occupational safety. There are many rough edges, especially when it comes to car repairs.

Make sure you have enough freedom to work

Before repairs can even start, sufficient freedom to work should first be ensured. There is nothing worse than things that are lying around everywhere they don’t belong and that can possibly also become a trip hazard.

Therefore, a professional car workshop is always tidy and everything has its designated place.

Protect your hands from dirt

Repairs can quickly become a mess, but that’s not surprising. Brake dust, oil , grease and dirt from road traffic stick to many car parts. Not all of us like to have this dirt on our hands. It can sometimes take days until the dirt is completely removed and your hands are clean again.

You can protect yourself from this with work gloves. Gloves made of nylon with a PU coating are very suitable for this. These are non-slip and fit snugly on the hands. Which in turn ensures a good grip and a better sense of touch.

I myself have often bought professional work gloves from engelbertstrauss and have always been very satisfied with their quality. The specialist in occupational safety offers gloves for a wide variety of tasks, which on the one hand offer protection and at the same time do not restrict mobility and the sense of touch. There are also work gloves to buy in hardware stores.

Always wear sturdy shoes

Sandals, flip flops or clogs should be avoided. Sturdy shoes are the order of the day. Which should actually be a matter of course. But it cannot be stressed enough. Sensible shoes not only ensure a firm footing, they also protect against bruises.

For example, it makes a clear difference whether when you remove a tire it falls onto the shoe through carelessness and a large part of the material built into the shoe absorbs the weight, or whether the full weight acts on the teeth because you are wearing sandals.

My tip: sensible work shoes with steel toecaps are available in many hardware stores for as little as 19.99 euros. It’s an investment that pays off. Especially since the shoes can also be used for gardening.

Wear a face mask and safety glasses

If an area of ​​the car is being sanded and then painted, it is highly recommended that you always wear a face mask. If something is flexed, protective goggles should not be missing to protect yourself from flying sparks.

Use quality tools

You can choose the cheapest products when buying tools or you can invest a little more money and choose tools with a higher quality.

At first glance, the inexpensive tool is of course very tempting, because after all it seems to be able to perform the same tasks as more expensive products.

It is therefore not surprising that many people turn to the inexpensive product. However, my recommendation is to spend a little more money and invest it in quality, this approach always pays off in the long term.

With regular use, the cheap products always show why they are so cheap. Wear and tear can be observed, especially with tools (ring spanners, screwdrivers, sleeves, etc.), which are exposed to increased force, and at some point the point comes where they become unusable and a new purchase is necessary.

How Long Should You Drive A Car?

If your car is driving and not causing any major problem, then there is really no reason to sell it. With regular maintenance and care and a sensible driving style, a car can drive many hundreds of thousands of kilometers. It doesn’t matter which model or make of car it is.

Your car is paid for

The purchase of a new car costs money and not just a little. That’s why a lot of people take funding for this and maybe you did the same with your car back then. But since it has now been paid off or you are about to do so, this fact can be a great advantage for you. Why? Once the financing has ended, you have another 200, 300 or 500 euros more per month at your disposal, which you had to raise beforehand for the financing.

Another point that is often not taken into account when buying a new car is the immense loss of value in the first few years. Depending on the car brand, the loss in value can be as much as 50% within 5 years or even more.

My tip: put aside 50 to 100 euros of the savings every month and pay them into a savings account. You can use the money later for repairs. After just 12 months there are 600 to 1200 euros in the account. After 5 years it would be 3,000 to 6,000 euros.

A repair is cheaper than a new purchase

Of course, various signs of wear and tear become noticeable in an older car over time and the parts must be replaced. However, repair can still be the cheaper alternative.

Let’s assume, for example, that the brakes (brake pads and discs) have to be completely changed on your car and the change in the workshop costs 500 euros. So it makes a difference whether I pay the 500 euros one-time for the repair or finance a new car at a monthly rate of 200 euros, which then costs me 2,400 euros a year.

So it’s always worth thinking about what the one-off repair costs will be, how much peace and quiet will I have for years, or what a new car will cost me every year.

Cheaper insurance and taxes are possible

A new car usually always costs more insurance than a used car. Several euros can come together in a year. The vehicle tax must also be taken into account. All cars that were registered before September 1st, 2018 were still subject to the old test cycle.

New registrations are now subject to the WLTP test, which can make the tax more expensive.

You are doing something good for the environment

The longer you drive your car, the better it is for the environment too. Imagine buying a new car every 5 years. Certainly the new car may consume 1 liter less fuel on paper, but again a lot of raw materials and energy are required for production, which in no way justifies the lower consumption.

When is the old car no longer worthwhile?

When a repair is really no longer worthwhile and subsequent repairs can be identified in the next few months. The residual value of your car can be used as a good guide. For example, if this is 1500 euros and you need a replacement engine, the purchase and installation of which costs 2000 euros and a new transmission for 800 euros is necessary a little later, then it is no longer worth it.