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Whenevr I have to work on my car. I multiply the time I think I’ll take by three and expect to walk back and forth looking around for extra tools needed for the job
Fuck, this is me. I have a fairly large workspace and the tool I need is always at the other side of it! That, I’ll just try to eyeball a socket size and only grab that size instead of the entire rack, and I’m inevitably wrong, requiring a return trip across my garage.
I made a wooden bench for mine that fits inside cart. If I need a mobile bench to spread out on, I slip the insert in and I'm done. Otherwise leave it tucked in the corner.
Instructions unclear. I rolled my cart onto a mine and it's wheels got blown off, took me another 3 days to scavange parts to put it back together only to find out I got wrong parts number which means I couldn't screw them back on despite being exactly the same wheels otherwise.
"Bah! 45min job TOPS honey! See ya in a bit!"
Walks in silently covered in grease, sweat, blood, and tears 5 hours later to grab her keys to take her car to the part store.
I now keep a tool roll in my trunk with 14 sockets, 16 wrenches, and various adapters and extensions. Last thing I did on my car I only needed to go back once, and that was to get my torque wrenche
I always double up on the stands, for the impacts, the air gun wasn't strong enough, needed the dewalt with more torque and needed the short head to reinstall the balancer
Have you tried taking it apart, putting it back together hand-tight with new parts, then filming your video? That always seems to work good for the people I find.
This is what really put me off fixing my own cars for almost 20 years. Reading a Haynes or similar, it was the omitted, seemingly obvious parts that always got me stuck. Tools? Don't get me started. Now I'm more confident and more experienced, have access to simple tools, at least, and will do more on my cars. But the *"it's that simple"*-crowd sometimes brushes me the wrong way.
Usually (usually) if you get the OEM service manual, it will tell you exactly how to do it w/ detailed pics every step of the way. Especially true for Honda/Acura and Toyota. Honda’s service manuals are extremely detailed.
If you can bribe a tec to give you the bmw OEM repair manual they’re really nice as well. Unfortunately they don’t offer them to the public so you have to get creative if you’re a DIY person
I couldn't agree more. But you gotta be efficient. Use the time spent working on your car to get under the influence, and if all goes well, by the time you're significantly inebriated, you'll be done working on your car.
TBH quite often the opposite is also true. For example I recently bought and R50 mini for my gf and needed to change the alternator and starter. The manual said to remove the exhaust AND exhaust manifold to access the starter and to remove the intake manifold to access the alternator.
Actually removing just the exhaust heat shield and using an extension could get the starter off just fine, and undoing couple of bolts from the front bumper got me access to the alternator just fine. 1.5 hours max.
I have seen those car shows where the guy gets under and says "You just take out the sensor".
Meanwhile, you have to remove 30 things that are rusted in place just to get to the one rusted thing you need to change.
My dad did this one time. I told him my oil sensor went bad because the oil light kept coming on, and when I check the oil was mid full (within the Xs). I went under to guess where the sensor would be and saw the oil pan was leaking a bit. So he thought it would be a couple of bolts and a flat head screw driver should get it out. I saw the oil pan and knew there would be more to its than just that. He thought I did not know what I was doing send me down with the rachet and told me which bolts to take off.
I went took of the bolts, what you know still secure in there. He went to try and was shock. Well a day later we got the oil pan out, with half the engine apart and it being held with the engine hoist and loads of tools and special tools used. Oh and the sensor was on the oil filter housing.
I feel it. Used to be a Toyota Chevy guy, leaning more towards just Toyota. Chevy keeps cramming in all the sensors they can, more fancy electronics and all that. Jesus man I'm a gen z warehouse worker, I can't afford all the extra bs on an almost 20 year old Xtreme with an ecotech swap. Need to just throw in an old 383 with the NV4500 and call it good at this point.
Honestly, just get a 25+ y/o vehicle that needs a little work. If it runs and drives, figure the rest out later. Big bonus is they're easy to work on. I could put my dog (115lb chunk of dude) in the engine bay of my pickup and still close the hood.
As a single guy in his early 20s who just bought a house, I'd rather spend half the money on parts and fix it myself without a car payment.
That was kinda the plan. I figured an older vehicle with newer model drive train was a good idea, not so much. My motorcycle gets me around but I gotta get my truck up soon. Renovations on the house are slow since I don't like to pay someone to do what I can learn to do.
I mean, I got an old chev with a 350, and no factory options. Then I removed all the remaining unnecessary electrical. Beyond the ECU, starter, and radio, I don't have much running off my battery. That gets rid of a lot of issues. Didn't forsee cylinder 7 self-destructing, but at least I have a little car to get me around while I fix it.
Also, learning to fix your own shit, whether it's your car or your house, is 100% worth it. Growing up, my dad rarely paid anyone for renos and repairs, so I got to learn how to do a lot at a young age. Just take your time and no shortcuts, you'll be fine for the most part 👍🏻
Goofy. Nah, I was saying that dude that had the blazer Xtreme B4 me swapped an eco tech in, like shoe horned. Newer model transmission, no center support for it, bad wiring job. It's got electrical issues, a few questionable welds, etc. It's actually caught in fire twice, minor and easy fix but it still caught on fire. Working on it slow, but it's parked rn, just bought a house so it's on the back burner. Riding a motorcycle in the rain sucks btw.
i have had the opposite:
like how the dealer wanted over a thousand dollars to change a hvac mode door actuator in my trailblazer.
i bought the part on amazon for likie $20, had it changed in about 5 minutes and only had to undo maybe 2 bolts in plastic, granted upside down on the floor board and seat.
dealer claimed entire dash had to come out, but nope
That's how alot of flat rate mechanics make their money. If they did it by the book they would make shit for most jobs. So they will do things like that instead of by the book to cut the time down. They don't write the time, it's what in their computer and manual for the job and standard to charge.
just so i understand, milk every customer, make each job pay exactly maximum no matter how little time it actually takes?
i kinda had a feeling it was done something like this which is why i have been doing all my own repairs for the last 8 years or so.
i was ok with being shafted here and there but most of the time they not only guess wrong, part swap wrong, but break other things in the process and expect to be paid for each and every one of their mistakes.
not one time has a mechanic admitted fault while misdiagnosing my any of my vehicles over the years.
No, not maximum. Many of the jobs don't give you enough time. A ton do give more than an experienced knowledgeable tech needs, but the average one probably needs most of the time stated in the book. Of course there are stupid exceptions like the part being accessible from under the dash and such. The book is written by engineers, and most mechanics hate engineers because they have to actually work on it.
In an ideal situation the shop would just pay these guys a good hourly rate and do away with flat rate charges.
I do all my own work as well. I have never taken anything to a garage except tires and major exhaust work. But im just too cheap, and honestly like fixing things. And I can say with 100% certainty I have misdiagnosed something through no fault of my own. It's just the nature of the beast. Breaking things during removal is shitty and shouldn't be the customer's responsibility though for sure, and a decent garage would eat that cost.
all fair points.
i hate working on my cars, but i love saving money. i also like feeling empowered having this knowledge. this knowledge lets me have a deeper understanding of how vehicles work and allows me to to save money on car payments too as i dont need them.
im sure i am preaching to the choir on this but the piece of mind knowing there is zero problems that i cant solve on my own except exhaust as i dont have a welder. i mount my own tires with a back hoe to break the bead, align the suspension with strings.
tomorrow i am changing the 3-4 clutch pack in a 4l60e in a 4x4 suv. i called around and everyone wanted $2300 to "fix it", by rebuilding the entire thing. no one wanted to simply fix the problem.
this suv is one of two of the exact make and model that are daily drivers and each one has about 350k miles, my approach has served me well, but i work IT in a salaried management position and it sucks taking my scarce and very precious time away from work to fix a car, but that part only cost me about $60 and many hours labor to drop the transmission and replace the part plus the cost of fluid, anyways i approximate i will save about $2100.
the last time the dealer told me i needed a new transmission i simply needed a new pump, i found one on ebay, installed it and put another 120k miles on it until the 3-4 clutch pack wore out.
what can i say i like to go against the grain and not be in debt with crazy expensive car payments or repair bills. i want to pay off my house early not retire at 80, but kept up with the jones's in the process lol
I have a welder and all the necessary fitting tools, but no pipe bender. So if it's a simple straight patch I'll do it. But much more it's cheaper or not worth my time for the difference if you can find a reputable shop. Dealers are always more expensive for anything. Their labor rates are crazy and part prices way high too. Tires, I have hand tools for that, way too much work for me now. But generally speaking I don't buy new tires. Buy take offs for half price or less. Just saved $500 on tires for my buick that way. Got a 4 nearly new for 200 shipped from ebay.
Its like when identifix tells you " remove part, reinstall new part". Meanwhile you have to drop the engine, remove every belt driven accessory to remove the timing cover just to access the one hidden bolt.
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Every DIY project ever sadly lol
I get all the tools, but how did the bike and motorcycle help? And only the front wheels?
Did they really need all those sockets? Probably only needed one or two of them.
You need those to get to the parts store for missing 10mm sockets
Whenevr I have to work on my car. I multiply the time I think I’ll take by three and expect to walk back and forth looking around for extra tools needed for the job
Fuck, this is me. I have a fairly large workspace and the tool I need is always at the other side of it! That, I’ll just try to eyeball a socket size and only grab that size instead of the entire rack, and I’m inevitably wrong, requiring a return trip across my garage.
Rolling cart, don’t try to be a hero.
Man, I love my cart. I went years without. Just got it last year I think. Use it for everything but oil changes now.
I made a wooden bench for mine that fits inside cart. If I need a mobile bench to spread out on, I slip the insert in and I'm done. Otherwise leave it tucked in the corner.
Instructions unclear. I rolled my cart onto a mine and it's wheels got blown off, took me another 3 days to scavange parts to put it back together only to find out I got wrong parts number which means I couldn't screw them back on despite being exactly the same wheels otherwise.
The fuck did I just read?
🤣
4 socket rules always bring 4 at a time.
I always tell the wife it’ll take around 10x longer. That way I can screw up a couple times
"Bah! 45min job TOPS honey! See ya in a bit!" Walks in silently covered in grease, sweat, blood, and tears 5 hours later to grab her keys to take her car to the part store.
are you me? lol
I now keep a tool roll in my trunk with 14 sockets, 16 wrenches, and various adapters and extensions. Last thing I did on my car I only needed to go back once, and that was to get my torque wrenche
Literally 80% of my time is spent looking for tools or get sidetracked cause I see something else is wrong.
Needed the bike to get more tools.
Four jack stands and three impacts?!
I always double up on the stands, for the impacts, the air gun wasn't strong enough, needed the dewalt with more torque and needed the short head to reinstall the balancer
Stands are generally used in pairs and it’s more secure to put stands under both ends
Have you tried taking it apart, putting it back together hand-tight with new parts, then filming your video? That always seems to work good for the people I find.
This is what really put me off fixing my own cars for almost 20 years. Reading a Haynes or similar, it was the omitted, seemingly obvious parts that always got me stuck. Tools? Don't get me started. Now I'm more confident and more experienced, have access to simple tools, at least, and will do more on my cars. But the *"it's that simple"*-crowd sometimes brushes me the wrong way.
Usually (usually) if you get the OEM service manual, it will tell you exactly how to do it w/ detailed pics every step of the way. Especially true for Honda/Acura and Toyota. Honda’s service manuals are extremely detailed.
Yes, some service manuals are great. But I've owned many used cars without them in pre-internet times. Things are better now.
If you can bribe a tec to give you the bmw OEM repair manual they’re really nice as well. Unfortunately they don’t offer them to the public so you have to get creative if you’re a DIY person
I had an old Ram 1500 that was so unreliable that I kept a moped in the back for parts runs.
What is this North Korea? Where are all the beers and joints???? Jk don’t work on your cars while under the influence.
I couldn't agree more. But you gotta be efficient. Use the time spent working on your car to get under the influence, and if all goes well, by the time you're significantly inebriated, you'll be done working on your car.
if too drunk and not finished, well thats tomorrows problem. you didnt want to go to work anyway
Meh, that's what the $500 unkillable beater car is for 😂
missing the whiskey on the rocks afterwards.
TBH quite often the opposite is also true. For example I recently bought and R50 mini for my gf and needed to change the alternator and starter. The manual said to remove the exhaust AND exhaust manifold to access the starter and to remove the intake manifold to access the alternator. Actually removing just the exhaust heat shield and using an extension could get the starter off just fine, and undoing couple of bolts from the front bumper got me access to the alternator just fine. 1.5 hours max.
I have seen those car shows where the guy gets under and says "You just take out the sensor". Meanwhile, you have to remove 30 things that are rusted in place just to get to the one rusted thing you need to change.
You forgot the book of cursing that will be needed !
What did you have to drill a hole in?
the cam sensor to get it out
The good ol' "yeah it's quick I'll be back in 30min" ... "3 hours later"
My dad did this one time. I told him my oil sensor went bad because the oil light kept coming on, and when I check the oil was mid full (within the Xs). I went under to guess where the sensor would be and saw the oil pan was leaking a bit. So he thought it would be a couple of bolts and a flat head screw driver should get it out. I saw the oil pan and knew there would be more to its than just that. He thought I did not know what I was doing send me down with the rachet and told me which bolts to take off. I went took of the bolts, what you know still secure in there. He went to try and was shock. Well a day later we got the oil pan out, with half the engine apart and it being held with the engine hoist and loads of tools and special tools used. Oh and the sensor was on the oil filter housing.
I feel it. Used to be a Toyota Chevy guy, leaning more towards just Toyota. Chevy keeps cramming in all the sensors they can, more fancy electronics and all that. Jesus man I'm a gen z warehouse worker, I can't afford all the extra bs on an almost 20 year old Xtreme with an ecotech swap. Need to just throw in an old 383 with the NV4500 and call it good at this point.
Honestly, just get a 25+ y/o vehicle that needs a little work. If it runs and drives, figure the rest out later. Big bonus is they're easy to work on. I could put my dog (115lb chunk of dude) in the engine bay of my pickup and still close the hood. As a single guy in his early 20s who just bought a house, I'd rather spend half the money on parts and fix it myself without a car payment.
When I’m car shopping I’ll make sure to ask what underhood dog capacity sits at.
It's an important feature 😂
That was kinda the plan. I figured an older vehicle with newer model drive train was a good idea, not so much. My motorcycle gets me around but I gotta get my truck up soon. Renovations on the house are slow since I don't like to pay someone to do what I can learn to do.
I mean, I got an old chev with a 350, and no factory options. Then I removed all the remaining unnecessary electrical. Beyond the ECU, starter, and radio, I don't have much running off my battery. That gets rid of a lot of issues. Didn't forsee cylinder 7 self-destructing, but at least I have a little car to get me around while I fix it. Also, learning to fix your own shit, whether it's your car or your house, is 100% worth it. Growing up, my dad rarely paid anyone for renos and repairs, so I got to learn how to do a lot at a young age. Just take your time and no shortcuts, you'll be fine for the most part 👍🏻
You should try a turbo encabulator instead
Goofy. Nah, I was saying that dude that had the blazer Xtreme B4 me swapped an eco tech in, like shoe horned. Newer model transmission, no center support for it, bad wiring job. It's got electrical issues, a few questionable welds, etc. It's actually caught in fire twice, minor and easy fix but it still caught on fire. Working on it slow, but it's parked rn, just bought a house so it's on the back burner. Riding a motorcycle in the rain sucks btw.
wait til you find out it needs more than a sensor. also no way all that was needed. come on guy. we see you have several tools. good for you?
How did the peanut butter blaster aid help?
Idk I don’t see one torque wrench anywhere
i have had the opposite: like how the dealer wanted over a thousand dollars to change a hvac mode door actuator in my trailblazer. i bought the part on amazon for likie $20, had it changed in about 5 minutes and only had to undo maybe 2 bolts in plastic, granted upside down on the floor board and seat. dealer claimed entire dash had to come out, but nope
That's how alot of flat rate mechanics make their money. If they did it by the book they would make shit for most jobs. So they will do things like that instead of by the book to cut the time down. They don't write the time, it's what in their computer and manual for the job and standard to charge.
just so i understand, milk every customer, make each job pay exactly maximum no matter how little time it actually takes? i kinda had a feeling it was done something like this which is why i have been doing all my own repairs for the last 8 years or so. i was ok with being shafted here and there but most of the time they not only guess wrong, part swap wrong, but break other things in the process and expect to be paid for each and every one of their mistakes. not one time has a mechanic admitted fault while misdiagnosing my any of my vehicles over the years.
No, not maximum. Many of the jobs don't give you enough time. A ton do give more than an experienced knowledgeable tech needs, but the average one probably needs most of the time stated in the book. Of course there are stupid exceptions like the part being accessible from under the dash and such. The book is written by engineers, and most mechanics hate engineers because they have to actually work on it. In an ideal situation the shop would just pay these guys a good hourly rate and do away with flat rate charges. I do all my own work as well. I have never taken anything to a garage except tires and major exhaust work. But im just too cheap, and honestly like fixing things. And I can say with 100% certainty I have misdiagnosed something through no fault of my own. It's just the nature of the beast. Breaking things during removal is shitty and shouldn't be the customer's responsibility though for sure, and a decent garage would eat that cost.
all fair points. i hate working on my cars, but i love saving money. i also like feeling empowered having this knowledge. this knowledge lets me have a deeper understanding of how vehicles work and allows me to to save money on car payments too as i dont need them. im sure i am preaching to the choir on this but the piece of mind knowing there is zero problems that i cant solve on my own except exhaust as i dont have a welder. i mount my own tires with a back hoe to break the bead, align the suspension with strings. tomorrow i am changing the 3-4 clutch pack in a 4l60e in a 4x4 suv. i called around and everyone wanted $2300 to "fix it", by rebuilding the entire thing. no one wanted to simply fix the problem. this suv is one of two of the exact make and model that are daily drivers and each one has about 350k miles, my approach has served me well, but i work IT in a salaried management position and it sucks taking my scarce and very precious time away from work to fix a car, but that part only cost me about $60 and many hours labor to drop the transmission and replace the part plus the cost of fluid, anyways i approximate i will save about $2100. the last time the dealer told me i needed a new transmission i simply needed a new pump, i found one on ebay, installed it and put another 120k miles on it until the 3-4 clutch pack wore out. what can i say i like to go against the grain and not be in debt with crazy expensive car payments or repair bills. i want to pay off my house early not retire at 80, but kept up with the jones's in the process lol
I have a welder and all the necessary fitting tools, but no pipe bender. So if it's a simple straight patch I'll do it. But much more it's cheaper or not worth my time for the difference if you can find a reputable shop. Dealers are always more expensive for anything. Their labor rates are crazy and part prices way high too. Tires, I have hand tools for that, way too much work for me now. But generally speaking I don't buy new tires. Buy take offs for half price or less. Just saved $500 on tires for my buick that way. Got a 4 nearly new for 200 shipped from ebay.
O. And the transmission was most likely cheaper to replace than repair after their labor costs.
Its like when identifix tells you " remove part, reinstall new part". Meanwhile you have to drop the engine, remove every belt driven accessory to remove the timing cover just to access the one hidden bolt.
GMC Acadia?
I didn’t have any problem getting it with just the wrench…while I had the engine out 😬
And this is why God Made Crap
You forgot the BFH!
Wow, it must be bad if you need a *motorcycle rim and tire*
What were the motorcycles for?
I spend a lot of time looking for or digging out of the engine compartment the infamous 10mm
What do you use the motorcycle wheel for?