Where does /o/ draw the line with vehicle maintenance?
I'll do my own brakes and plugs but I draw the line at timing belts/chains.
>>15330751
Alignment.
Proper body work
Proper paint
Electrical
Timing is easier than you think.
So is doing an auto trans rebuild. Shit goes together like a Lego set.
>>15330751
There is no line, only a slightly harder, more time consuming job. If it is not doable in the garage, it usually involves a heavy duty hydraulic press or a machine shop. I'd do both of those if I had the space and money to afford the equipment.
Depends, I'm planing to do my timing belt on my 2UZ when it's due but my rule of thumb is when the job requires too many special tools, it's a one time or high mileage thing or it requires heavy disassembly (drop engines or transmissions) I simply have no room to have engines and trannies laying around.
At some point it's not worth it if you're gonna spend a lot of money on tools you'll never use in per say 90k miles.
Brake jobs, fluid changes and general basic maintenance is all game.
I'll change my own oil. Might do the disk brakes in the front. But honestly the drums in the rear weird me out. How the fuck do they even work. I'm not fucking with that shit.
>>15330786
Drums are easier than they look anon. Just do 1 side at a time and get all new hardware and you will be fine. You don't necessarily 'need' the 20 bucks worth of brake tools (spoon and coil tool) but the job is a breeze with them compared to pliers and a screwdriver. Be careful with the final tension springs as they can cut flesh easily if you let one fly into your hand.
I'll do anything I have the equipment for. That means no alignment, paint, tire mounting and balancing, or smog
>>15330784
2uz owner here
I'm 50k over recommended intervals lol
Just ordered a full Aisin kit including the pump
>>15330751
I'll do anything reasonable, depending on the car and my tools. I don't have the stuff to paint or align a car, and some I've encountered have been so horribly compact that I just don't have the time to shadetree up a timing belt swap and put the entire car back together. On the other hand, I did the full heating system in my old Volvo recently and started on pulling the engine in my truck as it developed a noticeable ticking sound on the valve side. I'll rebuild it myself in all probability.
Tearing apart and rebuilding an engine.
I just have no room for it.
If i had garage id attempt it though.
I have changed the timing belt on my truck though, hardest part was undoing the crank bolt and undoing every accessory to get to the belt
The most I've done is swap out a bad radiator hose and remove the dashboard display to replace a broken gear that stopped the odometer from counting. I thought about doing my engine and transmission mounts by myself, but I don't have a flat even surface to work on.
I hate electrical but I can read a diagram and they don't bother me enough to not do it myself.
Anything involving machinery or tearing half the engine apart like planing heads for head gaskets and whatnot I don't do because apartment.
>>15330768
This but I'll don't mind electrical and I plan on practicing paint very soon.
>>15330768
Pretty much this minis the transmission shit
Basically anything that requires machining and a press other than that I would say alignment also
Chassis repair
>>15330751
If it involves a lot of fluids (oil change, coolant) or requires pulling the engine or transmission, I'm not going to bother doing it myself.
>>15330751
Right now, anything that isn't washing it or part of the 'annual service' list in the haynes manual.
I know quite a bit about how cars work, enough to know that I have no fucking idea what I'm doing without step-by-step instructions and professional assistance on speed dial.
I'm learning, though. I figure that if I can build up to proper maintenance and part replacements, I can justify getting a project to learn further on.
i have 7 vehicles and a job and a life so my line is pretty thin
2 wheelers i mostly do everything myself except electrics or if i'm desperate to have it done fast, 4 wheelers i might do the oil but i usually pay someone , regardless
>>15330786
Drums were the very first automotive work I ever did, even before doing an oil change. It's not that hard with everything being on youtube now.
>>15330751
I rebuild engines at work. Pretty much the only thing I dont do is head work and auto trannies, but motherfuck fwd cars in general.
>>15334600
Is it transverse mounted engines you hate?
>>15330751
I do everything you fucking armchair enthusiast faggot.
Body work I just suck at it.
Also I hate doing alignments and differentials
>>15334655
that's easy when you don't have a car faggot
I'll do anything that doesn't require specialized equipment to do properly like an alignment or swapping tires.
I don't do oil changes. Fuck they're annoying and dirty. It's the automotive equivalent of having to do the dishes or vacuuming. It's not "fun" work on the car it's just another tedious chore. Besides, it's usually cheaper to send it to a shop than to buy the oil and filters yourself.
>>15337657
Changing your own oil meme is the biggest meme since the miata.
>>15330751
Don't know yet, pulling engines.
I'm slowly progressing, changed brake pads, spark plugs, rebuilt my dizzy, oil change, replaced radiator and flushed it, removed water pump and thermostat and in the process of testing them before I conntect my new hoses and bleed/fill my coolant, basic bitch stuff.
I want to try sealing and riveting Lexan polycarbonate, disconnecting my tranny and dropping it, cracking it open to rebuild it myself with the T50 rebuild kit I got.
I do alot of reading and watching before I tackle something.
>>15330751
anything i don't have the right tools for
>>15337823
trannys arent that bad. recurving your disty is harder, have to spin it and check it at the same time
Bodywork, some day maybe
Electrical
Transmission rebuild
Alignment, too lazy and I like it perfect
Drivetrain
>>15330838
You can do tire mounting with a tire spoon, valve removal tool and some lubricant. It'll take some time installing though but if it's a nice wheel then I go to somewhere I know doesn't leave a rash when doing the job.
>>15330768
This but electrical and timing. I won't do body work, I won't do any type of machining, I leave that to the pros. I'll do anything else though.
>>15330784
>>15330840
Common recommendation for the 2uz is to watch the water pump. When it starts to weep around the seal, do the timing belt and water pump. Lots of 150k+ timing belts out there.
If I don't have the tools, and the tools would cost more than paying someone else to do the job, and/or I don't anticipate doing the job more than once in the next couple years, I'll pay someone else to do it. Otherwise I'll do it.
At my parents place where I have my own tools and such; gearbox, internal engine stuff
At my buddy and his fathers garage, where you have pretty much everything; no line ever drawn
>>15330751
everything except internal engine/ trans work, i do not yet have the tools nor expertise to install shit like piston rings or valve work.
>>15330768
>So is doing an auto trans rebuild. Shit goes together like a Lego set.
What automatic transmission "goes together like a Lego set?" Auto transmissions are hands down the hardest rebuilds I do. I could do two manuals and a transfercase in the time it takes me to do one automatic. But then again I'm talking about boomer-era technology. Maybe a econobox is easier.
I draw the line at things that are too expensive for me to do, like bore an engine block.
So basically anything that requires a lathe or mill or boring machine.
I'll do everything else myself.
I do my own oil, filters, plugs, and belts. Won't do much of anything else. Replacing parts as long as they're easy to get to.
I don't have a lift/jacks so I'm kinda up shit hill there.
>>15330751
I do maintenance and inspections on my own, but I see a trusted mechanic for problem diagnosis and repairs. It's worth noting I only own a DD.
Being a mechanic really has its perks in terms of working on your own shit, but there's still things I won't touch unless I absolutely have to.
>anything that requires taking out the dash
>paintwork, just don't have the tools
>Injection pump diesel tuning
>exhaust fabrication
>anything that requires extensive machining - I'm comfortable doing brake drums and discs, but again, no equipment for headwork
>>15330768
>Shit goes together like a Lego set.
wat?
nigga, i rebuilt a 4L65E and that shit didnt go together easy.
>>15338957
Depending on the vehicle, exhaust fabrication can be as simple as welding joints and tubes you can find at auto shops.
I guess it may not be show car quality, but it works.
>>15338478
>>15339390
AOD
literally rebuilt it in my kitchen floor, and I had my girlfriend assemble the clutch plates.
There are a lot of close tolerances, but its easy otherwise.
I didn't use to draw a line at all. Did everything. That was when I worked 30 hours a week and had all the time in the world to do it. Now I don't even do my own oil changes.
Feels bad man.
>he doesn't rebuild his own engine/transmission
>he doesn't re-wire his own electrical system
>he doesn't machine his own components
If I probably won't be able to drive 20 miles to work and back the next day, it's not happening
I'd rather get buttfucked by a horse in front of my whole family than call in to work without a legitimate illness
arbeit macht frei
Anything that takes more than a day to do or requires a lift and special parts/tools. I like cars but I don't want to spend the better part of a weekend working on them. I have other hobbies.
>>15340142
>pretends he works hard
>gets government mandated vacation days
Leck mich am Arsch
>>15340142
>poorfag can't maintain a second or third car
>>15330751
i draw the line the second i encounter a bolt i cannot break free.
also transmissions... i can drop the pan and change the fluid but if anything goes kaput i throw in the towel and let an expert do it.
>>15340031
This.
>Went from working 32-40 hour weeks with multiple days off in a row
>Could start a project and finish it before being interrupted by obligations
>Now work 7 days a week, 70-80 hour weeks
>4 days off a month, but it's really 2 as I work the morning of one of my days off
>I can start a project .. But I'm always interrupted before nearing completion
>What should be a 3-4 hour job turns into a 3-4 day job
As of right now I do anything the shop would charge me more than 400 for.
>Anything under 400 and I'll take it in
>Anything over I'll do myself as I can't justify paying someone such a large lump sum for stuff I can do
I use to mount my own tires with spoons. Sometimes it's worth sucking it up and just taking it in to someone with the proper tools.
wiper blades
>>15330751
Head light fluid
all I really do is wiper blades, fluids and oil, wheel changing and break mainteance.
I'll do other things if it doesn't take special equipment but anything beyond that shit I just don't have the time or desire to do myself.
Alignment, body panels, transmissions.
>Anything involving paint repair
>Body work
>Anything I need to lift the engine out of the car for
>alignments
>electrical
>>15330751
There is no line. If I don't have the tools to do it I can't but I'll do anything.
>>15330751
I have no limits.
>>15330751
i dont even fill up my own gas
Body work is the only thing I leave to professionals.
>>15343527
the bus driver does it for you
>>15343664
arent there states where its illegal to fill up your own gas? this is actually possible
>>15343667
Oregon
>>15330784
>2UZ
Have you done the belt before? I wonder how hard it is, the most I've done is install coilovers/exhausts/swaybars, I wonder if this is much harder
Will do
>Oil
>Plugs
>Shocks
>Breaks
>Lines / hoses
>Carb rebuild
>Electrical
>Half ass body work
>Half ass muffler (once after one exploded)
Would like to do more but pic related is also my work space
>>15343941
What vehicle?
I do pretty much everything under my carport. Engine swaps, teardowns, rebuilds, suspension stuff (just bought a press today so I can do ball joints and bushings) oil changes, bodywork. Everything but my 4l60e, had that rebuilt by a shop. Currently performing a mild restore on a 55 jeep.
Hobbies, man.
The only thing I've ever got rebuilt is an automatic transmission. Everything else I've replaced out of necessity of a vehicle.
I'm building a ford automatic transmission soon though, we'll see how it goes. Maybe it'll lend over to my maintenance learning so I dont have to use a shop again.
people that can bend their own headers, guys who did thier own bodywork using 1/16 or less bondo i have to respect.
>>15344253
4th gen 4runner, planning on getting one
>>15337657
All mechanics is a tedious chore you idiot.
$10 says you've never done a single thing to your car.
