How many of you do your own maintenance??

That's so cool! I wish they taught this stuff to girls. I'm trying to learn more about what goes on under the hood. I would love to be able to work on my car myself so that I know what has been done to it and I can give her the best parts and fluids, but I have some serious learning to do. I also know that as much as I have bonded with her from the countless hours I've spent keeping her clean and purdy, I can just imagine how much more I would love my car if I could work on her under the hood. I love to watch that show Overhaulin' cause you get to see them assemble the whole thing from start to finish.

Justin you are my hero! Where in the world do you go to even buy an new engine?? :confused:
 
I feel better doing my own maintenance than sombody else =)
 
I do everything myself! I will never let someone touch my vehicle unless I can not do it myself, which has never happened yet! Like someone said buy the factory manual...although they are a rip off! If you can't get a factory due to $$ then get a Haynes or Chilton's! Most manuals can be found in pdf. files for free n forums just start looking around and asking around!
 
Gary Sword said:
You need to get a racing floor jack. That's what I had to get for my Lambo. The front is only about 3" off the ground.
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Still don't work. The sideskirts for the Saleen effects are not perfectly straight. They curve down towards the ground right before the wheel wells. Yea, speed bumps are a pain.
 
i try to do all my own work. just replaced valve cover gasket a few weeks ago, SOB is still leakin some oil though so i have yet another leak....and after i did my first autocross last weekend, something went wrong in my suspension and went away so i can diagnose it and fix it! but yea, soon im doing a brake upgrade myself, and might do some suspension work while my car is torn apart. i think some new bushings and such are in order, plus i think it may be time for a timing chain...although i could just let it snap and blow the engine, so i can rebuild the whole thing! damn...need an o2 sensor as well, im gonna order that tonight i think
 
In my youth, I did most maintenance myself. I had a VW Rabbit and an Alfa Romero. I did lots of work on those cars, like tune up, oil change, brakes, etc.

Now days the cars seem to have so much electronics and I don't have the same free time as I did back then. So, I take my cars to a mechanic for most everything.
 
turbos17 said:
I do everything myself! I will never let someone touch my vehicle unless I can not do it myself, which has never happened yet! Like someone said buy the factory manual...although they are a rip off! If you can't get a factory due to $$ then get a Haynes or Chilton's! Most manuals can be found in pdf. files for free n forums just start looking around and asking around!
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Thanks for the tips.
 
turbos17 said:
I do everything myself! I will never let someone touch my vehicle unless I can not do it myself, which has never happened yet! Like someone said buy the factory manual...although they are a rip off! If you can't get a factory due to $$ then get a Haynes or Chilton's! Most manuals can be found in pdf. files for free n forums just start looking around and asking around!
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Hehe, can't remember where I found mine but I have the exact factory manual Ford/Mercury/Lincoln etc that technicians use. Much, much better then Haynes or Chilton, for some reason some of the stuff in those too are missing steps or the instructions did not apply, kinda odd.

I try to do some of the maintenance but generally don't have the time, our dealer hooks us up (bought all our trucks from them for years) so I don't mind and their good.
 
Anything to help my brothers from another mother out...and sis's too!
 
I do it all, though much more slowly than I used to. I recently put a Super Charger on a 5.4 Ford SuperCrew and upgraded the automatic transmission with a few goodies to handle the extra torque. I also put a SuperCharger pulley, injector kit on a friends 05 Ford GT. It came from the factory with 550 h.p. but with a few mods that we have completed is advertised at around 700 h.p. currently. Pretty tough to know if this is factual without putting on a Dyno. The GT is an amazing car to drive.
 
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I would never purchase a car that didn't have a full service history from the dealership. Hence, I won't do any maintenance myself either. The only thing I change in my truck is the air filter and the fuel filters. Everything else, only the dealership touches.
 
That goes to show you there are two mindsets here. Some wouldn't trust a dealer on a bet, others trust the dealer above anything else. I fall into the former camp, after all who can I trust more than myself assuming I'm capable of doing a job? I believe it's the difference of being someone who is hands on or someone who is hands off.
 
GearHead_1 said:
That goes to show you there are two mindsets here. Some wouldn't trust a dealer on a bet, others trust the dealer above anything else. I fall into the former camp, after all who can I trust more than myself assuming I'm capable of doing a job? I believe it's the difference of being someone who is hands on or someone who is hands off.
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It helps that you are a master mechanic too! :p lol
 
FloridaNative said:
It helps that you are a master mechanic too! :p lol
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Well.... yes and that too, but I don't think you have to be in order to take care of your own. Those credentials are much more important when you start charging someone for your work. I have a number of friends that don't hold the certifications I do but do marvelous work on their vehicles. They probably couldn't make a living at it but when it's your own all you have is time.
 
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GearHead_1 said:
Well.... yes and that too, but I don't think you have to be in order to take care of your own. Those credentials are much more important when you start charging someone for your work. I have a number of friends that don't hold the certifications I do but do marvelous work on their vehicles. They probably couldn't make a living at it but when it's your own all you have is time.
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Concho! I wish Utah wasn't so far away! I'd love to learn what you know! You should move to Florida! lol :p
 
FloridaNative said:
Concho! I wish Utah wasn't so far away! I'd love to learn what you know! You should move to Florida! lol :p
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Man the way my bones feel in these recent sub zero temps I think I might agree. I however would miss the mountains just like you would miss the ocean. I look out my front door and could hit an 11,000 foot tall mountain with a rifle. Just can't get that down your way.
 
I do basic oil changes, and various filter changes. I leave the bigger stuff to professionals.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Man the way my bones feel in these recent sub zero temps I think I might agree. I however would miss the mountains just like you would miss the ocean. I look out my front door and could hit an 11,000 foot tall mountain with a rifle. Just can't get that down your way.
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True. :)
 
I wouldnt bring my car to the dealership if they paid ME to bring it there.
 
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