We've all done stupid things and injured ourselves working on cars. It's the nature of the beast. If you're working in your garage, you should always have a few things on-hand or nearby in case of an emergency.

- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher (preferably dry chemical to extinguish flammable fluids/grease fires)
- Safety glasses or goggles. There is some nasty stuff that comes out of cars that you don't want in your eyes!
- A phone (in or near garage/shop) to call 911 in case you do something really stupid and hurt yourself.
- Clean towel to wipe stuff out of your eyes if you get sprayed.

add your own suggestions....

 

I make it a point to never get under on any vehicle unless someone is home..period.

(yes,i had a scare some years ago)

 

Always use jack stands!!!!!

 

^^^^^^^^^
one of my jack stands folded up on me..(3800lb mkIII supra) they were old stands also.(i have new craftsman stands now)

luckily i had enough sense to put my wheels/tires under the car behind the stands..they saved me..

 

earplugs, gloves, and cat-litter or sawdust to soak up spills.

 

cool, I guess this section is public now

noob gets first non-mod post!

 

BIG to the fire extinguisher & safety glasses.

Another thing that they required us to do in school was to always try our hardest to rock a car from 2 opposite corners on any lift or jackstands. The goal is to try your hardest to knock it off. Vehicle damage is far better than death. I practice this every day several times a day and have NEVER had a problem, but if I was to ever have one BIG DEAL, I'd still be alive.

on the kitty litter & cleaning up spills. Also. ALWAYS KEEP A CLEAN WORKSPACE. TOOLS ON THE FLOOR = NO

 

Don't forget to turn on the lights if you are working at night or else you might hurt yourself.

Keep the tools that you are using for the project in a toolbox if you are not using them at the moment.

Have someone come out there and check on you regularly.

 

Almost forgot this.........

PUT YOUR FEET IN THE CAR!! Don't ever pull a car forward or backwards while hanging halfway out of the car.

 

Take your time jacking up the car, your life depends on it. After you've jacked it up and got the jackstand in place rock the car back and forth to make sure it's stable. If you're doing hard work, check the car is still stable during the project.

 

Place something behind the wheels to prevent the car from rolling.

 

Wooden blocks work very well for this.

 

Never trust hydraulics
Always do the shake test before getting under a car
If you wear jewelry remove it
Be organized
Practice common sense
Don't assume anything

 

Disconnect your battery before working on anything electrical in the car.

 

If the car has been in an accident, disconnect the battery to prevent an electrical fire.

 

good advices

 

make sure your hand brake is pulled up when lifting your car.

 

When removing balljoints with the knuckle assembly completely removed from the car, using a screw type separator, (http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qua...tor-99849.html)

never EVER put your body towards the balljoint where it will pop out. I was lucky this morning that I'm not on its way. It will shoot like a bullet O.o

 

I like car, also know how to fix them.