You'll probably think that only an idiot would do the sort of things described in here. The truth is that at one time or another most anyone who has worked on a car has done one or more of these. see which one(s) of these you are most intimate with.

Jack Stands: If you can think of it it's probably been used as a jack stand. Concrete blocks, pieces of wood, old wheels, you name it I've used it or seen it used. The fact is that there is no substitute for a GOOD pair of jack stands. And no a floor jack is not a good jack stand.

The Right Tool: While the "right" tool is not always available, one must use some common sense. Yes, a 14mm wrench or socket is very close to 9/16" but it is not 14mm. In most cases a substitute like this will work, but you risk destroying the very bolt you are trying to remove. Screwdrivers are not prybars, prybars are prybars. If you are going to use the wrong tool for the job use the good ones, you know the ones with the "lifetime" warranty. When the tool is broken from misuse you can get a new one and do it again.

Jump Starts: When a lead acid battery is charging it produces hydrogen gas, you know that stuff that the Hindenburg was full of. When using jumper cables it is best to use a chassis ground and not the - battery post. The danger of the whole thing is really not in making the connection so much as when it's removed. The freshly jump charged battery will have produced a good amount of hydrogen. When you disconnect the jumper cables always do the negative first. This connection will have been made away from the battery, so any spark produced should have little chace of causing an explosion.

Wiring: Most automotive fires are caused by faulty wiring added after the car was made. Always make sure that any power conection you make is fused as close to the power source as possible. It is equally as important to use a properly sized fused. The fuse size (amperage rating) should be just slightly greater that the maximum current draw for the circuit (if the circuit will draw 8A max use a 10A fuse).