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Thread ID: 145936	2018-03-07 07:47:00	Do most people not do car maintenance?	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1447118	2018-03-07 07:47:00	Both either themselves or get a place to do it . I have told people that the timing belt is well overdue, 260,000 on the clock . Japanese import so it might be wound back . They just do the engine oil and filter and some mechanics also don't remind people of this or maybe they given up . They run it until the car breaks down and if it's too costly to repair they get another car . They also use the view that, why should one maintain a car even if it last longer and by that time even if it works they want a newer car . Yeah, actually the drive belt came off or snapped that was at the supermarket carpark, so they walked to a mechanic they drove over got them to start it up and drive to their place probably without power steering . And I think, one of their previous cars maybe the car had to be towed cos the timing belt but many Toyota's have non interference engines . Do most people just don't do car maintenance? Even with the engine oil they tend to pick the cheaper one ie a 20w40 or a 15w40 . Tha handbook says 5w30 - yep even for 20yr old Camrys . :)	Nomad (952)
1447119	2018-03-07 08:38:00	I get my ute serviced regularly, don't do it myself as I hate getting covered in grease, oil, diesel etc	gary67 (56)
1447120	2018-03-07 08:46:00	I check my car’s tyre treads, the fluid levels, wipers, make sure lights and indicators are working, probably every 4-6 weeks. Tyre pressures every month. I also rely on my garage to let me know what needs doing and when to get a WOF & service etc. I also keep my car clean and tidy inside and out most of the time..... I consider it my asset, and my independence, so I want to look after it as best I can! LL	lakewoodlady (103)
1447121	2018-03-07 17:02:00	I do notice in NZ, when sending in a car for service, they don't (never) clean the engine compartment. Remember, back in Singapore (30 years ago), whenever I sent in my for service, the first thing they did was, clean up the engine compartment, then carried out all others ...	bk T (215)
1447122	2018-03-07 19:27:00	We mostly do our own services. Cambelts, sons mate, the mechanic. I had mine done when I bought the car, 172,000. It's now on 202,000. But then budget dictates our buying and selling. Husbands ute lasted till it was about 650,000 before the motor gave up. Sons car was on 418,000, motor still good but he'd already spent heaps on it, and it needed sterring, hoses, and clutch again, so he sold it and got another car.	piroska (17583)
1447123	2018-03-07 20:05:00	I take mine in to Oil Changers (that's the business name) every 10,000km and that's about it. I do it on round numbers and ignore the previous mileage (eg last service 51,212km so next service is 60,000km and so on). I also don't worry about how long it's been, Oil might gain moisture over time but it doesn't magically stop working after 6 months. They check fluid levels and the air cleaner, change the oil, and advise if the transmission fluid needs changing. I've only ever had 1 cambelt changed in a '91 corolla I did 130,00 km in. I've never owned anything else long enough to worry about it. My last car was a V6 camry and the manufacturer recommends you change the cam belt on that at 160,000km. I never got close. In my younger days I never got anything serviced, but then my first few cars had a continuous oil change process where they used 0.5 - 1 litre of oil every tank of Gas so I figured most of the oil was always new. The radiators were't much different, I always had a bottle of oil and a bottle of water with me. Ah the good old days..... One of my older sisters once traded in a car she had owned for years with a sack of potatoes in the boot from before she bought it and rusted bonnet hinges and cobwebs everywhere under the bonnet. In 2 years she had never opened anything other than the doors and the petrol flap. It got some comments from the car dealer.	dugimodo (138)
1447124	2018-03-07 20:55:00	Seems like average of $500 each time my car goes in for repairs Maintainace : change the oil, change the sparks plugs , check water and brake fluid. Its not hard so Im not sure why garages charge so much for a "tune up" that doesnt include oil change Cambelt replacement on my car cost $800 . But they also replaced water pump and seals around that area. So I can see why many dont want to get that done . $800 is a lot of $ on a car worth under $3k . Most people just dont have $$$ spare to spend on car mainatinace Cheap or old cars : honestly its not worth spending on regular servicing. I see Midas charge $149 for what is just an oil change & check fluid levels . For a 15minute job .	1101 (13337)
1447125	2018-03-07 22:20:00	Do my own since mid 70's. 14 years old - late 20's years old I use to help uncles to lap valves/pop off oil rings/hone cylinder walls/ replace crank/con rods/caps, etc after crank was turned, swap gear boxes, clutch, diffs, steering box, wheel bearings(use press or double hammer wacks - some might know what I mean) starter, etc. even build trailers. One uncle was a diesel mechanic another auto electrical/welder. Another skilled in body work, Grateful what they taught me at young age. Last few months I did front clutch replacement/rear struts/DIY wheel alignments/brake pads/tie rods/led's in my dashboard/under seats/tyre valve/puncture replacement fix/CEL diagnostic check for son in law and nephew. But let them sweat it out doing the work. I have hundreds of tools, gauges, pullers, etc. Now buying me female torx sockets, and XZN spline sets, new deep 1/2, 3/8 sockets and their converters, adapters, and heaps of bit sets for my drills/drivers. Contemplating a welder(s). Some want me to buy and do up cars with or for them for profit. Don't want to. Be under pressure. Get sore back/cramped hands these days. So yeah do my own - and for others but indirectly. But think back to those that taught me. Really a lot of working class kiwi's (guys) did their own car work back then. I think partly because few cars and their parts were around. So you learnt to fix it - particularly if money was tight. I still remember my mother's Holden Belmont 186 (I think) doing oil change after coming back from college. When I worked in the marketing/R and D/Technical field none of those softy management guys did their own car work (except the maintenance engineers), so I with a former mechanic, fixed it for them on their private cars at work premises. ...Got a 2014 Holden Colorado service job/service code resetting for my son's in-laws coming up. Save them hundreds - $520 service cost I'm told. Also Mazda MPV spark plugs replacement for niece. But YouTube gonna help here ...	kahawai chaser (3545)
1447126	2018-03-08 01:21:00	Seems like average of $500 each time my car goes in for repairs Maintainace : change the oil, change the sparks plugs , check water and brake fluid. Cambelt replacement on my car cost $800 . But they also replaced water pump and seals around that area. . Hmmm. My mum was getting a $700 bill every year at WOF time. For the "service". They had all sorts of rubbish on it like charging her battery etc. She wouldn't listen to me, but finally some of the church people told her, rescued her and now she is going elsewhere and not a target for the we see money coming lot. $800 for a cambelt?? Geez. Last real garage I had one done charged $350. Sons mate charges $250, inc water pump, belt and labour. The parts aren't that much you know.	piroska (17583)
1447127	2018-03-08 01:57:00	Hmmm. My mum was getting a $700 bill every year at WOF time. For the "service". They had all sorts of rubbish on it like charging her battery etc. She wouldn't listen to me, but finally some of the church people told her, rescued her and now she is going elsewhere and not a target for the we see money coming lot. $800 for a cambelt?? Geez. Last real garage I had one done charged $350. Sons mate charges $250, inc water pump, belt and labour. The parts aren't that much you know. I note you have a 1996 Corolla, one of ours is a 1998 Camry. That maybe cheaper although $350 might be a good mechanic relationship. Esp with the newer cars including JP cars they are more compact so sometimes the front bumper needs to be taken off before the job can be started.	Nomad (952)
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