There’s nothing wrong with cutting corners to save a few bucks—sometimes, it’s even admirable. But when it comes to car repairs, there’s a fine line between resourceful and reckless. Some of these so-called “fixes” push the boundaries of common sense, safety, and basic physics. After all, these DIY disasters aren’t just rolling experiments—they’re sharing the road with the rest of us.
Buckle up, because these questionable car repairs will have you wondering how they’re still in motion.
1. Yes, that’s a broken dipstick wedged in there.
2. “The one out the window collects the air and rolls it over the ice water. The faster you go, the cooler it gets”
3. “Lower bolt broke on the alternator; replacement took a couple of days to arrive. Had to get to work”
4. “I needed a longer throttle cable bracket.”
5. “Jury-rigged gas tank.”
6. “What seems to be the problem officer?”
“Just a good old-fashioned convoy. Nothing wrong with that.” – u/bananabatman34
“The cracked windshield just makes it better.” – u/user1235
7. “Lawnmower bike rack.”
Now that’s one way to fully commit to bringing your bikes with you. Just imagine the amount of anxiety racing across the mind of whoever was driving behind them.
8. “When you’re rebuilding a wiring harness, but you only have red wires.”
“Not gonna lie, this is me. I’ve got a huge reel of good red wire that I use for everything. I know what the wires are for but god forbid I ever sell the vehicle.” – u/the_wolf2014
“Nobody is that stupid. Wire is cheap. Do it right, for god’s sake.” – u/Drew2248
9. “Exhaust is fixed for now. 360K Land Cruiser, 80 mile series.”
“In my experience, soup cans are much more durable for this use than beverage cans. Also, I realize that it is sad that I can start that sentence with in my experience.” – u/phineas1134
“Did that on my 02 Explorer a few years back. Burned off. Don’t know if it was because it was closer to the front of the car or just being a bigger engine.” – u/biovllun
10. “I broke my gas pedal doing donuts. A hose clamp and a garden shovel later and I’m back in business.”
“Is that a Mercedes Benz? Dear lord. If it is, it’s because I recognize the brake pedals.” – u/Spooms2010
“Mercedes 300SD Turbo Diesel 1984.” – u/Elfkrunch
11. “1981 Toyota Pickup, worked until I eventually got it replaced.”
“Good thing you’ve got that cotter pin in there for safety.” – u/trimalchio-worktime
“Needs a vice grip.” – u/ikidd
12. “I was told you all would appreciate this.”
“Now bondo the whole thing.” – u/c3h8pro
“The amount of zip ties that went into that tells me that this person actually thinks that they are providing value to the ‘strength’ of this repair.” – u/hazard2k
13. “New GMC Acadia has a built-in shoe dryer.”
“I’m trying to understand the reason for this design in the first place.” – u/donnysaysvacuum
At the very least, this person is maintaining a sense of humor in the face of what could otherwise be a frustrating situation.
14. “I give you the front wheel drive pickup truck.”
“I’ve seen a broken u-joint “fixed” by removing the rear driveshaft and driving to town in 4wd, but never a missing diff center.” – u/deleted
“So many questions.” – u/jtwy
15. “If it fits, it ships.”
“Not pictured. The Ford Ranger Sport that they tried to tow it with.” – u/youyou
“If only there was some kind of truck with a flatbed.” – u/deleted
16. “No plow. No problem.”
The lack of caring about what anyone else thinks that is happening in this picture is literally heroic levels. Seriously. Big ups.
17. “Out of spares.”
“I wonder what the mile per log is.” – u/mctagert
“That’s worse than “out of spares”. It appears that his whole axle shaft on that side is missing.” – u/Greaseg
18. “Exhaust tail pipe broke off while on holiday. 1,700km it’s still holding on.”
“I did the same thing when one of my mufflers started falling off. Then the other end fell off. Then, the other muffler fell off. Saved $600 having a dude weld a tube on in place of the mufflers.” – u/M1RROR
“Nice hack, man.” – u/Hot-Result-193
19. “Zip snip, zip snip.”
“That’s got to be the cleanest drift stitching that I’ve ever seen.” – u/skech1080
“My old project junker’s bodywork was about 80% zip ties and prayers. Turns out I was better at fixing old girl for cheap rather than driving her.” – u/pup_
20. “This counts, right?”
“That’s been on my mind for a long time. While wildly inefficient good cheap fix for needing to go on a longer trip.” – u/bobbysenterprises
“I don’t think it will actually let you move while charging. Otherwise, people would drive off with their chargers still plugged in and damage them.” – u/ttk2
21. “Craftsman sockets used to full potential.”
“I’d use an impact socket for that.” – u/Watermellon
“They told me I could never be more than a 9/16 socket. I alone decide my destiny!” – u/AnalogFeelGood
22. “Whatever gets the job done right?”
“Man, if I was gonna put a board as a bumper, I’d make it look really nice. Painted or stained, like 20 coats of poly on it, and maybe burn some cool saying into it (or the license plate number or something).” – u/ContiX
“It’s a Ford. He’s just upgrading.” – u/deleted
23. “True craftsman.”
“This looks like a temporary solution, but built well enough to be permanent.” – u/Todo744
“Sad thing is instead of going to a junk yard for a panel, someone spent hours on that quick fix.” – u/MOF1fan
24. “I drove with a wooden bumper when doing bodywork this summer.”
“You spent the bumper money on the fancy Sox license plate, didn’t you?” – u/ski9600
In all fairness, based on the state of everything else with this ride relative to that Sox plate, it seems pretty clear where the money went.
25. “Florida heat is unbearable.”
“Wouldn’t a 110v inverter be a lot better than a generator?” – u/NuklearFerret
“Wouldn’t keep up.” – u/deleted
26. “Here’s another wood bumper. The front plate is zip-tied on.”
“Tri-Cities, Washington?” – u/AngryMikey
“Tacoma.” – u/pastasauce
27. “Check out this artisan hand-crafted wooden door handle.”
28. “Brother’s wiper stalk broke, and replacements are $100. My dad did this.”
29. “Custom Hitch, or ‘How to ruin a $300 bumper to save $160 on a proper one.'”
