What is the common name for amateurs who maintain and repair automobiles, particularly their own automobile?

Question

What is the common name for amateurs who maintain and repair automobiles, particularly their own automobile?

My understanding is that in the U.S., it is common for people who are not professional auto mechanics to change the oil and do other minor maintenance and repair for their own automobiles and occasionally give tips and advice to their neighbors.

My understanding is that such people are far more common than people who make "improvements" to their own cars (hot-rodding, art cars, etc).

Perhaps a word or phrase that would fit in one or more of the following:

• "He does __, but nothing obvious like those hot-rodders."
• "Her day job is software development, but on the weekends she's a ___."
• "I'm not a __; I'll just take my car to a professional if it needs work."
• "Complicated, 'sophisticated' mechanisms that require specialized tools are more difficult even for a professional and nearly impossible for a __ to repair."
• "Instruction manuals and videos available on the internet make it easy for even a __ to repair things."

(Please indicate if your suggested term would or would not also apply to maintaining one's own motorcycle, as described in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance").

Answer 1

The colloquial term for someone who performs maintenance and minor repairs on their own car is "shade tree mechanic".

From the Urban Dictionary:

A person willing to learn and perform scheduled maintenance or simple repairs on their own vehicle rather than being completely reliant on technicians who may be dishonest, careless, or ignorant.

"Many automakers have realized that dealer service is profitable and have designed vehicles to be irreparable by independent or shade tree mechanics."

Yes, the term could apply to motorcycles as in the book by Robert Pirsig.