Probably better than that, with most so-called techs and mechanics these days.
Did a lot of that learning from books, and more than a bit hanging out with mechanics. Gotta be careful of the mechanics you hang out with, though. One guy delighted in watching me flinch every time he threw the butt he'd been smoking into the pan of gasoline we were using for brake cleaner. We were in my garage, but Clovis, NM is nearly as windy as Oklahoma, and the wind was coming in the main garage door and funneling through the door at about 40mph. If the wind had dropped for just a moment at the wrong time, we'd have probably blown up and burned... There is a reason I have a parts washer in my shop.
Probably better than that, with most so-called techs and mechanics these days.
Did a lot of that learning from books, and more than a bit hanging out with mechanics. Gotta be careful of the mechanics you hang out with, though. One guy delighted in watching me flinch every time he threw the butt he'd been smoking into the pan of gasoline we were using for brake cleaner. We were in my garage, but Clovis, NM is nearly as windy as Oklahoma, and the wind was coming in the main garage door and funneling through the door at about 40mph. If the wind had dropped for just a moment at the wrong time, we'd have probably blown up and burned... There is a reason I have a parts washer in my shop.
Youtube. I’m a fair mechanic but for stuff I don’t know how to do I turn to you YouTube videos. Just about everything you want to know about car repairs is covered. I use the videos from 1A Auto often.Where would she start?? Nothing too fancy -- routine maintenance, how to change the oil, how to use a code reader, etc. I already know how to check the tire pressure and change one. (Too bad I cannot break a nut off -- @Glock 'em down I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW-- to save my soul. Hopefully PT can help me with that.)
Anyhoooo ...
And while I'm at it's what about small engine repair like lawn mowers, weed eaters, **** like that?? Is it a lot different??
That's where you really need a second (and sometimes third) opinion. Also, be aware that there are differences between even close year models, and makes. Back in the day, Dodge Darts and Plymouth Valiants were the same body, but often different engines, transmissions, and such. If you were lucky, they had a slant Six engine. Those were easy to fix, and very reliable. I drove one ( a Dart) from Florida to Nevada in 1978, with a broken cam shaft. Determined that when I popped off the valve cover to replace the gasket found the thing broken between cylinders 2 & 3. Broken ends were rusty as heck. Probably like that when I bought it. I did fix it, but probably could have gotten away with leaving it as it was....
I was too far away to reach him, and he really did know nearly everything a mechanic ought to know. Wasn't a bad teacher, either. Except for his sense of so-called humor! We were rebuilding the brakes on a 1963 Impala SS hardtop I'd gotten for $400. OH, do I wish I still had that car!I'm not gonna lie. He'd have bought a wrench in the side. (Don't wanna break any bones.) And I'd have been screaming at the top of my lungs "I'M SORRY!! I FLINCHED!"
(Product of being in a VERY dysfunctional family and always looking for novel, inventive ways to exact revenge ... Errrr ... Defend yourself. That tree REALLY screwed with my upper body strength. I'm sure hoping PT helps with that. I'm tired of feeling like an old woman. 
