I got into auto repair when I was swindled by an incompetent/unscrupulous mechanic in Austin in the 90s. Haynes/Chilton were quite reasonable starting points to

I got into auto repair when I was swindled by an incompetent/unscrupulous mechanic in Austin in the 90s. Haynes/Chilton were quite reasonable starting points to learn the basics. I also spent a lot of time on automotive newsgroups and forums, which is how I absorbed the tribal knowledge such as the anti-seize tip above. E.g. if you own a Honda, you can get excellent help troubleshooting its quirks on honda-tech.com. It is where I learnt how to troubleshoot a failing input-shaft bearing on a transmission and how to find a very cheap interchangeable replacement that got me going again. It has been a fun journey and it is very nice to see through the utter nonsense most auto repair places spew. I would repeat that a community college course and/or Haynes is a good starting point and then it is off to the forum that caters to your car :).