Do you like to do your own car maintenance?

[jersey]

I try to do oil changes and minor stuff because it saves some money. But man it's so nice to just drop the car off at the shop and not get your hands dirty.

[jpd]

Agreed..............as a young family man I was a "duct tape" mechanic by necessity. Nowadays, I'll change out the oil and filter, wipers, etc.....but water pumps etc....no way. The perks of getting older.......

[gjd100]

Very minor stuff I'll do....but the days of doing brake jobs etc, are long gone.....and thankfully so...

[joe white]

I have done everything from engine and transmission swaps, changed heads, timing chains/belts, plugs, wires, rebuilt front ends, changed rear differentials including re-gearing, fuel tank swaps, fuel pumps, radiators, ac condensers, air bags, roofs as well as every kind of sheet metal repair or replacement. I have rebuilt many total loss cars and then driven them for years or sold them for a great profit. I even did a complete color change on an S10 Blazer in one weekend and that included removing all the panels ( hood, fenders, doors and gate) to do it properly. Now, I can't even stand to change my own oil.

I will still do certain repairs though just because I can't accept the labor fees for tasks that I can easily handle like brake pads, rotors, shoes, drums, batteries and stuff like that but I really don't like to get my hands greasy so I wear good latex gloves in order to keep most of the grime off. The last major thing I did was about four years ago when I did the intake gaskets in an '01 Aztek I had. That was no fun.

[Luke_]

Ive owned my own shop for 4 years now and worked for ford 6 years prior to that. I only work on ford diesel trucks at my shop. All performance stuff. Compound turbos, drag racing, sled pulling ect. I love beating my hands with a hammer then trying to play my guitar every day,.. Not!

[XYRN]

I like to know how to do maintenance and repairs, and I do.
But actually sticking to a schedule where I'm regularly doing the work myself? Not since I had a child....

[HHP]

I did in the days of owning big block Chevrolets. When I open the hood of my 2013 car, I can only assume there is an engine in there somewhere.

[pgilmor]

I do enjoy it, to a point. I am definitely not a good mechanic, but I still like to do what I can. Just replaced an alternator and did some little stuff on my '95 F250 7.3 today, and loved it.

What I don't love is when the "automotive engineers" (I'm sure a lot of people have other words to call them) make it so danged difficult to do what ought to be straight forward. For instance, the Ford 1997 and later powerstrokes have the upper radiator hose running through the middle of the serpentine belt.

Now, instead of just changing a worn belt, you have to drain coolant, remove a hose, and change a belt. THEN put it all back. I hate those guys!!

[Klef]

Right. I maintain my cars, but I buy stuff that doesn't need much. I'm over the retro-car thing.

[Luke_]

Custom turbo mount



Pop the hood up on this one

[Luke_]

Originally Posted by pgilmor

For instance, the Ford 1997 and later powerstrokes have the upper radiator hose running through the middle of the serpentine belt.

Now, instead of just changing a worn belt, you have to drain coolant, remove a hose, and change a belt. THEN put it all back. I hate those guys!!

That hose is an old part number the newer style hose does not go thru the belt. I can get you the part number if you wish. If you ever have any questions on 7.3's or any other ford truck I'd be glad to help

[dhalbert]

I used to do some car maintenance like oil changes and replacing the alternator. Once I rebuilt a carburetor, but the problem turned out to be an intermittent spark plug wire. Then once I was changing the oil and cut my hand enough to need stitches, and I decided that was enough of that kind of work. Now I have a great shop within walking distance who also has a lender car. I will still swap out batteries and other simple stuff, but anything that takes more than a few minutes I will leave to them.

[JCave]

Originally Posted by Luke_

Ive owned my own shop for 4 years now and worked for ford 6 years prior to that. I only work on ford diesel trucks at my shop. All performance stuff. Compound turbos, drag racing, sled pulling ect. I love beating my hands with a hammer then trying to play my guitar every day,.. Not!

Luke I laugh at your story. I also work with my hands but in a different way, that of artist i.e. jeweler, glass. My hands are often torn up from hammers, saws, drill bits, polishers. And talk about dirty..... You might think I stillk turned wrenches.

[Luke_]

Jcave... Kinda comes with the territory, lol

Doesn't matter how careful you are, I actually think about doing dumb stuff the right way so I don't hurt my hands in a way that I can't play guitars. Haha!

[JLed79]

I love spending time in the garage tinkering on my cars. In addition to routine maintenance I've also done the work mostly myself of turning couple of my cars into dedicated track cars. Just finished the roll cage install in one of them earlier today actually.