The 7 reasons you can't work on your own car

Everyone wants to be independent.

The opportunity to live a self-reliant life is embedded in the American ethos of rugged individualism. We want freedom, and that burning desire causes us to try to achieve all that we can and master our own domain.

In the old days it was the farm and the livestock. Today, the do-it-yourself lifestyle encompasses much of daily living — from renovating our homes to sous-vide cooking to fixing our cellphones (despite the five-lobe screws from a certain fruity maker meant to discourage such tinkering.)

Cars, however, have gone in the opposite direction; they have grown more difficult, expensive, and mysterious for those who have no compunction about tackling any other repair on their own.

It's not their fault home auto maintenance has become so difficult. Everything from predatory pricing to government regulation is keeping the aspiring DIY auto mechanic estranged from their engine bay. There are entire industries and bureaucracies now partially aimed at keeping car repair in the hands of the few rather than the many.

Here are some of the culprits keeping folks at arm's length from their own cars:

Motor Oil:  Changing your own oil used to be the way to get to know your car. Until a few years ago, you could get DIY oil change specials for $9.99 at your local auto parts store. Hardcore enthusiasts could always rely on a few motor oil companies that would virtually give away their newest oil brand formulations, and Black Friday oil change deals were often as cheap as $5.

Those deals are long gone; the basic ones now run more than $20, and more advanced synthetic oils can run $5 a quart, quickly erasing any cost advantage for DIYers over the local quick-lube place. This comes despite a dramatic increase in supply thanks to the development of recycled motor oil, which is cheaper to refine, and the development of motor oils that are based on natural gas. By the time you drain, replace and recycle the oil, you might have paid for the privilege.

Plastic Shrouds: Baseball hall-of-famer Yogi Berra used to say, "Baseball is 90% mental; the other half is physical." Although his math was wrong, the psychology of doing your own maintenance is mainly a mental challenge. The physical act of twisting screws and bolts is easy, but the engine shrouds aren't designed for easy removal, and all of a sudden all those “easy” parts become intimidatingly hidden from the novice eye.