Weathering a rainy or lazy day, learning something new, recalling something old; there are a bunch of reasons to sit back and binge watch YouTube. And if you’re like me where you’re inundated with DIY wrenching channels day-in, day-out, there’s never a shortage of watching someone turn a wrench anywhere on Earth, and on any wheeled vehicle you can think of.
There are so many YouTube channels that cover this kind of stuff, that the Almighty Algorithm might not think to present some of the underrated gold. You may be missing out on something really cool.
Lately, I’ve happened upon a lot of great DIY wrenching YouTube channels in my regular browsing, so without further adieu, here are five of the best. Most of them currently have sub-50,000 subscribers at the moment, too; they deserve a lot more.
Flexiny
If you’re like me where it’s therapeutic to have lengthy, narration-less videos playing in the background while doing anything else, like whipping up blogs, this channel’s for you. The folks behind the Flexiny are based in Estonia and mostly get their hands on European vehicles, but a good amount of American and Japanese stuff, too. There’s also some cool Eastern Bloc, previously-behind-the-Iron-Curtain stuff, too, which is all totally in my blinders.
I like that there isn’t any narration and the production is quite basic—the opposite makes for good content, too, but it depends on the mood I’m in or what I’m doing at the moment. Like I said, great background music, and even a chance to use it as a jump-off point for deeper automotive research. Or, some lengthy Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace users, like what happened while watching this B3 Passat diesel videos.
If you want your interest piqued by stuff you never thought would pick it, check out Flexiny.
Hunter Direction
Again, narration and more detailed production are great, too, with a shining example being HunterDirection. This dude’s wheelhouse is German cars—particularly a B5 Audi S4, Audi TT, and E30 BMW 3 Series—and he goes in-depth about the fixes and modifications he performs on all three.
I especially like the cut of his jib as he too busies himself with a moody old Audi. It’s not only nice to commiserate, but to also bolster my pride in sticking with my own 2002 S4; endless boost leaks, misfires, and all. It looks like he’s based somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, and his production is quite good for being a one-man operation, both in shooting videos and post-production. Great voiceover, too—you can tell he put a lot of time and effort into his channel.
Support folks who ought to have a lot more subscribers than they currently have, tune in to HunterDirection.
WheelemVerb
This next one’s great because who doesn’t love early ’00s Volvos? WheelemVerb has only been around a year or so, but this guy’s done a lot of cool stuff with a handful of sleek Scandinavian hits, like the S60R and his current main project, the V70R. By the way, his most recent video cover manual-swapping the latter: Yes please.
Production quality is good, and he’s pretty darn thorough about the steps he takes. I haven’t watched this channel very long, but like Flexiny above, it always makes me head over to Craigslist and FBM to see what the skinny is on used Volvo prices. Sidenote: My buddy/dear former coworker and Autopian contributor Kevin Williams recently picked up a clean S80 for a song, and I’m quite jealous. Between a V70—R or otherwise—and big, cozy, V8-powered S80, I could quite easily commit to the oldish Volvo life. I need more parking space.
Rambling aside: Get bit by the Volvo bug, too, and check out WheelemVerb.
The G Automotive And More
YouTube channels that work on a wide variety of cars are great, too. Like Flexiny above, The G Automotive And More covers a bunch of different hardware, though recently, has dedicated a lot of coverage to their 1965 Ford Mustang project.
I only very recently started watching this one, but I like what I see: Short and long videos, with many consisting individual issues and fixes that might make someone’s day who’s in a research frenzy mid-wrench sesh. This professional mechanic goes into good detail, too, and has a massive catalog—like the two above, more people ought to subscribe.
Learn something new about a big variety of platforms, and check out his playlists.
DIY Day Off
Rounding out this list is DIY Day Off. Like HunterDirection, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for this one as I too enjoy dealing with BMW oil leaks with my own 2011 128i. Enjoy, or experience Stockholm Syndrome from, one or the other.
In fact, most of his coverage is based around the Bavarian brand, from the four-cylinder E30 to a recent E90 3 Series sedan that he gave away to a subscriber. This former BMW technician goes into great detail, and shares a lot of tips and tricks that would be useful to anyone trying fixes on their own rides, Bimmer or not. He’s also got a knack for explaining things, and does a great job covering all the steps associated with getting any job done.
Gain some knowledge and motivation for your own wrenching, and watch Day Off DIY’s channels today.