[microtherion]

I took several car mechanic classes from De Anza college. Great instructor, and I did do some hands on stuff.

But my primary takeaway was that this is hard & dirty work, and there are numerous ways in which you can make mistakes that ruin the car and/or endanger your safety, so generally paying a professional to do it is a more sensible way.

Of course, if you enjoy doing this, or have a very old car, or more time than money, the trade-offs are different.