We're Mechanics. Here Are 10 Things We'd Never Do With Our Own Cars.

Maskot via Getty Images Mechanics want you to stop making these avoidable mistakes with your car. “My job is to give you an overall state of health of your car, so you can make educated decisions on what to do with it, and to alert you to things that you may not know about, and that you won’t necessarily recognize or see,” said Bogi Lateiner, a Phoenix-based master automotive technician and the owner of Girl Gang Garage, a network that provides hands-on training for women in the trades. “In reality, preventative maintenance is going to be always less expensive than the repair.” Lateiner said she would never ignore regular oil changes, for example. “Over time, engine wear can affect oil performance differently, necessitating changes sooner than anticipated.” Instead, Reneau said she checks her car’s oil level and condition to track her oil consumption and determine when she should change it. “That’s the only way the car has of telling us that something is wrong, before it gets so wrong that you’re on the side of the road,” Lateiner said.