Where can I repair my car myself? Anyone tried those DIY shops? (lease, rental)
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I used to do most of my own auto repair. Now I want to get back in the game to save money. The only problem is my apartment lease prohibits repairs to your car on their property. I also don't have any friends whose place I can use.
I am thinking of using the street, but that brings all kinds of concerns like someone running over me or the jacks; or having to park the car 3 feet from the curb to have access and me then being an obstruction.
Others have said just find any Walmart, PepBoys, AutoZone, O'Reilly, etc., and they will no problem with you doing a repair in their lot, especially if you buy from there. But I plan to do an oil change and use only genuine dealer oil and filters. I also would be scared of leaving my tools, jacks, etc. outside in public if I had to use the restroom. So this option might be problematic.
Another person said many auto repair shops, both indy and the dealer, let you rent a spare bay. Just call them and ask. I am skeptical, but that might be an idea, if they don't charge too much.
I found a place in Santa Clara, California that you can rent for DIY repairs for only $30 an hour. This includes tools, a lift, air, power, Alltech, free oil disposal, and an ASE-certified mechanic on duty to help you if needed. This is way better than the dealer, which charges $50 an hour for a synthetic oil change, with coupon. I figure I need about an hour to do an oil change. The problem is they are about 4 hous away from where I live, so I would have to be in the area for other reasons to use them.
I have not been able to try those rental places because my free time to work on cars usually comes in small increments of time, often with very large increments of time in between. (e.g. One weekend I may have half an hour on Saturday, an hour on Sunday and then no time available for two weeks while the car sits waiting).
For a while I had a friend who had a professional shop. He let me use his shop in exchange for me doing brake jobs oil changes and the like on his customer's cars. Then I could move my car in and our as time allowed. I had more time then though.
Most apartments have storage lot where they keep their "stuff" and allow tenants to work there. Also, we lived for 6 yrs in place you describe and did all repairs in the street. Complete engine swap and overhaul included. It was a dead end street though. If you were by some heavy traffic arterial then sure, it's different.
I guess the $30/hour rental deal is your best bet so far.
What I like about having my own garage, is when I take something apart, and inevitably it needs parts that I didn't foresee, no one is breathing down my neck to get it out of the bay. Which, of course, any commercial outfit has to keep each bay productive or expenses will wipe them out.
The $30/hour charge will mean you have to work at least reasonably quickly.
You need a place with a garage, not only to work on your car, but to store it out of the weather when not in use.
Your best bet is to move away from the apartment and get a place with a garage.
We had one of those "rent a bay" shops & I used it to replace a fuel-sender on my father's truck (the gas tank had to be removed to replace the sender) - that particular job was all-day and a lot of hassle if you're doing it with the vehicle on jack stands, vs less than an hour with the vehicle on a lift.. I totally loved it. They had all the tools, laid out and neatly organized & had a delivery deal with the local Napa if you found an unexpected part you needed.. It was awesome, but they went out of business in my area.
Many repairs are way faster & easier with a car on a lift - that's why dealer service departments have them.
I use my local military base auto hobby shop. Much cheaper at about $7.50 an hour for a hoist bay and less for a flat stall. Only catch...you have to join the military!
You don't save much money doing oil changes. Just pay a shop and be done with it.
I used the back of a mall parking lot to do a break job once before owning a house.
This, 100%. I cannot change the oil myself for what my respective dealers charge for a full synthetic oil change on each car. I own my own house with a garage and can do any repairs I want, I still take both to the dealer.
I'm still trying to understand this part:
Quote:
Originally Posted by milkit
I found a place in Santa Clara, California that you can rent for DIY repairs for only $30 an hour. This includes tools, a lift, air, power, Alltech, free oil disposal, and an ASE-certified mechanic on duty to help you if needed. This is way better than the dealer, which charges $50 an hour for a synthetic oil change, with coupon. I figure I need about an hour to do an oil change. The problem is they are about 4 hous away from where I live, so I would have to be in the area for other reasons to use them.
$50 an hour for an oil change? I think you just mean they charge $50. If they actually did charge hourly, then the oil change should only be around $25. Because, it should take a dealer no more than a half-hour to change the oil. When only there for an oil change, I've been in and out at both dealers in under an hour including the time waiting for the service advisor once I pull in to the service lane, and the time paying the bill afterwards.
Ok, lets say you pay $30 and it takes you an hour to change your oil Do they supply the oil and filter? No? Ok. Lets assume you ended up buying the Toyota (or was it Honda) minivan you were posting about the last few months.
Ok, so there is $57 plus tax for the oil/filter plus the $30 to the shop. Now, you're at almost $90 and have to waste a bunch of your time. Where exactly is the savings versus the dealer?
If you ended up buying a new vehicle with an extended warranty like you were talking about, just get the oil changed at the dealer. In the end, it will save you time, money, and aggravation. Toyota has a 10K mile OCI on the full-synthetic 0W20, so it's not like you are going to be changing the oil 3-4 times a year in "the old days" with conventional oil.
You don't save much money doing oil changes. Just pay a shop and be done with it.
I used the back of a mall parking lot to do a break job once before owning a house.
It's not a matter of money. It's a matter of making sure it's done correctly and a quality oil/filter is used. Many shops have a couple of tanks of bulk oil, so you might not be getting exactly what is specified for your car. Also, all filters are not created equated. In addition, shops (everyone from dealers to quick change joints) are notorious for messing things up: forgetting to tighten the filter or drain plug, failure to put on the oil fill cap, over filling, under filling, stripped drain plugs, etc., etc. Some of these mistakes can be super costly. Finally, I can change my oil in my driveway or garage much more quickly than I can take it somewhere and I have it changed.
$30/hr for the service bay with tools, and even occasional help from a qualified mechanic sounds very cheap to me. I don't think it makes sense for an oil change though, especially if it's not close by - like a half hour or less. With this particular shop being 4hrs away, you'd probably spend more money on gas and car depreciation than you'd save on the oil change, even before we talk about the hassle of driving 8hrs that day to change your oil.
Depending on oil grade and how much your vehicle uses, a Valvoline shop (or local equivalent) can do your oil change for about $75 I think - they have frequent coupons too. When I go to the website for my local Valvoline, they have coupons right there (and also mail them once you visit). Here's $12 off full synthetic and $10 off any other oil change. https://store.vioc.com/ma/salisbury/...3.html#coupons. They are only a few miles from me and depending on how busy they are, I am normally in and out in less than 30 mins, with no appointment. If I am lucky and can pull right into the bay, it's 10-15 mins.
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 02-14-2023 at 07:30 AM..
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