Chapter 1
Mechanics in Build 42
Knox County is too big to walk. A working car is freedom. Mechanics is the skill that keeps it working.
Mechanics lets you take parts off cars, put better parts on, repair some parts, and hotwire cars without keys. Higher skill means more success, more parts you are allowed to touch, and small bonuses to brakes and tires you install.
Swap parts
Battery, tires, lights, brakes, engine parts. Move the good ones to your car.
Hotwire
Start a car with no key. Mechanics 2 and Electrical 1.
Repair
Some parts can be fixed with materials. Others are loot only.
The mechanic's loop
- FindA car with a good engine.
- OpenThe mechanics menu at the hood.
- StripGood parts from wrecks.
- InstallThem on your car.
- FuelSiphon gas with a hose.
- DriveThen do it all again on a wreck for XP.
Why it matters
A flat tire 20 tiles from a horde is how a good run ends. A mechanic carries a spare and a jack and drives home.
Chapter 2
Build your mechanic
Mechanics is slow to level because every action is a roll. The head start is the magazines.
Mechanic (job)
Starts with Mechanics levels and already knows how to work on all 3 car types. No magazines needed.
Vehicle Knowledge (trait)
Used to be Amateur Mechanic. Knows standard and heavy-duty cars. You still need the Performance manual for sports cars.
Burglar (job)
Can hotwire cars from level 0 without the skill requirement.
Fast Learner (trait)
130% XP. Good for a roll-based grind.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Mechanics is a normal skill with 5 books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP. The Carzone VHS tapes give Mechanics XP for your first 3 levels. Each episode is worth watching once.
Chapter 3
The vehicle menu
Everything happens in one screen. Learn it before you need it.
Open the mechanics menu
Walk to the hood of a car. Right-click the car, or press the vehicle key (default V) and choose Vehicle Mechanics. The car appears as a diagram with every part listed.
Read a part
Hover a part. You see its condition, what tool and skill you need, your chance to succeed, and whether it can be repaired.
Act on it
Right-click the part. Choose Uninstall, Install or Repair. The part must be in your main inventory, in a container nearby, or on the ground.
Secret: the menu tells you the odds
The success chance is right there. Under 50%? Wait for a level or use a different part. Every failure can damage the part.
Chapter 4
Tools of the trade
Nearly every part needs a specific tool. Carry the set.
| Tool | For |
|---|---|
| Screwdriver | Battery, radio, headlights, and many small parts. An improvised screwdriver, multitool or handiknife works too. |
| Jack | Lifting the car for tires and brakes. |
| Lug wrench or tire iron | Tires. |
| Wrench | Brakes, suspension, muffler and engine parts. |
| Tire pump | Inflating low tires. |
| Rubber hose and gas can | Siphoning fuel. Build 42 needs the hose. |
Secret: the trunk kit
Keep a jack, a lug wrench, a wrench, a screwdriver, a spare tire, a tire pump, a gas can and a hose in the trunk of your main car. That kit fixes almost any breakdown on the road.
Chapter 5
The 3 car types and their manuals
Cars come in 3 types. Parts from one type do not fit another. Each type has its own magazine.
| Type | Examples | Magazine |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Everyday cars and small trucks | Laines Standard Auto Manual |
| Heavy-duty | Vans, big trucks, ambulances | Laines Commercial Auto Manual |
| Sports | Fast, rare cars | Laines Performance Auto Manual |
Without the right magazine, most of that car's parts are locked to you. The Mechanic job knows all 3. Vehicle Knowledge knows 2.
Watch out: a standard tire does not fit a van
Parts are type-specific. Strip a van for van parts. Strip a sedan for sedan parts.
Secret: the magazines are in bookstores and garages
Also in mechanic shops and some cars. They are among the most valuable magazines in the game. Read them the moment you find them.
Chapter 6
Parts, from easy to hard
Some parts need nothing. Some need a level. Some need a magazine. Start at the easy end.
| Part | Needs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | Screwdriver. Mechanics 0. No magazine. | Your first swap. Dead battery is the number 1 reason a car will not start. |
| Car radio | Screwdriver. Mechanics 0. No magazine. | Free early XP. |
| Headlights | Screwdriver. Mechanics 0. No magazine. | Free early XP. |
| Tires | Jack and lug wrench. Mechanics 1. No magazine. | 4 per car. The best early grind. |
| Seats, hood, trunk lid, windows | The car type's magazine | High success rate. Good mid XP. |
| Brakes, muffler, gas tank | Magazine plus levels and a wrench | Lower success early. Wait. |
| Engine parts | Magazine plus high levels | Not a simple swap. Repair flows with their own checks. |
Watch out: windshields and mufflers early
Players report their success rate is too low at low skill. A failed job can break the part. Leave them until you are higher.
Chapter 7
Install, uninstall, repair
3 actions. Each is a dice roll, and each teaches you something.
Uninstall
Right-click the part, Uninstall. Success puts it in your inventory. Failure can lower its condition. Both give XP, but success gives far more.
Install
Have the part nearby. Right-click the empty slot, Install. A higher condition part makes the car better. Higher skill when installing tires and brakes gives them a small bonus.
Repair
Some parts repair with materials. Some must be uninstalled first. Some cannot be repaired at all, only replaced from another car or a mechanic shop.
Watch out: the seat trick is dead
Old guides said to repair car seats with ripped sheets over and over. That was patched in Build 42.
Secret: XP is per part, per car, per action, once
Players report that a successful install or uninstall pays full XP once for each part-car-action combination. Then it pays less. So a lot of wrecks beat one wreck.
Chapter 8
Hotwiring
No key? No problem, once you have the skills.
Hotwire a car
Get in the driver's seat. The menu shows Hotwire Engine instead of Start Engine. Choose it. Your survivor works under the dash.
- Cars in better shape are harder to hotwire.
- It does not damage the car or your tools.
- Once hotwired, the car stays hotwired. In multiplayer, anyone can drive it.
Secret: check the car for keys first
Keys spawn in the ignition, on the seat, in the glove box, on nearby zombies, and in the house the car is parked at. 30 seconds of looking beats an alarm.
Chapter 9
Fuel, batteries and the dashboard
Most "broken" cars are not broken. They are empty, flat, or dead.
Fuel
Siphon from other cars with a gas can and a rubber hose. Fill from gas pumps while the power is on, or with a generator after.
Battery
Dead batteries stop everything. Swap one from a wreck. Batteries can be recharged with a car battery charger and power.
Tires
Low pressure slows you. A tire pump fixes it. A flat needs a spare.
Dashboard
The gauges show fuel, battery, engine and speed. Red means trouble. Learn the icons.
Watch out: Build 42 needs the hose
In old versions a gas can was enough to siphon. Now the Siphon Gas option does not appear without a rubber hose in your inventory.
Chapter 10
Choosing a car worth fixing
Not every car deserves your parts. Pick by the engine.
- Engine quality first. A bad engine is the hardest thing to fix. Pick a car with a good one.
- Type second. Standard cars are common and easy to find parts for. Vans carry more. Sports cars are fast but rare.
- Everything else is swappable. Tires, battery, lights, doors and windows can all come from wrecks.
Secret: the mechanic's driveway
Park 2 or 3 wrecks of the same type next to your base. They are your parts shop and your training ground.
Chapter 11
Trailers and towing
Build 42 added livestock trailers alongside the old cargo ones.
- Back a car up to a trailer and attach it from the vehicle menu.
- Livestock trailers move animals. See the Animal Care guide.
- A car can also tow another car. Slowly.
- Heavier loads need a stronger engine.
Watch out: trailers make you clumsy
Wide turns, slow reversing, and a lot more noise. Detach it before you go into town.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
The grind is stripping and refitting parts on wrecks. Failures give a little. Successes give a lot. Level 3 is the hotwire mark plus one.
Levels 0 to 1: the free 4
Read Mechanics I. Watch Carzone. Take a screwdriver to every safe wreck. Battery, radio, headlights: uninstall, reinstall. At level 1, add the 4 tires with a jack and lug wrench.
Levels 1 to 3: magazines and easy parts
Read the Standard manual. Now seats, hood, trunk lid and windows open up. High success, good XP. Level 2 plus Electrical 1 means you can hotwire.
Levels 3 to 10: the driveway
Read Mechanics II and up. Keep several wrecks by the base. Strip and refit everything once a day. Brakes, muffler and suspension as your odds improve. Every new car counts again.
Secret: repairs and reinstalls at higher condition help the car too
Reinstalling good tires and brakes at a high skill gives the car a small handling bonus. The grind improves your ride.
Level by level: Mechanics
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Watch Carzone. Read Mechanics I. Battery, radio, headlights off and on | No magazine, no level needed |
| 1 to 2 | Tires: jack and lug wrench, 4 per car | Level 1 unlock, the best early grind |
| 2 to 3 | Read the Standard manual. Seats, hood, trunk, windows | High success, good XP |
| 3 to 4 | Read Mechanics II. Strip a second wreck of the same type | XP is per part per car, so new cars pay again |
| 4 to 5 | Brakes and muffler once success is over 50% | Harder parts, more XP |
| 5 to 6 | Read Mechanics III. Commercial manual, van parts | New type, new parts |
| 6 to 7 | A driveway of 3 wrecks cycled daily | Volume |
| 7 to 8 | Read Mechanics IV. Suspension and engine parts | Top-tier parts pay most |
| 8 to 9 | Performance manual, sports car parts | Rare, but all new |
| 9 to 10 | Read Mechanics V. Keep cycling | Long road |
Trunk kit checklist
Tools
Spares
Knowledge
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the garage
Setup
- Take Mechanic or Vehicle Knowledge.
- Read every Laines manual you find.
- Watch Carzone before level 3.
- Read Mechanics I before your first wreck.
- Build a trunk kit: jack, lug wrench, wrench, screwdriver, spare tire, pump, gas can, hose.
Working
- Start with battery, radio, headlights. No skill needed.
- Tires at level 1. 4 per car.
- Check the success chance before you click.
- Match part type to car type.
- Park spare wrecks by the base.
- Check for keys before you hotwire.
- Pick cars by engine quality.
On the road
- Carry a hose or you cannot siphon.
- Pump low tires before a long trip.
- A dead battery is not a dead car. Swap it.
- Detach trailers before town.
- Cars are loud. Park away from the base door.
- Do not hit animals. Roadkill wrecks the car and the meat.
- Keep a spare battery in the trunk.
- Learn the dashboard icons.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The car will not start. | Dead battery, no fuel, or no key. | Swap the battery. Siphon fuel. Hotwire. |
| No Siphon Gas option. | No rubber hose. | Carry one. |
| I cannot touch most parts. | No magazine for that car type. | Read the matching Laines manual. |
| The tire will not go on. | Wrong car type, or no jack and lug wrench. | Match the type. Carry the tools. |
| I keep failing. | Low success chance. | Level up or pick an easier part. |
| No Hotwire option. | Mechanics below 2 or Electrical below 1. | Level both, or play Burglar. |
| The alarm went off. | Bad hotwire roll. | Leave. Raise Electrical. |
| The car is slow. | Low tire pressure or a bad engine. | Pump the tires. Or change cars. |
| Repair option is missing. | The part is not repairable, or must be uninstalled first. | Uninstall it, or replace it. |
| Seat repair with sheets does nothing. | Patched out. | Grind parts instead. |
Chapter 14
Mechanic's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you can keep a fleet running.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Mechanic's word list
- Mechanics menu
- The car diagram screen where you work on parts.
- Uninstall and install
- Taking a part off, putting a part on.
- Laines manual
- One of the 3 car magazines: Standard, Commercial, Performance.
- Hotwire
- Starting a car without a key.
- Siphon
- Pulling fuel from one car into a gas can.
- Lug wrench
- The tool for tire nuts.
- Jack
- Lifts the car for tires and brakes.
- Sacrificial vehicle
- A wreck you keep only for training.
- Carzone
- The VHS series that teaches Mechanics.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026 for game version 42.20.4. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- Magazines, car types, hotwire requirements, the hose for siphoning, and XP for failure and success. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- Which parts need no magazine. From a fan guide checked on 42.20.4.
- "XP once per part, car and action." A fan guide's finding. The official wiki says XP scales with difficulty.
- The windshield and muffler warning. Player reports.
- Job and trait values. May change.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Mechanics, Vehicle, Hotwiring
- PZfans mechanics leveling guides for 42.19 and 42.20.4
- Guides-factory vehicles guide, cross-checked against the wiki (car types, hotwire, hose)
- XGamingServer vehicles guide (hotwire, siphoning, part bonuses)
- 1gamerdash mechanics guide (the seat trick removal, easy parts)