The Car Maintenance Thread

[Martyn]

I've had a few animals wander out but missed them all . A few years back we were in Turkey and were being taken to the airport by a transfer vehicle. There was just me and my wife plus the Turkish driver in this big people carrier. It was half light early morning and a wild pig wandered out of the murk and we hit it. The pig exploded, the driver was really shaken up and the vehicle smashed in. We had to be picked up by another vehicle.

 

[SilverLeaf]

Did a little maintenance myself this weekend.

Car #1 (385k miles)

• Oil and filter change (every 5,000 miles - easy to remember that way)
• Replaced parking brake shoes. The friction material from the old shoes separated from the backing plate. The manual said that the axles would need to be pulled to gain access, but I found a write-up on a forum for this specific model for an alternate method. Worked great. Glad I didn't have to open the pumpkin.
• Adjusted parking brake linkage

Car #2 (242k miles)

• Front brake job. New rotors and pads
• Installed new headlights and adjusted alignment
• New air filter
• Fixed door that would not stay open
• Removed and disassembled the ACM (Airbag control module) to replace a blown thermal fuse on the circuit board. A little solder braid, flux, and a good, hot iron and all is good. The air bag light is no longer flashing. I still need to track down the impact sensor with the intermittent short that caused the fuse to blow in the first place, but that will have to wait. Intermittent electrical issues are the worst.

 

[cypress]

Did a little maintenance myself this weekend.

Car #1 (385k miles)

• Oil and filter change (every 5,000 miles - easy to remember that way)
• Replaced parking brake shoes. The friction material from the old shoes separated from the backing plate. The manual said that the axles would need to be pulled to gain access, but I found a write-up on a forum for this specific model for an alternate method. Worked great. Glad I didn't have to open the pumpkin.
• Adjusted parking brake linkage

Car #2 (242k miles)

• Front brake job. New rotors and pads
• Installed new headlights and adjusted alignment
• New air filter
• Fixed door that would not stay open
• Removed and disassembled the ACM (Airbag control module) to replace a blown thermal fuse on the circuit board. A little solder braid, flux, and a good, hot iron and all is good. The air bag light is no longer flashing. I still need to track down the impact sensor with the intermittent short that caused the fuse to blow in the first place, but that will have to wait. Intermittent electrical issues are the worst.

What cars do you have!? That is excellent stuff for it to keep going!

 

[coffee]

Did a little maintenance myself this weekend.

Car #1 (385k miles)

• Oil and filter change (every 5,000 miles - easy to remember that way)
• Replaced parking brake shoes. The friction material from the old shoes separated from the backing plate. The manual said that the axles would need to be pulled to gain access, but I found a write-up on a forum for this specific model for an alternate method. Worked great. Glad I didn't have to open the pumpkin.
• Adjusted parking brake linkage

Car #2 (242k miles)

• Front brake job. New rotors and pads
• Installed new headlights and adjusted alignment
• New air filter
• Fixed door that would not stay open
• Removed and disassembled the ACM (Airbag control module) to replace a blown thermal fuse on the circuit board. A little solder braid, flux, and a good, hot iron and all is good. The air bag light is no longer flashing. I still need to track down the impact sensor with the intermittent short that caused the fuse to blow in the first place, but that will have to wait. Intermittent electrical issues are the worst.

Hi Silverleaf, Great job on the cars. The mileage is really impressive too. I did have a 2002 Buick Century that I got up to about 250K miles before it died.

Working on the air bag would kinda scare me a bit. Too bad its not one of those recalled airbags eh?

What kind of cars are these?

 

[Mick]

Hmmm. Aren't we all going to be turning into that customer we all know: "My computer was acting a bit...well...funny, so my husband asked a friend of his to take a look at it. Now it won't come on at all and is making a funny noise...."

 

[coffee]

Hmmm. Aren't we all going to be turning into that customer we all know: "My computer was acting a bit...well...funny, so my husband asked a friend of his to take a look at it. Now it won't come on at all and is making a funny noise...."

?

You mean on car repairs?

I guess I am already that type of person. I ask a lot of questions at the buick forums and "Eric the car guy" forums. ETCG on youtube is a great place to learn - Check out his videos.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Hmmm. Aren't we all going to be turning into that customer we all know: "My computer was acting a bit...well...funny, so my husband asked a friend of his to take a look at it. Now it won't come on at all and is making a funny noise...."

Nah...I know how meticulous and anal I am with my work.
I've seen how grease monkeys in garages rush through work, often doing things so sloppy and poorly done...I'd never go back to them again.

Most things involve reading a service manual. It's written for mechanics to understand...they're typically someone who has not gone to college. Faaaar less complicated than the computers we live and breath in every day.

Last night I pulled the carb apart on my Harley, zero'd out the settings back to default, ran up 'n down the street 'n tweaked...over and over. Think she found another 10 horsepower! A fun night with my and the bike.

 

[coffee]

My latest work on the car was on the air conditioning. I did a lot of reading and studying to understand it all and what tools one might need. Seems my air was just not cold enough coming out of the vents. So, I did pick up a can of 134a and gave it a bit of a charge.

I know it does not leak as it did hold pressure. So, Gave it about 5 oz's and now its running good. Pressure on the low side is about 38.

Last thing to really do is change my coolant as its never been changed since I bought the car. I have the DEX-COOL in it and its suppose to last a long time. I am sure its about up on my car though Bought the car in 2010.

So, That is about it. The business is picking up now and I have rode out the slow period getting the car back in shape. Just have to clean out all the *rap in the back seat (lol).

 

[cypress]

I gotta replace my Sun Visor that cracked. This is a known issue with the 2007 Honda Civic models. I have gotten them replaced through warranty but now I am well out of warranty with about 129,000 on the car now. Ordered a new one and once it arrives in about 2 days I will install it. I I also decided to paint pretty much all the parts of the car that were fading which were front bumper, hood, top of car and door handles along with mirrors. I know I can probably get another 100K out of this car easily especially with the way that I baby it. Business has been good lately so I am taking any profits from the there and putting it into this project.

 

[coffee]

I gotta replace my Sun Visor that cracked. This is a known issue with the 2007 Honda Civic models. I have gotten them replaced through warranty but now I am well out of warranty with about 129,000 on the car now. Ordered a new one and once it arrives in about 2 days I will install it. I I also decided to paint pretty much all the parts of the car that were fading which were front bumper, hood, top of car and door handles along with mirrors. I know I can probably get another 100K out of this car easily especially with the way that I baby it. Business has been good lately so I am taking any profits from the there and putting it into this project.

Painting. Now that will be something.

I have about 102,000 miles on mine right now. I plan on running this car until it pukes.

I was wondering what happened to your paint job until I saw where your from (Flordia). I imagine the sun really kills paint jobs there

 

[cypress]

It really does considering the car is out in the elements 24/7 365 since I don't have a garage either. The paint on these Honda Civics aren't any good either. They were thin to begin with and a lot of complaints and recalls were done. I actually got the hood painted under warranty because it developed what you would call "crows feet" not even 2 years of owning it. If I didn't take care of it like I did, it would be a lot worse.

The good thing is I am getting a lifetime warranty on the paint job from the body shop and they have already stood behind their work on previous stuff I've had with them.

 

[brandonkick]

So I just started doing a bunch of maintenance that needs done to my vehicles.

My 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee needs new spark plugs (that I've had sitting on my shelf for over a year now... tisk tisk), new air filter, new PCV valve, front and rear diff service, transfer case service and it needed transmission fluid change but I've "started" that. Dropped the pan, changed filters, and put 4 quarts of new fluid in. I'll have to do the same thing again, since this pan has no drain plug, and right now I only have 50% new fluid mixed with 50% old fluid. Another drop, plus 4 quarts of new will have me at roughly 75% new fluid...

My truck needs new spark plugs (16 of em... ugh 5.7 HEMI lol), needs a diff service on both axles, needs a tranny fluid change and new filters, transfer case, and can't hurt putting an air filter in.

Probably start the truck next. I've been kicking around the idea of buying dorman tranmission pans with drain plugs but I'm a little hesitant. A drain plug would be nice, but I DO NOT want to kill a transmission by running it low on fluid. I'd rather deal with the hassle of trying to drop the pan.

Most of this is pretty easy stuff, mainly because I have access to a lift and don't have to do it from the ground. The spark plugs on the hemi are a PITA. I'm not a small guy, and climbing up on that engine doesn't seem very fun. I've heard pulling the driver wheel and wheel well gives easier access to the rear plugs on the driver side.

My 99 Monte Carlo is leaking coolant, probably needs intake manifold gaskets or the leak is somewhere around the water pump. Need to get that addressed. It also seems to have "power issues"... wondering if the catalytic converter is blocked up.

 

[brandonkick]

Annnnd now the RAM needs a wheel bearing, and a parking break rebuild. Not shifting very smooth, seems to hesitate a bit and almost "jerk" into second gear. Could be a lot of things, but I'm fearing a tranny issue or maybe a problem with the MDS. A lot of people opted to disabled it with a programmer... can't really see 4 cylinders doing a lot trying to push this 6K + pound vehicle down the highway.

 

[GTP]

^^^ this is why I pay a mechanic.

I know your in the US....
...and i'm not 100% sure but I think in Aus it's actually illegal to do your own repairs to brakes and such?

 

[Moltuae]

^^^ this is why I pay a mechanic.

I know your in the US....
...and i'm not 100% sure but I think in Aus it's actually illegal to do your own repairs to brakes and such?

Really!?

Makes sense I suppose. I'm pretty sure there's no such law in the UK but I could be wrong.

Either way, I'm the same as you; I usually pay a garage to do the work. I used to do most of the work on my own cars when I was younger (and less well paid) but not any more. I still do a few smaller jobs, or diagnose faults myself before taking it to the garage, but that's all. It makes no sense to do the work myself. Any time spent working on my car could be time spent earning money and, since my hourly rate is greater than the garage's hourly rate, I'd be losing money doing the work myself. Plus the garage has ramps and all the right tools, so in most cases they'll be able to do the job faster and better than I could.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

My truck needs new spark plugs (16 of em... ugh 5.7 HEMI lol), needs a diff service on both axles, needs a tranny fluid change and new filters, transfer case, and can't hurt putting an air filter in.

Those are fun huh? The last two cylinders...gotta get a low profile socket wrench to slide under back there...and the plug sockets with the rubber boot on the inside to "grasp" the plug to lift out....since you can't get your hand up above there easy. I hate not seeing down in there to clean..so nothing falls down in there.

Did all new rear brakes on my RAM 1500 2x weekends ago.

 

[brandonkick]

@StoneCat

I've never done them personally, but my father did them on his slightly older 5.7 RAM and yeah, he said they are mighty fun. Mine needs a tune up bad... 11 MPG with a decent mix of highway is pretty crappy and hits the wallet harder than it needs to.

@Moltuae

I can see that point. Right now, my hourly rate isn't higher than the shops in the area. My fathers shop alone is $60+ an hour for just the labor. I don't make that kinda scratch, not yet, doing what I do. I make decent money, but I'd say no more than 60-70% of that figure and other shops in the area are higher.. some almost $80 or more per hour. Of course my father doesn't charge me, I usually lend a hand when doing the work and if he needs technical work done I do the same for him.

I do like to work on my own stuff though. I know it's done right, I know what parts went on it and I care more about my vehicle than I'd wager the mechanic does. Some don't make a lot, and wouldn't care what oil they grab off the shelf... if it's over full or under full or just the wrong weight.... some of them just don't care all that much. It helps a lot having easy access to a lift, and just about all the tools you'd need. If I didn't have those things, I wouldn't be doing a lot on my own. Maybe simple fluid changes, break jobs and the such... routine maintenance. If I made more than the shops labor rate, I'd also let them do it as well.

 

[GTP]

The problem here (in Aus) is with insurance companies and the "Law." If you had an accident and it was revealed that you did your own work on the vehicle and it was found to have contributed to the accident; your screwed!
Whereas if the work is done by a "qualified" person - even if it was shoddy work and contributed to the accident - you're covered.
Insurance companies look for anything to negate them having to pay out! Even after market accessories can have ramifications down the road.
A lot of Aussie vehicles have bull bars fitted but unless they are from an "approved" supplier they are otherwise illegal. Consequently if you are involved in an accident you could lose your insurance or worse.

 

[frase]

I had a little bingle in my car the other month - dented and basically fubar'd front bumper.
Got a quote from repairer - $900.00

Sourced a 2nd hand bumper in good nick from wreckers, got paint colour from VIN number badge.
Sprayed and replaced bumper at a cost of $190.00

Had no idea what I was doing, but thought shouldn't be too hard, took me a bit of work. Turned out well in the end.
Next day some idiot cut me off, wasn't even looking @ an intersection went straight through. Hit brakes and managed to stop just in-time

 

[Sky-Knight]

I do my own breaks, I'm funny that way... I've had too many professional mechanics screw up, and I trust my own hands far more than I do anyone else's. It also saves me a mint because professionally it's around $500 / axle to get them done, when I can often get two vehicles done for $500 in parts. That's new rotors, new pads, and some fresh lubricant for the pins. Disk breaks are easy. Unless a caliper is out... I pay for those because bleeding breaks by yourself is for the birds.

I'll do other simple stuff too, like plugs and wires, belts, tensioners, and idlers, splash guards and the like.

I CAN to major repairs on any engine, being the grandson of two diesel mechanics / truck drivers will do that for you. But I often choose not to because I don't have the time. I work for money that I can use to pay a specialist to do that work, and it's cheaper for me to pay him than it is to pay me for one of my few Saturdays in a given year.

So yeah that means I just told the mechanic NO to a $200 splash guard, while last month I paid $2000 to get a lower intake manifold gasket, valve cover gaskets, new power steering pump, new power steering high pressure line, and two new heater hose assemblies installed into my wife's 2008 Town and Country.