Right now, The Autopian’s XPEL Nissan Murano Crosscabriolet is in the shop getting a lift kit (!). A technician from Galpin Auto Sports noticed that the oil hadn’t been changed. “Would you like us to do that for you, sir?” the service adviser asked. I — someone with very little time to do pretty much anything these days, as I’m trying to keep both an infant and a media company happy — should have said “yes, please take care of it.” But I said no. And I don’t think that’s ever going to change.
Times are different since this new company and my new family Yoko Ono’d the rust-loving Human Wrench who used to live off Rochester Rd. in Troy, Michigan. I cannot take on multiple wrenching projects at once; I cannot drive across the country in a crap-can and fix it along the way; I cannot get notices from local authorities about my dilapidated cars breaking ordinances. I have, at least somewhat, grown up.
But only somewhat. There are still some things that I don’t see ever changing. For one, I will always own both an “XJ” Jeep Cherokee and a Holy Grail 5-speed Jeep Grand Cherokee “ZJ.” I learned to drive in a ZJ, and the XJ was my first car; these vehicles played major roles in me being where I am today, and I cherish them.
But in addition to always having at least a couple of AMC-designed Jeeps in my stable, there are some things about my wrenching propensities that I just don’t see changing, even if I find myself having to make major adjustments to my overall vehicle maintenance strategy. That’s right: I’ve come to realize that I can no longer do all my wrenching myself. I’m going to have to hand my keys over to a mechanic, and then hand a giant stack of cash to them a few hours later. It’s going to be awful, and a huge hit to my pride.
But there is a line.
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I cannot let someone else change my car’s oil. I just can’t. The job is too easy (especially since I live in a warm climate and have a driveway), lubrication is too important to my vehicles’ longevity, and an oil change is a great way to feel connected to a car without having to break one’s back removing a crankshaft or transmission input shaft or whatever. Fluids in general — engine oil, coolant, diff oil, transmission oil — there’s no reason why I can’t handle them myself, especially if I’m not home alone looking after my infant child (see above; that didn’t go well).
Brake fluid, I’m still trying to decide upon. My BMW i3 has a brake fluid light on, and I can totally do a one-person bleed job. But I won’t lie: It’s going to be a pain in the butt. I have to drive the vehicle up on ramps or take the wheels off and put it on jacks. Then I have to bleed each wheel individually. This is probably at least a few hours’ worth of wrenching, and it’s a dirty job; brake fluid is incredibly corrosive, and the area around brakes is always nasty. Then again, it’s only something I’d do every five years.
Speaking of brakes, there’s another thing I’m never going to farm out: pad and rotor swaps. When I did my now-wife’s Lexus’s rotors and pads, I saved us over $700! Sure, it took me a few hours, but brakes are just too easy, and, at least for me, the job of replacing them is borderline therapeutic at this point, as I’ve done it so many times before.
Aside from fluids and brakes, the other repair I’m never going to farm out is spark plugs. For the most part, this job is painless. Most of my cars are inline-sixes, meaning all the plugs are on one side of the motor; sure, the plug in the back can be a little tough to get to, and the AC compressor can block the front one, but I have 900000 extensions of various lengths, plus socket u-joints — this job just isn’t a big deal, especially since I can order the parts online if I don’t want to run to the store, and especially since I only have to do it every 10 years or so.
There are also quite a few filters that need to be swapped on my cars. The oil filter is, of course, part of the oil change I mentioned before. But there are others; my Jeep Wrangler YJ, for example, has an inline fuel filter underneath, attached to the frame. Plus, all my cars except my BMW i3S have engine air filters that need regular servicing, and my i3 and my wife’s Lexus have cabin air filters near their gloveboxes. These are cheap and, for the most part, easy to do. (The i3’s cabin air filter can be a bit tricky, and the YJ’s fuel filter is a messy and smelly job.)
There are plenty of other regular replacement items that I just don’t think are worth paying someone else to swap. A battery, for example, is something I’d never pay anyone to install. Ditto with a starter motor, as they’re genuinely easy to replace. Yes, they require sliding under the car and getting dirty, but driving onto a pair of ramps, undoing a couple of bolts holding the starter to the bell housing, and disconnecting a connector or two is pretty much all that’s required to remove a starter.
Along with a battery and starter, another thing I’ll try to replace myself is basic electrical connectors and fuses and motors, as these are often fairly trivial to swap, and doing so is usually a rather clean and not very oily job.
One component that’s far easier to replace than perhaps the layperson thinks is the alternator. Obviously, this isn’t true for all cars, but for my Jeeps, loosening the accessory drive belt is simple, and then the alternator usually comes off with a couple of bolts and some jimmying. Other accessory drive parts like power steering pumps are usually an easy swap, AC compressors require a refrigerant recovery that I don’t have any interest in doing, and water pumps … well, on my Jeep, they’re no fun.
I won’t lie; it’s going to be hard to hand off any work to a technician, but I don’t see myself rebuilding a manual transmission again in the near future, nor do I see myself tearing up my Jeeps’ front ends to get to their water pumps. Will I replace the Nissan Murano’s broken CV boot on its front left axle shaft (which the Galpin Auto Sports technician noticed is torn)? No, probably not; I might shove some grease in there, patch it up, and see how long it lasts, but if it goes, a mechanic not named David Tracy is handling that job.
But I’m doing that oil change. I have to, for my own sanity.
I used to do oil changes, but the local garage next door to my work storage space is just too convenient. I know I can do it, but I value my time more. At this point, the only car maintenance I do is air/cabin filters and snow tire swaps (separate rims). I recently had to replace a garage door opener, and I was going to do it myself, but saw the big box hardware store had an install price of $150. The contractor was here for 2.5 hrs. Time that I was able to do other things.
I’m struggling with this for different reasons. I’m 53 with a recently developed random-ass health problem that causes fatigue, heat intolerance, and exertion intolerance. I would think nothing about sweating my balls off outdoors all day working hard until not so very long ago at all, where now I might wreck myself for two or three days if I try that – and it doesn’t take long at all to get me to that point on the wrong day.
There are lots of small jobs that I know how to do, that I can’t do. I’ve had a new set of rear brake pads for my wife’s SUV for weeks now, but they’re still in the box. Why? It’s not because I don’t know how to change brake pads. It’s because I live in Florida, it’s been in the 90s every single day for weeks and weeks and weeks now, I don’t own a garage or a carport, and the only time it’s gotten cool enough for me to safely take on such a job has been after dark – when I not only can’t see to do it, but am also much more likely to be completely wiped out. And don’t get me started on the yardwork I have to let slip. Jesus.
This condition has made my life more challenging in countless ways, but when it comes to the driveway, it has even made it more expensive. You don’t think of your health having an impact on your car repair bills until something breaks that you can’t fix yourself anymore. The sick Autopian part of me would actually look forward to sliding under a greasy car on my back. Now? That sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Sounds like it’s easier (maybe faster) to change a Subaru’s timing belt and water pump as it is to change a Jeep’s water pump. Then fresh, new timing components, no worries about worn timing chain guides, etc. for another 105,000 miles.
You would think replacing a cabin air filter would be a no-brainer; in most cars it is. But not in a P1 Volvo (V50 /S40 / C30 / C70). To do it right, you basically have to plank upside down and even take the accelerator off just to get to the door (that, of course, has three screws attaching it, for no reason). You can get away with not removing the accelerator, but what a massive P.I.A.!!!!!
I’ll cheerfully do stuff like brakes, air filters, bulbs, etc. I did the plugs on my Hyundai last year, and plan to do the belts tomorrow or Friday. I had a repair this winter that needed doing. I could have done it, but snowy driveways are not a great place to work. I paid a shop. If it were spring, I probably would’ve tried it.
I do not.plan on doing the plugs on my wife’s van. The upper intake has to come off, along with a bunch of other parts to get to the rear plugs. As well, it needs other stuff that may determine whether we keep it or trade it. Personally, I want to keep it, so we’ll see what happens.
As much as I want to change my own oil…by the time I get a shop to do it, it’s close enough to even price-wise that I don’t want the hassle.
It depends. If it’s me wanting something kind of custom, I’m absolutely doing it. Sometimes I’ll farm it out like if it’s a major pain. Otherwise I have generally sufficient tools and persistence to make things work.
I’m definitely in agreement with you here David. When the kids come, we have to let go of some of those things we swore we never would.
Regarding the CV boot, I would get it done sooner than later. The only thing that will cause the joint to wear is contamination through a torn boot.
I misread the title as “repairs that I will never do”, and now I’m wondering what that list looks like for Mr. Tracy.
Same!
I don’t mess with tires wheels and major AC work because I lack the tools. I’m willing to take on a timing belt if access isn’t to bad. The key determinants are special tools, expensive equipment, and time