Is DIY Dead? (And Why It Matters)
Updated: Oct 18
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I bought a 1989 Toyota pickup. On the drive home, there was snow on the road. I pulled up to a stop light and the tires just started spinning. I reached over and tried to shift into 4WD.
Nothing happened.
Not exactly what I was hoping for. I'd just handed over my money for this truck, and now I'm sitting at a light with no traction and no four-wheel drive, trying to figure out if I'm going to make it home at all.
I did make it home. And then I spent the next two months trying to fix it.
That truck ended up teaching me more about being capable than almost anything else in my life. And I think a lot of us have lost touch with that kind of lesson, because we've lost touch with fixing things in general.
There was a time when knowing how to fix things wasn't unusual. If your car broke down, someone on your street probably knew how to get it running again. People built fences. They repaired appliances. They rebuilt engines after work. Kids grew up watching their parents fix things, and before they knew it, they were doing it themselves.
Today, those skills are becoming rare. When something breaks, we replace it. When a warning light comes on, we panic. When we see someone rebuilding an old truck or restoring a classic car, it almost feels like watching someone perform magic. Somewhere along the way, we stopped believing those were skills ordinary people could learn.
I think that's a bigger loss than most of us realize.
I'm not saying everyone needs to become a mechanic, a carpenter, or an electrician. But I do think every person benefits from knowing how to solve problems with their own hands. Learning how to work on your own car isn't just about fixing cars. It's about building confidence, becoming more capable, and realizing that most things are not as intimidating as they first seem. And the things that are? Those are a challenge worth your attention.
That's why I started ProjectDaily. Not because I have all the answers, but because I got tired of believing I wasn't qualified to even begin.
What Changed?
So what happened? Why does it feel like fewer people know how to build or repair things today? I don't think there's just one reason. I think it's a combination of a lot of small changes over time.
Everything Became Convenient
If something breaks, we can have a replacement delivered tomorrow. Sometimes it's actually cheaper to replace something than to repair it. We've slowly been taught that almost everything is disposable.
Things Got More Complicated
Modern vehicles have computers controlling almost everything. Things are glued together instead of screwed together. Products are designed to be smaller, lighter, and harder to repair. Some manufacturers actively discourage you from fixing your own equipment, and others make it nearly impossible. That makes taking on a project feel intimidating before you even pick up a tool.
Fewer People Have Someone to Teach Them
Maybe this is the biggest reason. If your parents didn't work on cars, if your grandparents didn't build furniture, if no one you know repairs things, where were you supposed to learn?
That knowledge didn't disappear overnight. It just stopped getting passed from one generation to the next. And every generation that doesn't learn those skills has fewer people to pass them on. It's not that people got lazier. The information stopped getting passed down.
Why It Matters
Now you might be thinking, "So what? Who cares if people work on their own cars?"
Honestly, the car isn't the point. The garage isn't the point. The point is what happens to you when you decide to learn something difficult.
The first time you change your own brakes, replace a starter, change your oil, or fix something you thought was beyond your ability, something changes. You realize you were never someone who is "bad with tools." You were just inexperienced. And you start thinking, "If I figured that out, what else can I learn?"
That's confidence. It comes from doing. From making mistakes. From getting frustrated. From trying again.
Every project teaches patience, problem solving, persistence, and tenacity. Those skills don't stay in the garage. They show up everywhere else in life: at work, at home, in your relationships, and when unexpected problems come your way.
Learning to fix things teaches you not to panic. It teaches you to slow down, understand the problem, decide the best way to move forward, and then take action. That's a skill worth having.
What My '89 Pickup Taught Me
With the truck, I had no idea what was actually wrong. I just knew the four-wheel drive wasn't engaging, and I needed it working.
So I did what a lot of people do. I went online, found a few forum posts from other Toyota owners with the same symptom, and started buying whatever parts they said fixed it for them. First the vacuum switching valve. Then the four-wheel drive indicator switch. Each time I was sure I'd finally cracked it, and each time I'd put it back together and the problem was still there.
Two months of that. Two months of buying parts based on somebody else's guess instead of actually diagnosing my own truck.
The thing that finally fixed it was almost embarrassingly simple: I replaced the gear oil in the front and rear differentials. I changed it, took the truck out, and felt the four-wheel drive engage for the first time since I'd driven it home.
I still remember that feeling. Two months of being wrong, and then one moment where it just worked.
That truck taught me that I could sit with a problem I didn't understand, get it wrong a bunch of times, and still eventually get it right. That's the skill fixing something yourself builds. Not the specific repair. The willingness to stay in the problem.
My Story
The funny thing is, I almost never started this channel. Not because I didn't want to, but because I convinced myself I wasn't ready.
I needed a cleaner garage. More tools. More money. More experience. I watched countless YouTube videos. I researched equipment. I planned videos I never recorded.
Eventually I realized none of those things were the real problem. I was just avoiding the unknown. Starting something new is uncomfortable, and it's much easier to convince yourself you need one more tool, one more course, one more paycheck, one more month. But "later" has a way of turning into years.
The mindset that finally got me to start wasn't something I learned from making videos. I learned it from working on cars.
Every repair starts the same way. You look at something you've never done before and think, "There's no way I can do this." Then you try anyway. You take things apart. You make mistakes. Sometimes you have to do the same job twice, or more. But eventually, you figure it out.
Once you've experienced that enough times, you stop asking yourself, "Can I do this?" and you start asking, "How do I do this?" That moment changes everything.
So while I'm sharing what I've learned with you, you're also watching me learn. I'm still figuring things out. I'm still making mistakes. I'm still taking on projects that are outside my comfort zone. That's what ProjectDaily is really about: not pretending to have it all figured out, but becoming a little more capable every single day.
DIY Isn't Dead
I don't think DIY is dead. I think we've simply forgotten that these skills are learnable.
The incredible thing about today is that information has never been easier to access. You don't need a master mechanic living next door. You don't need to grow up in a family that worked on cars. You don't need a perfect garage filled with expensive tools.
You need curiosity. Patience. And the willingness to be bad at something long enough to become good at it.
That's what this is about. Not pretending to be an expert, but learning, building, making mistakes, and improving. One project at a time.
Pick a Project
If you've been waiting until you feel ready, I've got news for you: you'll never feel completely ready. If you're sitting on something you've been putting off, that's your sign. Pick it up this week.
Pick a project.
Borrow a tool.
Watch a video.
Ask a question.
Turn the first bolt.
An oil change on a budget daily driver is a great first project. You don't need much: a basic 3/8" drive socket set (on Amazon), and if you have to lift the car, a pair of jack stands (on Amazon) and wheel chocks (on Amazon). An oil filter wrench (on Amazon) makes getting the old filter off a lot easier. Add safety glasses (on Amazon), and never get under a car that's only held up by a jack.
Every expert was once a beginner. Every dream build starts with someone deciding to begin.
Ready to turn your first bolt? Subscribe to ProjectDaily on YouTube to follow along with real hands-on builds. And if you want to rep the garage life while you wrench, check out the ProjectDaily apparel shop.
Build your dream daily. One project at a time.
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