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A dollar simply doesn’t go as far as it used to go. There are plenty of ways to respond to that as a car owner. You can drive less to save fuel, you can trade your new car in for something pre-owned, or you can haggle with your auto insurance provider. A recent study published by American Trucks shows that drivers are increasingly leaning towards at-home maintenance in order to shave a few dollars off their cost of ownership.

This may come as a bit of a surprise if you’ve been watching cars become more complicated and less “user-serviceable” over the last few decades. It used to be that there was nothing under the hood of a Ford or a Chevy that you couldn’t fix with a wrench set. As ECUs and onboard electrical systems have become more complicated, it’s only become more alluring to let your mechanic worry about it. On the flipside, our grandparents didn’t have YouTube to walk them through every repair step-by-step. Here’s how the video sharing platform has created a generation of handy men and women.

Millennials Actually Come Out On Top In This Study

How many studies have you read that identified millennials as the least capable generation when it comes to practical life skills (or curbing their road rage)? You’d think anyone in their 30s could barely tie their shoes without help. So we were happy to see that, according to the American Truck study, Millennials were the most likely age group to try DIY repairs, at 75%.

To an extent, this stems from necessity, of course, as age tends to track with income. For instance, luxury car owners tend to skew older because older people tend to have more money. Younger people are more likely to load up YouTube to run some repairs, because they don’t have 2,000 bucks on hand to have someone tell them what that clicking sound is.

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It doesn’t hurt that Millennials are the first real tech-savvy generation, either. Where a Millennial may reach for their phone at the first sign of trouble, a Baby Boomer or Gen X driver’s first instinct might be to study the owner’s manual, which doesn’t always have the answers.

Here Are Some Key Findings From The Study

• Dodge owners love fixing their own vehicles. According to the study, 93% of Dodge owners have attempted a DIY repair. We’ve noted that Stellantis brands tend to be more DIY-friendly, with Jeep drivers citing this as a major part of the brand’s appeal. It’s nice to have the numbers to back that up.
• Tesla owners are the most likely to attempt DIY repairs in the face of manufacturer warnings not to, at 58%. Tesla really does not want you monkeying around under the hood. So pretty much any at-home repair on a Tesla comes with a warning not to do it.
• Drivers report a 50% first-time success rate for DIY fixes. Another 39% of those polled managed to fix the problem, but not on the first go, 8% threw in the towel and took it to the shop, 3% admitted to making the problem worse.
• 86% of at-home mechanics name YouTube as their most trusted source for fix-it guides. AI is the least-trusted source, at just 1%. Google rates surprisingly low, at just 6%. Although, Google remains a popular tool for double-checking mechanic quotes to make sure drivers are getting a fair deal.
• Ford, Honda, Toyota, Chevy, and Dodge rate as the most DIY-friendly brands, according to drivers, in that order. Luxury brands fare relatively poorly for DIY, with Land Rover, Volvo, Lexus, Audi, and Jaguar bringing up the bottom five on a list of 20 brands.
• Volkswagen owners are the most likely to delay necessary repairs due to the cost, at 91%, compared to 72% overall.

Even If You Mess Up, You’re Probably Saving Money With DIY Repairs

Interestingly, 3% of drivers have admitted to making the problem worse when they try to fix it at home. And the drivers who won’t admit to it? Well, we don’t have any survey data for that, but the good news is that the risk/reward ratio favors DIY repairs even if you make the occasional mistake.

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The American Truck study shows that DIY repairs can save you around $831 on average, with 18% of those polled having saved over $1,000. For those who made a mistake somewhere along the way, whether that meant calling in a professional or simply taking another run at it themselves, the average cost of fixing that mistake came out to $355.

Few Drivers Regret Attempting A DIY Fix (Even When They Mess Up)

So, worst-case scenario, you’re only risking half what you could be saving. And if you’re thinking “That’s all well and good for the mechanically inclined, but I don’t know if I’m part of that group,” 74% of drivers report having no regrets about trying DIY car repair. And remember, only 50% of drivers got it right the first time, so most of the mistakes you could possibly make under the hood, you can bounce back from, learn a little something to keep in mind for next time, and get your car purring like new again.

When Should You Not Try To Fix It At Home?

You’d be surprised just what you can fix at home with a few hand tools and a YouTube guide. We’re not just talking about oil changes and filter swaps. There are guides on YouTube for fixing everything from fidgety door latches to misfiring cylinders. Depending on your skill level and the equipment you have on hand, there’s very little you can’t accomplish on your own.

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Where we would advise against DIY fixes would primarily be on matters where safety is a concern. Replacing an airbag on your own, for instance, might not be a great idea. If you don’t wire the thing just right, you won’t even know you made a mistake until it’s too late.

Some tasks may simply be too extensive to cover in a single YouTube guide. If you’ve never rebuilt an engine or taken a transmission apart, you probably don’t want to start on your own car. Suspension issues may be more trouble than they’re worth, as well, and handling coil springs without the proper tools can be incredibly dangerous.

Don’t Leave Free Repairs On The Table

Finally, before making any fixes at all, it’s always a good idea to run your VIN with the NHTSA and make sure you don’t have an open recall. You might be able to get that wobbly suspension or loose back seat fixed at no expense to yourself.

Sources: American Trucks, NHTSA.