Cheap Car Repair Wiki

First Hour Checklist

• Complete the tutorial jobs in order — oil changes teach fluid handling, bodywork jobs introduce filler and paint.
• Inspect every vehicle thoroughly before quoting a price. Hidden rust and engine damage inflate costs.
• Buy only essential tools early. Expand inventory after completing 3–5 profitable jobs.
• Start with low-risk shortcuts (cosmetic filler, cheap paint) before engine-level hacks.
• Save workshop funds for emergency repairs after vandalism events.

Demo vs Prologue vs Full Game

Core Gameplay Loop

Each day follows a cycle: customers arrive with broken Polish cars → you diagnose and quote → acquire parts (new, used, or "creative") → perform repairs → collect payment → manage reputation. Repeat while exploring the village, taking side missions, and upgrading your workshop. The loop is simple; the decisions are not.

Profit vs Quality Framework

Every job exists on a spectrum. Honest repairs using genuine parts earn customer trust and repeat business but yield lower margins. Cheap repairs maximize short-term profit but stack risk. Use this framework:

Workshop Upgrades & Renovation

• Invest in lifting equipment early — jacking cars speeds up wheel and undercarriage work.
• Expand parts storage to buy in bulk when shady traders offer discounts.
• After vandalism events, prioritize structural repairs (doors, security) before cosmetic upgrades.
• Keep a cash reserve equal to 2–3 job payouts for emergency part orders.

Bodywork & Paint

• Clean dirt and scrape rust before applying filler — adhesion depends on surface prep.
• Fill dents in layers, sanding between coats. Rushing creates visible bulges customers notice.
• Painting requires covering adjacent panels. Move the spray gun steadily; missed spots are a common player complaint.
• Tip: On some jobs, unpainted areas may be hard to spot. Check panels from multiple angles before calling a job done.

Engine & Mechanical

• Disassemble components in order — every bolt matters when reassembling.
• Label or memorize part positions. Swapping similar-looking components causes failures.
• Jack up vehicles securely before removing wheels or suspension parts.
• Test-run engines after major work before the customer arrives.

Fluid Services

• Oil changes: drain fully, replace filter, refill to marked level.
• Coolant and brake fluid have specific fill points — underfilling causes overheating or brake failure.
• Watered-down fuel is a cheap fix with high consequence risk on longer drives.

Escalation Ladder

• Level 1 — Dissatisfied customer: reduced tips, negative reputation, fewer referrals.
• Level 2 — Breakdown callback: customer returns with the same or worse problem. Refund demanded.
• Level 3 — Angry confrontation: verbal threats, shop vandalism, property damage.
• Level 4 — Physical retaliation: bald guys with baseball bats. Simple combat — defend with wrenches and tools.

Prevention Strategies

• Match cheap fix risk to customer personality — some inspect thoroughly, others just want the car to start.
• Never stack multiple extreme fixes on one vehicle.
• Ensure the car survives the drive off the lot — the immediate departure test is your first checkpoint.
• Rebuild workshop security after vandalism before taking high-value jobs.
• Keep a wrench equipped when expecting retaliation events.

Workshop Vandalism & Recovery

When someone trashes your garage, repairs become mandatory before accepting new jobs. Renovate damaged equipment, replace broken tools, and restore doors/windows. Budget for this — it will happen if you cheat aggressively or cross the wrong NPCs like Christopher Kingman.

Key Characters

• John the Mechanic — the player character. A broke, grease-covered survivor trying to keep the garage alive.
• Christopher Kingman — local businessman. Getting on his bad side has serious consequences. Central to the Welcome to Nowhere prologue.
• Shady traders — sell cheap parts of questionable origin. Good margins, unknown reliability.
• Annoying neighbours and village weirdos — source of side missions, pranks, and chaos (including the goat on the roof).

Exploration Tips

• Repair a drivable car early to reach distant traders and side mission givers.
• Hidden secrets and local activities reward exploration off the main road.
• Story missions often unlock new workshop capabilities or village areas.
• Some NPCs offer profitable side deals — read dialogue carefully before accepting.

Notable Car Types

• Fiat 126p (Maluch) — the iconic Polish mini car. Simple mechanics, constant rust issues.
• FSO Polonez — boxy family sedan. Common engine and suspension repairs.
• Older Fiat models — large and small variants appear as workshop staples.
• Cinquecento and assorted beaters — each with unique damage patterns and part requirements.

Cultural Context

The game satirizes the transition from communism to capitalism — when private workshops exploded, spare parts were imported or scavenged, and "fuszerka" (botched work) became a national inside joke. Polish players consistently praise the accuracy of regional mechanic culture in reviews.

Controls Overview

Performance Optimization

• Micro-stutters reported even on RTX 5060 / Ryzen 5 5600X — lower shadow quality and view distance first.
• Start at Medium settings on 8 GB VRAM GPUs (GTX 1060 / RX 580 class).
• Use 16 GB system RAM for smoother open-world transitions.
• Close background applications — the game uses significant disk I/O during load.
• Install on SSD — 30 GB with frequent asset streaming benefits greatly.
• Fullscreen mode typically performs better than borderless on mid-range hardware.

Steam Deck Note

Community reports confirm no native controller mapping as of launch. Steam Input community configs may provide partial workarounds, but expect a suboptimal experience for precise repair tasks like painting and bolt tightening.