Self-maintenance
- Thread starter RQ7
- Start date
Yeah clearly unlike yourself, i wish i was as good as you at chatting crap on here. Your the best im not even half the man you are
Me?? More than i can count actually.
first one, whilst still at junior school age, with the help from my dad, was a lawn mower engine
done quite a few since.
most fun must have been getting an S4 engine out to upgrade manifolds that had already been replaced due a recall on that car only to find the rattle in question was wastegate related, which the guy could fixed himself from underneath without even opening the bonnet
strange for someone in a garage not to agree about cowboy garages, you much get peope come in to sort out other garages work, or do they take there car somewhere else to sort out your mess
Do you not read what i type? I have said there are garages out there that want to take your money and not do the work right, never did i disagree i disagreed with you saying all garages are the same. If you would like to know our garage is one of the best in the area and many people come there for the reputation.
Tools and ramps will be able to be used again and again though so you will get your £ back easily over time. I wouldn't get ramps, axel stands are only ~£20 and there is no need for a large tool box just for simple servicing either but if planning to do more stuff later it's worth getting one from the outset imo.
Time already mentioned in a previous post. Weather can be avoided by just servicing it in the warm weather, helps if you have a big drive and/or garage.
Risk of doing something wrong is a tough one, people can and do make mistakes but doing it with someone who knows what they're doing can avoid this, especially for an oil change and other simple jobs.
FSH well that is a point, I just keep all receipts of stuff I've done myself. Recently any big jobs I've needed doing like clutch or cambelt I've had done at a garage as I was not in a position to do them myself.
It's just a shame that for every decent place there are about 20 dodgy ones.
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always the risks there. even the risk of attempting this or that, something going wrong along the way and then causing yourself stacks of extra work.
ive done a lot of work on other people's cars from other forums, its annoying when you get stuck into a job and then there is a complication meaning it becomes a real mission.
with the sump on a 1.8t for example there are a couple bolts tucked under the flywheel.
if you damage the heads on those then its gearbox, clutch and flywheel off to correct it and ive had to get countless sumps off to sort out oil pump pick ups.
i think the ratio is worse than 20:1. everyone want to run their car on a shoestring, garages have to be more competative so corners are cut
rounded sump plugs!
i once did an oil change as a favour years ago, that turned into a week long ordeal as THE PREVIOUS SERVICE GARAGE killed the thread in the sump so then used body filler to bodge the plug back in (not joking at all)
at that point i didnt have much experience with the 1.8t, struggled to get the sump down, the replacement took ages to find.
all because yet another naff garage killed the thread on the sump
Interesting. I have Febi brake pads at the moment and they never felt quite as sharp as the OEM ones. Annoyingly I also have a set of Febi front discs at home, are their discs any good or have I just gained a couple of door stops?
No way.
Actually it doesn't surprise me but still, bodyfiller?? Imagine if it came out and they lost all oil!the last remaining febi parts i have on my old golf are rear discs.
the shiney surface on the disc is a plating and on the febi discs, even without a lip on the disc at all, the plating is cracking
febi top mounts... dead in 13 months
febi stat. 92* instead of 83* and it failed within a year
febi water flanges. delivered warped, VW ones arnt normally warped until 10-12 years old
Hmmm... probably one to avoid in future then! Trying to think what else I've had but IIRC it has only been a couple of filters (air and oil) when the OEM ones have been out of stock.
I agree, the ramps could be used over and over. But with regards to tools and working on the car, the number of times things haven't gone to plan and i've needed to dig out a tool that my dad bought like 20 years ago is amazing. Having a small toolbox is ok for an oil change, but as you go on, having the right tools is essential. This ranges from an open ended spanner set (of different thicknesses), allen keys, different kinds of hammers, all sorts of screwdrivers and socket sets and drills. I wouldn't have been able to do half the jobs on my car/deal with things when they didn't go to plan without my dad's entire room of tools!
Indeed, but if you're needing work done on the car, say for instance, now - i wouldn't be able to wait 3 months until the weather warms up a bit! I did some suspension things on my car in early Nov and by the end of it my hands felt like they were going to drop off, not to mention something didn't go to plan and the light faded very quickly indeed.
I guess, but some people don't have someone who they know/is willing to watch over them as they do work on the car. If you do something wrong and shear a bolt or something on your driveway, you can potentially be in the ****, whereas if this happens at the garage it's not an issue as they have the hydraulic lifts, warm garage and all of the tools under the sun. Not to mention that if their workmanship is at fault, they'll pay for the damage...
I've noticed more and more car ad's saying "book not stamped, but receipts to show work done". If i was buying a Toyota Corolla and i saw an advert saying that, i'd immediately press the back button and look for one of the other 1000 that have FSH.
I agree, that's why when i find a decent place, i post on the internet about it on forums and tell friends and family to go there.
Once you start, you don't really stop buying tools IME! Nothing wrong with that though, tools are great.
Hat, gloves and a lamp! But no, you would not catch me doing any serious work in this weather, maybe an oil change or something simple but even then it'd only be in an emergency. Hitting freezing cold metals objects with cold hands is not very enjoyable.
Been there, done that. Took an engine out on my own having never done it before, 'twas 'fun' trying to balance the engine and operate the hoist at the same time. Always good fun when you're flapping about, trying to source a part, at the end of the day when it's closing time.
Obviously it depends on the car and the price I guess. I wouldn't be too bothered by an advert saying that but then I'm not your average buyer.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 18 May 2010
- Posts
- 12,921
My car has full Toyota history and i'm keeping it that way even though I can do most of the basic stuff myself and my Dad offers to help me out, it would be better when it comes to sell it as it will stand out more from the other examples
If and when I replace it with a cheaper car when i'm running a flat next year then things will change and i'll be doing most things myself and a trustworthy garage for the bigger things I cant do
If and when I replace it with a cheaper car when i'm running a flat next year then things will change and i'll be doing most things myself and a trustworthy garage for the bigger things I cant do
Once you start, you don't really stop buying tools IME! Nothing wrong with that though, tools are great.
Definitely, it's just quite expensive to start off!
Mmmmm....everytime i undertake something on the car i seem to invent new swear words.
Been there, done that. Took an engine out on my own having never done it before, 'twas 'fun' trying to balance the engine and operate the hoist at the same time. Always good fun when you're flapping about, trying to source a part, at the end of the day when it's closing time.
Not done anything at that level - but yes, there is a huge sense of achievement after you have DIY'd something. Pretty much the main reason i do it.Gaygle, sounds to me like you need to buy yourself some tools
I've recently started actually! Got my basic rachet set, some Torx screwdrivers, open ended spanners, but i'm secretly hoping my dad will give me his huge collection of car related tools one day