Working on cars

[bullsi1911]

Growing up, I was always working on cars. It was a necessity if I wanted to drive, because we were poor and the only thing we could afford were pretty crappy cars that needed work on a constant basis.

That knowledge served me well over the years, got me jobs when I was in college- while other people were waiting tables at school, I was turning wrenches. But a few years ago, I got tired of it. I got rid of a lot of my tools, and just paid someone else to do the maintenance on my cars.

But now my kid is driving and his car needs work. So I have spent the weekend putting in tie rod ends, ball joints, steering rack boots, and other stuff in his car (it really helps when you have access to an automotive lift), and I actually enjoyed doing it. Granted, I got all the busted knuckles and stuff I remembered that I hated… but it seems it’s different when you don’t HAVE to do it.

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Kiddo torquing down the ball joints (that’s what she said)

[Chiro1989]

A friend with a lift would be awesome.

[jbp-ohio]

Yep. I went through the doing it all. Leasing new with oil changes included. To back to buying used and doing it myself. Just did the oil and tire rotation Wednesday after work.

Now that oil filters are on top of the engine. I bought an oil extractor to pull the oil out. Don't have to get on the ground for an oil change. Just on a knee to put the jack stands in to rotate tires.

[bullsi1911]

A friend with a lift would be awesome.

Even better that it’s my brother. I just bring some beer and pay for lunch, and I have access to a lift!

[CPJ 2.0]

I do what I can, due to poor financial life choices and a lot of mechanics are too **** stupid to do even basic tasks. I’d rather go to YouTube university and do it myself than to pay some jackass only to find out they did it wrong. I don’t like spending money on repairs, but when I do, it better be right.

I once called and apologized to a service advisor and a mechanic after I said loudly something along the lines of “are you **** stupid” after they misdiagnosed my wife’s car but only did so because I was in a company van, company uniform, they do all of our fleet and are also one of our customers.
Oil changes I do myself exclusively, none of the cars the family owns are difficult to change. (And see above about paid jackasses)
Today I’m changing oil, distributor cap and rotor on my truck. Then battery swap and oil change in the oldest child’s car.

The wife’s new car, that’s about all I can do, besides add air to the tires. Probably be forced to take it somewhere with all the computerized fudgery it contains.
If I had the space and time I’d be finding a a 1964,65 or 66, Chevy, and a square body frame to put it on. I love that year truck, and the square body Chevy chassis ensures plenty of parts. And that I could work on it.
I don’t deal a ton with technology, but I deal with enough to have had…..enough.

Posted from my SMART FONE

[CPJ 2.0]

Perfect and timely case in point.

Wife has a Chevy Trax, cheap little suv looking thing.

Windshield got hit by a rock on the highway. Around $425 for the windshield, according to safe light. Then they mentioned it would need to be recalibrated. Or rather the retarded little camera that’s stuck to the windshield would.
It ONLY doubles the price!
Which, Safelite can suck my wang from behind, we will be calling around.

[Diver43]

Perfect and timely case in point.

Wife has a Chevy Trax, cheap little suv looking thing.

Windshield got hit by a rock on the highway. Around $425 for the windshield, according to safe light. Then they mentioned it would need to be recalibrated. Or rather the retarded little camera that’s stuck to the windshield would.
It ONLY doubles the price!
Which, Safelite can suck my wang from behind, we will be calling around.

Check your insurance, many cover windshield with no deductible. One per year

[CPJ 2.0]

Perfect and timely case in point.

Wife has a Chevy Trax, cheap little suv looking thing.

Windshield got hit by a rock on the highway. Around $425 for the windshield, according to safe light. Then they mentioned it would need to be recalibrated. Or rather the retarded little camera that’s stuck to the windshield would.
It ONLY doubles the price!
Which, Safelite can suck my wang from behind, we will be calling around.

Check your insurance, many cover windshield with no deductible. One per year

Nope. Already did. That’s one of those “varies by state” things.

[jbp-ohio]

Check your insurance, many cover windshield with no deductible. One per year

The reason I finally ditched Progressive. They would say every year, "Your insurance ONLY went up $20!" Yeah, because they would drop coverage without your permission. $0 glass, rental, and GAP coverage were all dropped at one time or the other.

My wifes Range Rover had a grid IN the glass to defrost the windshield quickly. It got a chip and we had it filled. Still cracked. The replacement was $4500. Covered by $0 glass so we thought we dodged that bullet. Two months later our premium went up $900 for 6 months......

She has 5yr/100,000 on her Defender. I guarantee I can't fix anything on that air suspension.... Or the turbo's... Or the anything

[bullsi1911]

Check your insurance, many cover windshield with no deductible. One per year

The reason I finally ditched Progressive. They would say every year, "Your insurance ONLY went up $20!" Yeah, because they would drop coverage without your permission. $0 glass, rental, and GAP coverage were all dropped at one time or the other.

My wifes Range Rover had a grid IN the glass to defrost the windshield quickly. It got a chip and we had it filled. Still cracked. The replacement was $4500. Covered by $0 glass so we thought we dodged that bullet. Two months later our premium went up $900 for 6 months......

She has 5yr/100,000 on her Defender. I guarantee I can't fix anything on that air suspension.... Or the turbo's... Or the anything

My brother had a Range Rover with the air suspension. After trying to fix the damn thing several times, he got the retrofit kit to put springs and shocks in it. RR air suspension is a nightmare

[PFD45]

I had to replace the starter on our Sequoia.
It's in the "valley" of the V8.
Ya gotta r&r the intake manifold.
I started on Sat morning & finished on Sun evening.
Prolly won't do that again.

[jbp-ohio]

The first car we got for the oldest was a Saturn. You could change the transmission fluid and filter without dropping the pan and making a mess. The filter was a spin-on like the oil filter. Of course they had to stop that immediately. Can't charge $400 at the dealer.

[Gila]

Yep. I went through the doing it all. Leasing new with oil changes included. To back to buying used and doing it myself. Just did the oil and tire rotation Wednesday after work.

Now that oil filters are on top of the engine. I bought an oil extractor to pull the oil out. Don't have to get on the ground for an oil change. Just on a knee to put the jack stands in to rotate tires.

What is even better is buying a new car and modding it until the cows come home...

[jbp-ohio]

What is even better is buying a new car and modding it until the cows come home...

Not new but I did that in my 20's. 8 point cage, subframe connectors, balanced 351W w Victor Jr and a Holley 650 double pumper, 12:1 pistons, roller rockers, ported heads, welded trusses on the 8" rear to stiffen.

I can't bend over a fender long enough to do any of it now........

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[Justsomedude]

I'm going to live the rest of my life miserable with lower back pain because of being a master tech for almost 20 years, but it has its pluses. Daughter had to take her car to be diagnosed because I don't have a scan tool. They wanted over 1k to replace both upstream O2 sensors. One was easy peasy. The other required laying on my back with the car jacked up and me heating the bung with the oxy acetylene torch and then chasing out the threads with a tap. Wasn't easy to get to being sandwiched just above the subframe and steering rack. Got it done but could barely move for 2 days after. It's amazing how many seemingly easy things (when you have a lift and shop supplies) are a nightmare when working in the driveway.

[CPJ 2.0]

What is even better is buying a new car and modding it until the cows come home...

Not new but I did that in my 20's. 8 point cage, subframe connectors, balanced 351W w Victor Jr and a Holley 650 double pumper, 12:1 pistons, roller rockers, ported heads, welded trusses on the 8" rear to stiffen.

I can't bend over a fender long enough to do any of it now........


FB_IMG_1598030415914.jpg

Gayest Mustang ever.
Sayin.

[Gila]

What is even better is buying a new car and modding it until the cows come home...

Not new but I did that in my 20's. 8 point cage, subframe connectors, balanced 351W w Victor Jr and a Holley 650 double pumper, 12:1 pistons, roller rockers, ported heads, welded trusses on the 8" rear to stiffen.

I can't bend over a fender long enough to do any of it now........


FB_IMG_1598030415914.jpg

Gayest Mustang ever.
Sayin.

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[jbp-ohio]

What is even better is buying a new car and modding it until the cows come home...

Not new but I did that in my 20's. 8 point cage, subframe connectors, balanced 351W w Victor Jr and a Holley 650 double pumper, 12:1 pistons, roller rockers, ported heads, welded trusses on the 8" rear to stiffen.

I can't bend over a fender long enough to do any of it now........


FB_IMG_1598030415914.jpg

Gayest Mustang ever.
Sayin.

Wrong....

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It's the II gayest. That's why I could buy it for $1200 (23,000mile). It weighed 1000# less than most cars of the era and you could easily fit any motor in it. Once saw one with a 500ci Cadillac engine.

[Jay]

I do almost all of my own work on my vehicles. Always have. The only job I paid for in recent history was having the rear diff in my truck rebuilt. There’s tools and and stuff that I don’t have to do that correctly.

Recently bought a 1976 Chevy C10 short bed to start hot rodding. But, the Hemi in my ‘14 Ram just started going bad. Common cam and lifter failure. Once it starts, there’s no stopping it. I’ll be putting a reman long block in it in the near future. Myself. In my shop. Because it’s $5k to do it myself, $8-9k to pay a local shop to do it, and who knows how much for a dealership to do it. I can do it. Might take me a couple weeks, working on my off time. But it’s worth several thousand dollars. I’ll also do a MDS delete on it when I do the engine swap.

I won’t get rid of it and get a new one. Almost all of the drivetrain and suspension has already been rebuilt. And, it’s got a bad lifter knock. Nobody’s going to take it as it is. And it’s paid for. I’m not spending stupid money for a truck. Replace the Hemi and keep driving it. The ‘76 can wait a while.

I’m way slower and less flexible than I used to be. But I still do most of the mechanic work on my vehicles. Just at a slower pace.

[CPJ 2.0]

I love working on cars. Especially when I’m 12 hours from home, on a hog hunting trip. Love it so much, I caught a ride with Jerm home, left the truck in Texas to let someone else fix it.

[Bigslug]

Gayest Mustang ever?

Guys. . .they slapped a Mustang badge on an all-electric, five-door hatchback.

How is this even open for debate?

[Wambli Ska]

I hadn’t turned a wrench in probably decades but when I found out they wanted $500 to install a freaking leveling kit on my Gladiator son-in-law, who is actually GREAT mechanic in his spare time (hobby) said we’d tackle it. An easy Saturday morning and two YouTube videos later…

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It was actually fun!!!

[bullsi1911]

Upgraded the brakes to drilled and slotted rotors and carbon ceramic pads:

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[Wambli Ska]

Nice!!!

[shotgunshooter3]

I don't work on my own cars for anything more complicated than a fluid top off, or maybe an oil change. Mainly because I do not have the luxury of being able to be without my car for days on end if a project goes longer than expected. Factor in the sunk costs for my time, as well as specialized tools that I now have to store and move when I move, and the math just doesn't math for me personally.

I'm actually running the math today to see if its time to send my current trash wagon down the road. It has some sizable, but not surprising, age related repairs coming up, that will cost a bit more than I originally anticipated. I'm sure if I had more tools, space, time, and skills I could do the repair myself for probably 50% of what I'm being quoted, but see above...