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There is no way that I am going to risk damaging my car for anything other than basic repairs.
Everyone should know how to change a tire, and how to change your oil (although unless you have a garage you might not be able to). I think that everyone should start driving with a stick shift as well.
That being said, I would rather support the local mechanic who has devoted his or her life to repairing cars.
It's becoming increasingly appearant to me why the OPs username is turkey head...
Ha ha ha ha. I love that.
You know what? I wonder if this person is from a southern state like east TX where I am at now or Alabama etc. In such regions, you always have a contingent of persons, male and female, who stereotype what being a "real man" is. Well excuse me for not liking to get dirty. Excuse me for thinking there's more to life than being imprisoned in your garage. Call me practical, tell me my expectations are ridiculous, but I'd rather my car not need repairs so often in the first place and just keep on rolling so that I can, you know, LIVE LIFE and ENJOY my life. Do you think I work at my job thinking "oh goody, $500 more I can blow on repairing a car that never should've broken down in the first place?" No. I'm thinking of FUN things I can do with that money, assuming the bills are paid etc. THAT'S what I live and work for.
In this area, it seems that to many people you're not "one of us" etc if you aren't into: fishing, 4-wheel drive, hunting dogs, camouflage, boats, guns, and having a hillbilly accent. You also better work in a factory, as a trucker, or in the oilfields. If a job opening materializes and you don't jump on such a job because you would rather do something else, you're scolded "a real man would dig ditches to feed his family." Well why should I have to, if I am able to get another job? My happiness matters too, especially if I'm going to be doing it 40 hours a week.
Look, it's fine by me that other guys are into that stuff, if that is what they are that is fine by me, but it is also fine by me that someone else likes other things. Me: I like working in an office using my brains vs my brawn so much, I like not getting dirty, and I like taking photos and working on electronic things (computers, phones, cameras etc) not mechanical things. I like speaking in proper English vs saying "y'all" to everything because I figure it makes no sense to go to school and learn how to talk and speak properly only to still use slang all the time. That's just what I am, and anyone who doesn't like it is free to find a cliff and go swan diving for all I care.
So yes, I would rather that things WORK like they ought to rather than them being built only half-right and me having to devote my precious free time undoing someone else's sloppiness. Either that, or I'd rather have enough money to pay someone else who IS good at such to do them for me so I can get back to life. That goes for cars, for fixing things around the house, cleaning the yard, anything I can help.
Great idea, I'll spend thousands of dollars on tools and equipment to repair my own vehicles outside, exposed to the elements, to save a hundred or so in shop charges.
It's amusing that the OP equates auto repair method decisions with manliness.
I have a 2001 f150 with 218k miles and the intake manifold cracked. It is a common problem in the 4.6 & 5.4 motors since the intake is plastic. Dealer wants about $1000 to fix it with a factory intake. I did it today and since I was in there I changed out the water pump and alternator since they where the orginal parts and the bearings on them where worn. The 2 valve motors, which mine is, are known for going between 300-400k miles. Manifold cost me $160, Water pump was $45 and alternator was $100.
You only need 3 sockets to do this whole job, 7,8,10mm, a large wrench to get the EGR tube off and some slip joint pliers for the hoses.
It doesn't take a lot of tools and I easily saved over $1000 in parts and labor.
I'm at a point in my life where I can pay other people to do it.
Don't get me wrong, I'll still replace a $5 bulb, or an air filter that would otherwise cost, literally $100 at the dealership to do. But anything else and it's more trouble than it's worth.
I have like 3 hobbies, work and a family, and the last thing I want to do is get up on a Saturday and have to re-tap my engine block because a screw got sheared off because of improper installation, age....or whatever.
That's a day I'll never get back.
Now if I was rich and didn't work, maybe ironically I would. Maybe I'd install a lift, have all the space and tools I'd need and work on cars with all the free time I'd have...or maybe not.
I can relate to this. I've had high car payments and new cars. It was nice for about 6 months and I got sick of the payments. Now wife's got prius and I got two cars from 90's, LS400 and Z32TT. Love the Z but didn't want to drive stickshift in crazy socal traffic so I got LS400 as beater. I learned to fix everything myself out of neccessity. If I were to take it to shops I couldn't afford to keep two cars. Learned alot during the process, save money, and TIME. So many times I remember taking the car to mechanics eats up so much time. I can save alot of time just working on it at home.
Last edited by Pennychaser11; 01-25-2016 at 03:55 PM..
All the time I run across people with vehicle problems. Repairs costing hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Car payments costing hundreds per month. People defaulting on student loans because of vehicle expenses. This pains me because most of it is totally unnecessary.
I'm in my late 30's... not young but not THAT old. When I was a kid back in Southern Appalachia, it was the NORM for adults to work on their vehicles. I know plenty of men of my parents' generation who were never trained as mechanics... but who did most if not all of their own vehicle repairs. Even swapping/rebuilding engines was not uncommon. Not sure if I knew ANY man of my parents' generation who couldn't do at least basic maintenance... it was just a basic prerequisite for being an adult. No different from paying bills. And let me tell you... this was back in the mountains in the South. These people were/are NOT rocket scientists. It's not THAT hard to change oil, fix brakes, etc.
And in this day and age it's easier than it's ever been... all the info you could ever need is just a google-search away. Sure we have old guys who like to complain about computer-controlled engines and such that they don't understand... fair enough if you're 50+ years old and can't hook up a router. But for everybody else this should be a non-issue... especially these days when nearly any vehicle problem you can encounter is spelled out in detail on Youtube and various message boards.
So if you LIKE paying hundreds of dollars a month for a shiny status-symbol... well that's fair enough. Lots of people find status symbols to be important. But don't pretend that it's a necessity- 'cause it isn't. It's a luxury.
And when you end up with a $1500 repair bill because you've never done even basic maintenance on your transmission... sure it may be an emergency and a hardship. But don't pretend that it was unavoidable- because most of the time it CAN be avoided via simple maintenance.
Cars these days are more reliable than ever. Gone are the days when engines had to be rebuilt at 100,000 miles and automatic transmissions lasted half that. Materials science, manufacturing, and design have improved VASTLY over the past few decades. These days just about any reasonably well made vehicle can make it to 200,000+ miles with little more than basic maintenance (clearly spelled out in the owner's manual). Yes even American cars.
This is my challenge to you- and should you accept it, it will improve your finances. It's time to man up and fix your vehicle. Build some skills and quit throwing money away that could be better spent on your future. You kids' education. Your financial security. So much in life is beyond our control... but this does not include vehicles. It's time for some personal responsibility here.
Many cars now are designed to be worked on from the bottom, and many people dont have special tools or giants lifts or ramps to do that.
I paid $500 to have a fuel pump replaced because I simply because I didnt have all the tools required or wanted to risk my life messing with a fuel tank if I did anything wrong. I was pissed I paid $161 to get my serpentine belt replaced, only to have them break the tensioner 3 yrs ago and I find a youtube video showing how easy it was to replace the belt, so I try to fix as much as I possibly can now.
But not all cars are simple to work on. Ive seen many videos of Nissan 3.5 V6 taking 4 hours to replace the water pump, other cars needing a engine mounts to be removed to just replace a serpentine belt, sealed transmissions, and parts that are impossible to reach. You would have to be a pro t orepalce a timing chain or pretty skilled for a timing belt. The auto makers have made modern cars very difficult to work on, since there is not much space under the hood.
they make an app now that your car plugs into your iphone and it will tell you whats wrong. some vehicle will email you when it needs maintance like oil change or low tire
Many cars now are designed to be worked on from the bottom, and many people dont have special tools or giants lifts or ramps to do that.
I paid $500 to have a fuel pump replaced because I simply because I didnt have all the tools required or wanted to risk my life messing with a fuel tank if I did anything wrong. I was pissed I paid $161 to get my serpentine belt replaced, only to have them break the tensioner 3 yrs ago and I find a youtube video showing how easy it was to replace the belt, so I try to fix as much as I possibly can now.
But not all cars are simple to work on. Ive seen many videos of Nissan 3.5 V6 taking 4 hours to replace the water pump, other cars needing a engine mounts to be removed to just replace a serpentine belt, sealed transmissions, and parts that are impossible to reach. You would have to be a pro t orepalce a timing chain or pretty skilled for a timing belt. The auto makers have made modern cars very difficult to work on, since there is not much space under the hood.
I hear ya' man. I replaced the fuel pump in my old GMC truck when i bought it three years ago. Cost me $20
I try to do basic things on my cars such as fluid changes, spark plugs, filters, brakes, etc. The mark up on some of these services is ridiculous at shops. Besides the cost, there's no guessing about parts quality because I use the best on my cars and know the job's done right. If I had a lift or access to more tools I'd love to learn and take on more involved jobs. Since I don't, I have my indy mechanic who I trust take on bigger jobs. Like Dirty Harry says, "A man's got to know his limitations."
But I do agree that certain people have no business trying to wrench on a car. Jacking up a 2 ton machine is dangerous and can be fatal if not done right. Not to mention a simple task like an oil change can be mucked up if you over-tighten the drain plug or improperly install the filter. You tried to save some bucks by going DIY but next thing you know, a $20 task turns into $2000 because the engine seized up after leaking out all the oil. When in doubt, take it to the pros.
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