After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

[ezbtr]

My 87 Camry needs a new radiator, tstat, lower hose, and 2 oil leaks fixed(just got the tire leak fixed this a.m. for $32??? - course they dont plug like I used to, tire off, inside patch, mount to wheel, balance, install, ok I suppose that is ok, they gotta pay their guys, hell I used to do for 2-3$ 25 yrs ago on car with plug in about 4-5 mins!). Shop is a private Toyota one, good guy at counter, gave me a lift back home in my car, says $600 for JUST radiator and hose and tstat - I found radiator online for $140, new w/ 1 yr warr., ok he goes down to $180 for same - a wash after shipping costs, he works with me, I tell him, "hey LOF while at it? ok another $30, all total is $550 for ALL, at times i wish i had the TIME to save more and do it on my own! But hey, I'm at work and son and i in baseball season which takes alot of time, and we LIVE for baseball.....
And this car w/ 115K original runs like a champ, got it 1.5 yrs ago for $900, put $100 of tires(2) on it, front brakes, and tranny flush and a stereo over an 18 mo. period. Saves me $30 a wekk in gas compared to the Yukon. Love that little 4 door and want another 100K out of my beater
Just venting I suppose..................... and i like to save money, get the best deal! lol

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Sometimes it's cheaper to get a shop to do it..........A couple of years ago, my Mercedes needed a new belt tensioner. I eBayed me one up, studied the procedure and went at it. Within about 5 minutes, I was backing out a bolt and put the head of my air ratchet thru the radiator..........Really, though I got reverse sticker shock when I ordered the radiator. I got a new one shipped to me for 118 bucks.

My Mercedes is one of those low-buck specials as well....It is an '87 300E that was garage kept, never in the road salt, senior citizen owned with only 85k miles on it. I paid 1000 bucks for it. I've put 11k miles on it. It is the best riding vehicle I have ever owned. When ever we go on a road trip, it is what we take.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

I can relate its like a leap of faith. I have been fixing autos all my life and getting some one else touch my baby kills me.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Used to do everything myself. Re-built a couple of old mini's back in England from the sub frames up. Used to basically have enough things with me to repair at the side of the road for the most part. Repaired universal joints on drive shafts in pouring rain getting soaked in the dark with flashlights.

Nowadays, I will do the basics or what I can get to. Anything that has the stupid virtually no access and the need of "special tool #48374b3857#@" then I have an auto mechanic that is a good friend who looks after it. He will not touch outboards though so I do the work on his outboards and he does the work on my vehicles.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Used to do everything myself. Re-built a couple of old mini's back in England from the sub frames up. Used to basically have enough things with me to repair at the side of the road for the most part. Repaired universal joints on drive shafts in pouring rain getting soaked in the dark with flashlights.

Old Minis?....you mean REAL Minis...
Had a couple myself...great little bombs. Really good in the snow as long as it wasn't too deep.
These $30K made-by-BMW creations are NOT Minis.
Remeber the old version (real version)of the Italian Job? Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill....etc?

 

[avenger79]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

i have a very hard time letting someone else work on my cars or bikes. I think the worst part is knowing what they're doing, (unlike folks who always go to the shop) so when it comes back you know where to look and see if anything is dinged, broken or whatever. I have had very few experiences where something wasn't left awry. Last time the mech left my truck out in the rain with the windows down. not a huge thing but I wouldn't have done that. I hate getting a wet butt while driving. he did a good job with the repair though so i let it slide.

 

[Expidia]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Ha ha everything said already is so true. Just to change my oil I have to jack up the car and use jack stands where as with other cars I could just drive the car up a set of ramps. My Wife's and My car are 10 years old and I've been jacking them up for the past 10 years because of their low front cowlings.

Or I could clip a $15 oil and filter change out of the paper and just hope the kid with the cig hanging out of his yap as he drives your car into the bay, doesn't strip your oil plug as he cross threads it when he puts it back in and strands you somewhere when the oil light comes on cause all your oil ran out and you need to have the car towed back

Ditto on needing a special tool for everything you touch, thank God for Harbor Freight!

Always seem to snap a head off of some part or dropping a bolt (always metric yet) in between the engine and the frame never to be SEEN again only HEARD every time you hit a bump.

How about EVERY time you get into the job it starts to rain and you are rushing around trying to protect you tools. Get every thing under cover and the sun comes out again.

Worst part of being a back yard mechanic is you need to start the job with two cars in driveway cause you are going to need one to drive down after you pull the part to match it up (after you put your tools in a safe place from being stolen) They already sent you the wrong part online which you had to go down to the Post Office and pay big shipping charges back. Now you need to go to at least 3 stores who all say they have to order it. Then if they have the part, you drive back home and its the wrong part (and raining again now).

Even changing my air filter is a project since Saab mounts them UNDER the car and you have to slide around on your back just to get at the cover (nice design).

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Don't feel bad you're not alone,I've been working on I/O's&OB's for the past 40 years and open my hood up only to check the fluids.Sometimes you're better off not working on it yourself just to save a buck.

 

[ezbtr]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Yeah, I'll check fluids, maybe oil changes and belts, IF I have the time, only covered car port here to work on em. I do remeber going to a quickie lube oplace a few years back, and them not tightening Volvo filter enough and getting oil all over Toy 4x4 exhaust system, smoked for 2 days! Is nice when a good shop does it too, warranties, etc.
The annoying part was that I had old shop replace dist. shaft seal - either they didnt, or did it wrong, this shop is doing that too.

 

[ezbtr]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

and Im glad it isnt the Camry heater core!!!

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: After years of wrenching, having a shop work on your car for you....hmmmm

Old Minis?....you mean REAL Minis...
Had a couple myself...great little bombs. Really good in the snow as long as it wasn't too deep.
These $30K made-by-BMW creations are NOT Minis.
Remeber the old version (real version)of the Italian Job? Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill....etc?

I had a Cooper S back in the day. What a ride! That is until it was modified by a Chrysler New Yorker, but that's another story.