Some people buy a car and exclusively get it repaired at the dealership. Others rely on their trusted local mechanic. But if you’re a car enthusiast, there’s a good chance you like to personally handle your vehicle’s maintenance. But how far do you go in the pursuit of keeping your car’s roadworthy?
Some jobs are easy to tackle. Doing an oil change is often our first introduction into auto care, along with other basics like swapping out air filters and flushing the coolant now and then. Brakes are fairly easy to handle, too, once you know what you’re doing, though you might call in a friend for the bleeding side of things.
But what about the harder stuff? What is it that scares you, frustrates you? There are plenty of stickier jobs that could qualify. Timing belts are a great example here. They can be frustrating to change, often requiring pulling lots of stuff off the engine to get at them. You might find as well that you need some kind of special tool to lock your cams or crankshaft in place to do the job right. Plus, if you have an interference engine, there’s a Sword of Damocles hanging over your head the whole time. Make a small mistake, like aligning the belt just a few teeth off, and you can trash your entire engine just seconds after you start it back up.
I’ve done all kinds of wrenching jobs, from refurbishing fuel injectors to swapping in coilovers and swapping out diffs. Still, there are a number of jobs I turn my nose up at. I generally won’t touch a timing belt on anyone else’s car but my own, given the stakes at play. My girlfriend’s car is due, and given how the last oil change went down, I don’t think I’ll be taking any chances. I’ll change my own spark plugs, but I’m very reluctant to do so for friends—I’d hate to strip a thread and leave them with a car that’s not running.
For some jobs, it’s more dependent on the car in question. Changing the spark plugs in a Corolla? No problem, it’s a 20-minute job. Changing the spark plugs in a Subaru, or a Mitsubishi 3000GT? Hoo boy. Clear your calendar.
I’ll happily change transmission filters and fluid on an old Falcon. It takes little more than an hour or two and you just need a socket wrench and a funnel. As the Aussies say, it’s a piece of piss. In contrast, the design of my BMW 320D makes the same job incredibly frustrating. With no transmission dipstick or fill port under the hood, it’s a far more difficult job. Filling the transmission requires getting under the car with a transfer pump, and checking the levels relies on getting the fluid to the proper temperature and watching it drip out of a hole. It’s way too fussy. From the professional mechanics I spoke to, it’s best done on a lift with a buddy in the car shifting the gears to ensure the fluid is circulating properly.
I won’t take on that job again, because it was an absolute mess the last time I tried. It took me months to get all the spilled fluid off the driveway, besides.
But those are my hangups. I want to hear about yours. What maintenance jobs do you refuse to take on? Be as broad (or as vehicle-specific!) as you desire.
Image credits: Lewin Day, Parvez AzarQaderi via Unsplash where credited
I’ve done a rack swap (E36 into E30) but I never want to do that again – even if it is just a straight bolt-up rather than a ‘let’s see if we can get it to fit’ adventure. Likewise, I just don’t trust my ability to correctly set gear lash on a rear differential, which is why when I eventually pony up for an LSD, I’ll pay someone else to build it and send them my old one for the core charge.
Other than that, I’ve found that as long as you have the right manuals and tools (or a reasonable approximation thereof), some sort of lift, and a heated garage or a garage with a space heater, most repairs are doable. You just need to have a certain degree of confidence in your own ability to follow directions and not get frustrated.
There’s just not much I am willing to do. As I get older, not only is it harder to do without hurting myself, there’s the time involved. I’m glad I learned as much as I know, makes it hard for people to rip me off, but I never took any pleasure in doing my own work. Maybe a little pride and I saved some money, but it became so hard to dispose of oil when I changed it myself at my old house, I stopped even doing that.
Drum Brakes. Fuck all Drum Brakes.
The older and shittier my body gets over time, the list gets a lot longer.
It might sound strange, but even when I was a tech I always HATED doing under the dash work. New heater cores, blend door actuators (which was unfortunately a lot), or anything else that required contorting my annoyingly huge/heavy head under a dash…NOPE. Somehow it always seemed to be on the hottest days too.
Also anything that I don’t have the space or proper tools to do anymore, like engine-out work. I might consider it if it was for a classic car that I owned and didn’t need to daily.
And someone else said it here, but I no longer do any “big” jobs for friends.
I won’t do brakes, steering, or tires anything. If it’s safety related, I have a trustworthy licensed trained professional do it.
Back in the day, I’d do everything short of changing windshield glass (never had to). Enjoyed doing the work and learning new things. I’ve rebuilt engines, transmissions, differentials, suspension, brakes, done bodywork and paint, replaced complete electrical systems on cars, trucks and bikes. With modern cars, and my advancing age, I check fluids, tire pressures and present the credit card when required. I’d like to do the work again as a hobby when I retire.
Windshields are probably what I hate the most,the whole process really sucks. Any car glass sort of sucks though..
I’ll farm out tasks that have the potential to kill me. Compressing coil springs? Nope. Not doing that. It seems easy but you only have to screw up one little thing to end up in the hospital. Also anything that requires a license or special certification. I’m not going to try to recover refrigerant from an A/C system or let it vent to the atmosphere.
As I grow older the list gets longer… A few things I would never do are replace tires on rims, I did it on a 1931 Austin 7 using tire irons and afterwards said never again!,
Replacing windshields, I did that on a Sunbeam Tiger thought I would be clever and had a complete windshield and frame to “just swap in” many many hours later I finished only to find that the convertible top latch catches that were cast into the windshield frame were spaced differently than on the original frame I had to swap it back out and to finish off the day I ended up cracking the glass due to improper torquing down of the frame.
Painting a car I have tried it three times disaster every time!
For mechanical things, it comes down to whether I have the tools for the job, and how much tools would cost (if they aren’t able to be rented for free at Autozone). I took my car to the shop for a clutch replacement because I don’t have a lift and only had a handful of tools at my girlfriends place and have no reason to collect tools there. I have a jack and jackstands at home (and also my parent’s place) where I’ve done more car repairs, but not my GF’s place, where the car was (all three places in different states). On the other hand, if I were at home, I’d consider buying a cheap/used engine hoist and stand to do more serious work if it ever came up because I’d rather spend the money on tools than someone else’s labor.
I’m an enginerd who likes to watch car repair videos for fun (and read DT wrenching adventures), so I generally like to do anything doable by a home mechanic without expensive specialized tools. I’d definitely tackle a Subaru timing belt because it’s really easy for a timing belt, and I’ve watched some videos on it. I’ve done spark plugs on several Subarus and they are easy once you watch a video or two. Even the H6 was quicker than my Prius (where you have to take the windshield wiper tray off first).
I did the AC on my older Subaru, but only because it hadn’t worked in near a quarter century, and there was only a trivial amount of pressure/refrigerant in the system. It was a cinch to work on, and it was fun to learn how to do. But otherwise, I’m limited by wanting to be environmentally responsible and legal because I have no tools to recover refrigerant. I’m certainly not going to top off a system that has a known leak that hasn’t been fixed.
I don’t do body work because I don’t have the skills and acquiring them doesn’t have enough payoff—I’m not constantly buying old cars (only have bought 4 cars in my life as a Gen X guy). I happily paid someone $250 to do PDR on a single big dent when I got my last car in 2019. That makes something rust-free key for any future car purchases.
Unfortunately, once you get to the BA Falcon (or Fairlane in my case) Ford had deleted the transmission dipstick, so you have to pump fluid in via a fill plug on the side, put the plug back in, get the transmission warm and leave it in each gear in turn for a couple of minutes to be sure fluid has got everywhere it is meant to, then take the plug back out and recheck/top up.
Engine oil and filter, on the other hand, takes just a few minutes and you don’t even have to jack the car up (although it does make it easier).
The two things I don’t want to do, and may end up paying to have done, is the diff mounting bushings and the central locking.
The diff mount bushings are a known wear item, and to fix them properly requires dropping the whole rear subframe plus special tools for removing/replacing the bushings, so I think I’ll leave it until it’s absolutely necessary then pay someone who does them every second day.
The other fun item is the Body Control Module buried in the dash that has a reputation for issues caused by dry solder joints, which from what I can diagnose is the reason my Fairlane is convinced one rear door and the bootlid is permanently open. It means if I try to lock the car it unlocks again immediately, and I had to pull the interior light fuse so the battery would not drain. Either I have to pull the module and resolder all the joints without damaging anything, or pull the module to find the correct part number as different trim levels and audio/climate control options use a different module, find the correct replacement, and have a Ford dealer or suitable auto elec fit it as it has to be recoded to talk to the Engine Control Module, and I’m not 100% confident the diagnostic software and Ford-specific adapter I have will allow me to recode it.
On my 1960s Valiant project cars and all my previous cars and bikes, I do EVERYTHING other than engine machining as they are so much simpler. A big bonus is that despite my workplace not being automotive related (we repair/service/customise commercial espresso machines) we now have a car-sized paint booth and full paint mixing setup, paint stripping tank, hydroblasting booth, lathe, sheet metal roller and press brake.
For me I think the biggest question when deciding whether to do something myself or not is whether I can get the necessary tools at Harbor Freight and if I’m willing to pay for them. Unless it’s my work vehicle in which case it is likely to be more profitable for me to put the van in the shop and work out of a rental. Hell, even if it’s not profitable deadlines don’t care.
Honestly, oil changes. I always did my own, but now there is an honest to goodness old school shop that does it for less than $24.00 with tax. Yes, R&T Auto will continue to do my oil changes…
I have quite a list, when I think about it:
Automatic transmission rebuilds. Replacing individual components on circuit boards. Body work that involves a frame machine. Bonded windshield replacement. SPICA fuel injection rebuilds. Repairing cracked dashboards. Carbon fiber. No tools to evacuate HVAC refrigerant, so that’s out. Mounting/balancing tires. Higher end alignments (I’ve done the level gauge and string method though) Building custom driveshafts. Higher-end coding on cars also scare me, but I’d probably give it a shot.
Bodywork. Tried my hand at it as a teenager and while the Beetle looks okay, there plenty of waves and dents I didn’t get all the way out. Haven’t even tried my hand at welding, I’d rather pay a professional to do that too.
On my 1972 Super Beetle, I’ll do everything myself, except welding.
A full rebuild on the engine in my TDI would definitely be farmed out, and I’m on the fence about installing new shocks/springs myself or paying to have it done. I am going to be doing my first timing belt change on the Sportwagen, there’s kits that include all the tools you need and plenty of documentation, so I think I’ll be fine. Other than that, and horrible electrical gremlins I suppose, I’d give most anything a go that doesn’t involve removing the engine or transmission.
I will try what I have equipment and skills for. I called a pro for BMW Airhead transmission and rear main work but I did a top end rebuild in my garage. I have also done cylinder head swaps, control arms and CV axles. Tires, welding and machine work are pro jobs. Fortunately I live in a low rust area.
Most things I’ll DIY but full engine, trans, or diff rebuilds I’ll farm out. Pulling them out and dropping them off I can do but when there’s enough special tools and voodoo/witchcraft involved (auto trans, particularly) that I’d rather have a pro do it.
The tricky part is finding a pro that actually knows how to fix things properly. Not too tough for popular enthusiast cars but finding recommendations for the mundane DD cars can be a chore.
Painting might be another one. I can do a bit of body and prep work but it’s starting to look like just handing it off to Maaco for the spray is the most time and cost efficient. I’ve sprayed a few cars and it’s a pain to DIY decently and most of the end results are in the prep. Having someone else mix the paint and use their own booth seems easier.
Anything where the transmission or engine has to come out of the car. I do not have a lift nor the space for one.
Back when I had a garage, I did everything except serious exhaust work. I never rebuilt a transmission—but swapped a few & installed plenty of clutches.
‘A human built it: I can do it too.” As long as I have a place out of the elements. I’ve rolled in the mud & gravel I freezing temps too many times.
I’m just starting to swap a sub-100k mile into the MRoadster I spun the oil pump nut off off & toasted the 188k motor. Thankfully, my bil is allowing me to use his or this wouldn’t happen.
*use his garage
Probably HVAC stuff. I’d rather unbolt pert near anything under the hood than anything under/behind the dash.
Same