Red Dot Games released Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 through PlayWay on 11 August 2021 with 72 cars and more than 4,000 individual parts. You start with one lifter, a free repair bench and no money, and every piece of workshop equipment after that has a price: 2,000 credits for the Engine Crane, 5,000 for the Welder, 10,000 for the Test Path, 15,000 for the Paintshop and 20,000 for the Dyno. Base game cars carry fictional badges for licensing reasons, so the Bolt Reptilia is a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette, the Salem Spectre is a 2013 Ford Mustang and the Sakura Supa is a 1993 Toyota Supra. Only the licensed DLC packs, such as the Nissan and Electric Car sets, use real names.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Examine before you unbolt
Examine before you unbolt. Every part shows a condition percentage in examine mode, and replacing parts sitting at 80 percent burns credits the customer will not reimburse.
2. Push story orders early rather than random ones
Push story orders early rather than random ones. They pay better, they raise your level faster toward the Junkyard at level 5, and they are the only source of the lootboxes that contain barn maps.
3. Buy the Engine Crane at 2,000 credits before anything cosmetic
Buy the Engine Crane at 2,000 credits before anything cosmetic. Engine work without it is slow and full rebuilds are effectively impossible.
4. Do not buy the Dyno at 20,000 credits until tuning orders are actually in your queue
Do not buy the Dyno at 20,000 credits until tuning orders are actually in your queue. It reads horsepower and torque and unlocks tuning jobs, but it does nothing at all for ordinary repair work.
5. Remember the badges are fictional
Remember the badges are fictional. The Bolt Reptilia is a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette, the Salem Spectre is a 2013 Ford Mustang, the Ribbsan Z530 is a 2003 Nissan 350Z and the DC Typhoon is a 1964 AC Cobra, so searching for real names in the base game finds nothing.
6. The Welder costs 500 credits every time you use it on top of the 5,000 to install
The Welder costs 500 credits every time you use it on top of the 5,000 to install. Budget for that on any rusted barn car, because a full shell is several uses rather than one.
7. Paint last
Paint last. The Paintshop is the final step of a restoration, because welding and panel work after painting undoes the finish you just paid for.
8. Use the Test Path for anything that feels wrong but reads fine
Use the Test Path for anything that feels wrong but reads fine. Suspension faults and wheel or headlight misalignment never show up as a condition percentage, so the 10,000 credit path is the only diagnosis available.
9. Keep the 750 credit Warehouse tidy
Keep the 750 credit Warehouse tidy. With more than 4,000 parts in the game, a disorganised stock means jobs stall while you hunt for one component you already own.
10. Salvage instead of discarding
Salvage instead of discarding. The 2,500 credit Salvaging station pulls scrap from parts too far gone to repair, which turns junkyard waste into usable material.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Engine rebuild specialist (A-Tier):
- Focus on Fictional badges on real cars combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Engine Crane
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Body and paint specialist (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Welder
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Car Mechanic Simulator 2021's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Fictional badges on real cars + Examine mode and part condition: Every base game car is modelled on a real vehicle but wears an invented badge because Red Dot Games did not license those brands. Combined with Examine mode and part condition, every one of the 4,000-plus parts carries a condition percentage, and examine mode is how you read it without pulling the part off the car.
Garage levels and equipment costs + Test Path and Dyno diagnostics: Two currencies run in parallel: experience points that raise your level and unlock content, and credits that buy physical equipment. When paired with Test Path and Dyno diagnostics, the test path at 10,000 credits is the only reliable way to find suspension faults and to align wheels and headlights, because those problems do not show as a condition percentage on a part.
Barn maps and junkyard salvage scaling: The Junkyard unlocks at level 5 and holds the cheapest cars and parts in the game, though most of what you pull out of it is close to worthless without repair. Barns are different: you need a map to reach one, and maps arrive randomly in the lootboxes handed out for finishing story orders. Inside a barn you search piles of junk that reveal sets of used parts you can then choose from. The Salvaging station at 2,500 credits extracts scrap from parts too broken to repair.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Crane | Full engine rebuilds, barn find restorations, any job touching the block | Costs 2,000 credits and lifts the whole engine block out of the bay so it can be stripped and rebuilt on the stand. |
| Welder | Rusted shells, barn finds, crash damage on auction cars | Costs 5,000 credits to install and 500 credits per use, and takes a damaged or rusted body shell back to 100 percent condition. |
| Paintshop | Finishing restorations, raising resale value before an auction listing | The 15,000 credit spray booth, and the second most expensive thing in the garage. |
| Test Path | Suspension diagnosis, wheel alignment, headlight alignment | Costs 10,000 credits and is the only tool that finds suspension faults, since those do not display as a part condition percentage. |
| Dyno | Performance tuning jobs, verifying gains after fitting upgraded parts | The 20,000 credit dynamometer. |
Location Efficiency
Garage (From the first order onward): The open plan workshop where everything happens. It starts with one free Lifter, a free Tire Changer, Wheel Balancer, Spring Puller, Oil Drain and Interior Detailing Toolkit, plus a PC and radio for browsing orders. The 10,000 credit Garage Expansion adds the floor space for the rest of the equipment.
Junkyard (Level 5 onward): Unlocks at level 5 and is the cheapest source of both cars and parts. Most vehicles here are scrapped shells whose parts are close to unusable, so bring the Repair Table and Salvaging station into the plan before you start hauling things back.
Barn (Mid game, once story orders start dropping maps): Reached only with a map, and maps drop randomly from the lootboxes awarded for finishing story orders. Inside, you search piles of junk that reveal sets of used parts to pick from, and the cars themselves are among the better project vehicles in the game.
Car Auction (Once you can hold several thousand credits in reserve): Where most of the 72 cars can eventually be bought. Prices scale with condition, so the same model can be a bargain or a waste depending on what it needs. It requires real working capital, which makes it a mid to late game activity.
Car Salon (Late game, once credits stop being the constraint): The showroom, selling cars in perfect condition for a set price including models you will not find rotting in a junkyard or a barn. It is the expensive option and the right one when you want a specific car for tuning rather than a restoration project.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Replacing every part on a customer car. Condition percentages exist so you can repair what is serviceable, and blanket replacement loses money on every single order.
- Buying equipment in the wrong order. The 15,000 credit Paintshop and 20,000 credit Dyno look impressive but do nothing for the early job queue, while the 2,000 credit Engine Crane and 1,500 credit Repair Table are used constantly.
- Hunting for real car brands in the base game. Only DLC packs such as the Nissan and Electric Car sets carry licensed names, and the 72 base cars all wear invented badges over real bodywork.
- Ignoring the Junkyard once it opens at level 5. Parts there are cheap enough that repairing them beats buying new, provided you have the Repair Table to make them serviceable.
- Painting or detailing before the bodywork is finished. Welding the shell back to 100 percent after a respray means paying for the paint twice.
Pro Quick Tips
- Examine before you unbolt. Every part shows a condition percentage in examine mode, and replacing parts sitting at 80 percent burns credits the customer will not reimburse.
- Push story orders early rather than random ones. They pay better, they raise your level faster toward the Junkyard at level 5, and they are the only source of the lootboxes that contain barn maps.
- Buy the Engine Crane at 2,000 credits before anything cosmetic. Engine work without it is slow and full rebuilds are effectively impossible.
- Start with Body and paint specialist, switch to Engine rebuild specialist when ready
- Invest in Engine Crane above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Garage → Junkyard → Barn → Car Auction → Car Salon. See our maps guide
- Fictional badges on real cars + Examine mode and part condition together are stronger than either alone
More Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Guides
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Overview
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Best Builds
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Tier List
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Walkthrough
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Beginner's Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Weapons Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Combat Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Boss Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Maps & Locations
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Crafting Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Classes & Characters
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