Who works on their own cars?

JustAnotherSaver

And what sort of things will do you do? Obviously the question is extending beyond washing & hoovering



I'll do fairly basic stuff as i'm not very mechanically minded. I'll change wheels, do oil & filter changes, air filter, pollen filter, fuel filter. I changed the ECU on my car which was a real nuisance of a job. Not the ECU itself but when i had to mess around with the ignition too - that was a royal PITA as i didn't think i'd get it back in at one point. I've removed my clocks (centre console time display as well as the revs/speed/fuel clocks). I've done a coolant change although not properly - i didn't remove the stat. I've removed & cleaned out the throttle body.



I wont do anything regards belts & beyond really. I sent it in for the thermostat to be replaced although i could probably have done it, i just didn't want to risk splitting hoses. Cambelt is a certain no for me. Exhaust replacement is another i sent it in for. I've had a bash at doing brake pads & discs but having done it it's now something i just can't be bothered taking up my day again so i'll send it in.


I actually started trying to do bits myself as one time i sent in for a 'full service' and set the screws on the air filter cover all the same way to see if it had been touched when i picked it back up ..... it hadn't been.


So what jobs will you / wont you tackle? And for those who do take on most jobs, how did you gain your knowledge?

fred246

I am happy to change cambelts but I never wash it or hoover it. Actually I do wash it to make it look OK for the MOT.

DigForVictory

I change wheels & some bulbs. I check & refill petrol, screenwash & oil.
Occasionally I'll wash the thing.

The rest I pay for but as a 5'2" female, Even Clutching a Haynes, I appreciate my limitations, the mechanics talents & pay cash.

EdGasketTheSecond

I do most things except welding; its rarely needed these days and not worth the overhead of having all the gear hanging around. I have done timing belts, head gaskets, clutches, even an engine out and back in. Exhaust jobs are questionable as to whether its worth doing yourself; some definitely are and some not; just too difficult to get at and the bolts hard to shift without oxy acetelane.


The main benefits of self-service is the money saving and I know I get a good job done and my car won't be damaged by someone who doesn't care or doesn't know what they are doing.

nickcc

Used to do everything on mine and families cars mainly because that was my trade, nowadays I'd rather someone else did it as getting dirty and laying under cars is no longer my idea of fun.

daveyjp

When cars could be fixed with a cheap socket set and a basic tool kit I did lots of DIY. I also liked to 'tinker' and would happily take bits off and put them back together, check plug gaps, valve settings, replace thermostats etc especially on the cheap bangers I owned.

Now life is more difficult my involvement goes as far as taking wheels off and changing wiper blades and bulbs.

I did however diagnose a faulty fan on the hottest day of the year this year. Friend's car overheated, no fan working, disconnected the temp sensor, still no fan. Fault was a fan motor failure.

EssexExile

I'm old & in the olden days we did everything because we couldn't afford to pay someone. If the engine in the Prefect needed rebuilding you did it, if the front suspension of the Bedford van needed replacing (after Alan drove it into a ditch) you replaced it. You drove around with a boot full of tools & parts because, more likely than not, you'd need them.

With modern cars I can't even find the sparkplugs.

nickcc

EssexExile wrote: »

I'm old & in the olden days we did everything because we couldn't afford to pay someone. If the engine in the Prefect needed rebuilding you did it, if the front suspension of the Bedford van needed replacing (after Alan drove it into a ditch) you replaced it. You drove around with a boot full of tools & parts because, more likely than not, you'd need them.

With modern cars I can't even find the sparkplugs.

Always carried my tools in the back of my cars/vans. Can't remember last time as the boots now used for our weekly shop

The_3rd_Zebu

I'm glad we no longer have to de-coke (de-carbonise) the engine every few thousand miles.

nickcc

The_3rd_Zebu wrote: »

I'm glad we no longer have to de-coke (de-carbonise) the engine every few thousand miles.

Especially when they were side valve.

JustAnotherSaver

nickcc wrote: »

Always carried my tools in the back of my cars/vans.

I remember as a kid my dad always had a big tool box thing in the boot. You'd open it up & then it'd open up again on itself sideways. Kind of hard to describe. Full of stuff. Your comment brings back memories.

EssexExile wrote: »

If the engine in the Prefect needed rebuilding you did it.

Another one. I remember doing our family tree with my dad shortly before he died & i'm pretty sure he was telling me about his brother having one of these Prefects. Name certainly rings a bell & i'm sure that's why. If it tallies then my dad and his brother were born in the 40s where his brother i think died some time in the 60s.