Having car trouble? Nothing a night course won't fix

YOU KNOW that sinking feeling you get when your car engine starts making a sound that suggests it’s close to death and only a mechanic charging hundreds of euro can replace whatever obscure part it is that’s clapped out? Or what about when your shower breaks, sputtering between Arctic or scalding water and leaving you no choice but to ring a plumber, who will charge an €80 “call-out fee”, plus the same again for cleaning a filter that would, if you knew how, have taken you less than 90 seconds to do?

You don’t have to be so clueless, and there are dozens of low-cost courses on offer in community colleges around the country that can save you money. Courses start from as little as €100, or not too much more than what you’d have to pay a tradesman to walk through your hall door.

Andrew D’Arcy of nightcourses.com, which lists thousands of courses in Ireland, says there has been an increase of more than 10 per cent in visitors to the website in the last year, with people upskilling to get new jobs or attempting the DIY tasks they would once have paid someone else to do.

The site has recorded a huge increase in the number of people searching for courses that would allow them to teach English as a foreign language. These are mostly people in their 20s and 30s who are looking at the economic grimness and deciding to head for sunnier climes, he says. There has also been steady interest in accountancy courses. But it is the hobby-based night courses that have seen the biggest growth.

“Car maintenance has been huge,” D’Arcy says. Price Watch wonders if there is any point in anyone doing such a course given how high-tech engines have become. While it might be possible to tinker about in an engine that was manually put together with easy-to-assemble parts, all modern cars have their technical wizardry hidden from view. Not so, says D’Arcy.

“There is nothing more frustrating than having to pay a mechanic €200 for an oil change. A course which will show you how, it will cost the same, and you will have the knowledge for life. It is these type of courses that save people money,” he says.

“DIY is another big one. People are thinking to themselves that they should know how to change their taps or whatever. Apart from the financial savings, there is also a sense of satisfaction at being able to do these things for yourself.”

He says cookery and gardening courses are also doing well as people are trying to equip themselves with the skills that maybe skipped a generation.

“All the courses are done in the community in local colleges so are very accessible. In Dublin, for instance, there can’t be many people who live more than two or three miles from a centre offering night courses.”

It is not always the most obvious courses that have seen dramatic growth in recent years. Dog grooming has become popular, with hundreds of people learning each year how to keep their pooches gleaming. “Some people see it as a business opportunity, while others just want to know how they can best take care of their dogs,” D’Arcy says.

Keep the car running: Modern cars are so evolved that it's impossible for most of us to work out the cause of that not-quite-right sound an engine starts to make all of a sudden, unless, when we lift the bonnet, we find a golf ball rattling around inside. If there's no golf ball, we can't tell if the problem is going to cost €150 or €1,500.

A car maintenance course may not solve the problem, but it will allow you to change the oil and perform some of the more basic functions. It will also give you the confidence to stare down mechanics who try to bamboozle you into handing over thousands of euro for jobs that may not be necessary, and will allow you to kick the wheels of cars you may be thinking of buying without feeling like a total imposter.

I want to ride my bicycle:With the success of the bike-to-work tax scheme, more and more of us are cycling each year. Keeping those bikes on the road can be challenging. A puncture repair costs around a tenner, a full service can cost five times that. Do a course for 70 quid and you'll have your money back in less than two years.

The Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education is offering beginner bike-maintenance classes for €69. Delivered by qualified mechanics from the Bike Rack in Cabinteely, students learn how to repair punctures, maintain brakes and gears, and, um, cycling-efficiency skills.

Woodn't it be nice:Carpentry and woodwork courses continue to be extremely popular. It is hard to quantify any real savings, however, because unless you become really good, really quickly, you are unlikely to be able to replace the services of a carpenter in the short or medium term. St Tiernan's Community School in south Co Dublin is running 10-week beginners courses for €130, which promise to teach the skills needed to make your own piece of furniture.

Who let the dogs out?The Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education is just one centre offering 10-week dog grooming courses for €119. Take the course and by Christmas you will be able to keep your dog healthy, happy and in tip-top condition, the course organisers promise. Whatever about that, you can reduce grooming fees by learning the essential skills of regular maintenance, handling techniques and equipment use. At the risk of stating the obvious, you need to bring your own dog to the classes from the second one onwards.

Can we fix it?By far the most reliable way to save money through a night course is DIY, which is why almost every night-course centre in the country offers them. They are mostly good value for money. A 10-week course in DIY at Hartstown Community College, for instance, costs €90 and offers a general insight into how to work on DIY projects in your home. If you have a flair for it you may never need to call on a tradesman again. If you don't have a flair for it, however, can we caution against launching into an extensive replastering project three weeks into your first course?

Food glorious food:There is no better and more enjoyable way to save money than by cooking. Not only do you eat better and more healthily than if you're buying processed foods, it is also deeply satisfying.

There are scores of courses available all over the country covering food by region – Asian, Italian etc – or just the basics. Prices range from €80 to €200. We liked the look of the classical French cookery classes in Bishopstown Community School in Cork. For €110 we would learn how to cook amazing French dishes “with an emphasis on presentation and accompaniments”. The classes are made up of demos and practical work.

Domestic-appliance repairs: Who among us is not familiar with the frustration when a fridge, dishwasher or oven just stops working. First you have to find a repair man to come fix it, then you have to wait around for them to show up, then you have to listen sadly as they explain in terms that mean absolutely nothing to you that your machine is now dead and will need to be replaced. It doesn't have to be like this. For €119, a 10-week repair course in Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education promises you will reduce your home bills "by learning to maintain, service and repair your electrical appliances". Classes focus on washing machines, cookers, tumble dryers vacuum cleaners and dishwashers.