x100 on DIY car stuff...
Since I decided to not allow myself to be at the mercy of dishonest garage folk, I have managed to amass a great working knowledge of the automobile (I am not a mechanic or an expert by any means) --- but, we usually do our own work in house and as a side hustle- sometimes for friends and friends of friends just to help out... Most of my "savings" (ie: not paying the mechanic) have gone into buying tools so that now we have a ton of tools and can handle most any job.
Oddly, this willingness to learn, get dirty and tackle any diy translated into our doing an entire house renovation ourselves- plumbing, wiring, kitchen, bath, floors, etc... It was very empowering and very cost effective.
It's truly surprising how many people just won't even try... We met some friends the other night and they were driving with one headlight. They had the new one in the bag but had 20 excuses as to why they hadn't installed it yet. I changed it for them in a couple of minutes and they thought I was a genius! It was kinda funny... (not the me being a genius part, mind you) LOL