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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 | ||
| 1447128 | 2018-03-09 01:16:00 | Re: Do most people not do car maintenance? There would be quite a few of us on here, that would have serviced their cars and found it a weekend job. piroska's comment on timing, was one that springs to mind, mainly points, spark plugs, fan belts, battery top-ups, wheel bearings, the list goes on. Ford Prefects 1952 and 1960 models, Ford Cortina 1967. Then luckily it was a Company car 1988 to retirement, wow that was a treat. Now we get it all done by a qualified mechanic and AA for batteries. And we have never tested the WP Gold Card for a discount, although our MU card has discounts from a few car repair shops. lurking. |
Lurking (218) | ||
| 1447129 | 2018-03-09 02:30:00 | I used to own Fiats, so there was no option : I had to learn how to fix cars . Plenty of roadside repairs on those things, parts would just break off . Damn crappy russian steel that they were made with . Damn things so unreliable, but fun to drive . I never knew any better untill I got my first Jappa : I could then put the spanners into retirement . No more repairs, a shock to the system. Often learnt car ownership lessons the hard way : trying to clean points , by feel only , on a completely dark road just out of AK : that taught me to ALLWAYS have a torch in the car :) I now hate spannering , apart from very minor stuff ,I'd rather just pay someone to do it . |
1101 (13337) | ||
| 1447130 | 2018-03-09 03:31:00 | [B]piroska's comment on timing, was one that springs to mind, mainly points, spark plugs, fan belts, battery top-ups, wheel bearings, the list goes on. . We used to have a timing light. Not any more. Husband is over being a mechanic, hasn't got the strength anymore, eyesight not the best, can't hear things like timing ping either. The newer the cars get, the less interested he is. Having helped for so long back in the english car days, it put me off ever wanting to do more than side of the road stuff. |
piroska (17583) | ||
| 1447131 | 2018-03-09 04:03:00 | If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. ;) If, the Testing Station come up with something genuine, fix it, or else update the whole car. Problem solved. |
B.M. (505) | ||
| 1447132 | 2018-03-09 08:34:00 | Yes, we are all spoiled by modern jap cars etc that never break down. When most of us were young, we had to do basic things. But as many of you have said it is just to much bother these days, better to pay someone to do it. In the 60's and 70's you often saw cars broken down by the side of the road with some poor bastard trying to fix it. |
Digby (677) | ||
| 1447133 | 2018-03-09 08:38:00 | I even think the manufacturers don't want you/us to service the cars. Eg a young girl I know has a fairly new car I think it is a Honda Odessy. She took it to the AA for a check up and they said the oil was getting a bit low. She had some oil, so I said it would top it up for her. (5 minute job right) We checked the level, it was half way. Then I tried to undo the oil filler cap. - No way. It was recessed and a funny shape so that you could not really grip it. I tried a few tools and gave up! It looks like they now have a special tool to undo the oil cap! |
Digby (677) | ||
| 1447134 | 2018-03-09 10:01:00 | I used to do my own, but now I just do real basic stuff like oil, brake pads etc, too many chips and fuses for my liking in my newer cars... well I like them, I'm just not confident enough to mess with them. | rob_on_guitar (4196) | ||
| 1447135 | 2018-03-09 20:23:00 | Yes, we are all spoiled by modern jap cars etc that never break down. When most of us were young, we had to do basic things. But as many of you have said it is just to much bother these days, better to pay someone to do it. In the 60's and 70's you often saw cars broken down by the side of the road with some poor bastard trying to fix it. Lolz I was one of them from the mid seventies on. I have better things to do now because although the cars are now more reliable they are way more time consuming and tricky to do stuff on. I do not think its worth it because cars are so cheap. Let some other loser play around it. You spend a long time dead looking at the potatoes from underneath. I replace my dragons car every 5 years with a new one and have done so since the 90s. |
prefect (6291) | ||
| 1447136 | 2018-03-09 21:51:00 | I can never hate wrenching/diagnosing cars, though my back/hands are hinting to me to slow/stop. Actually got some rear mcphersons strut to pop on today/tomorrow for a son-in law ('96/97 Mazda Neo). Failed on the R/H shock absorber. I got good one from pick a part. Got other servicing to do as noted earlier. As for removing oil filter and caps, as noted above, some later cars require their own hex dome shape sockets. i bought one 27 mm one on ebay dirt cheap. Talking about parts, I stock dozens for family members (e.g. H4, H7, D2R HID's bulbs, tyre valves, fuses, puncture sets, etc), since prices here are quite costly. I seen up to 20x differences often in electronic modules/sensors. I think some NZ exorbitant car serving costs, can come from excessive jacking up/manipulating the costs of new non OEM parts - to unsuspecting customers that don't know the true/nominal/OEM costs of parts. Huge market of a brand spectrum of parts - and their vast cost structure to exploit. I bought/assessed catalogs/amazon reviews/forums, etc, heaps of parts online from USA, UK, and China, so I know. Examples...including what I actually bought with shipping - 2 x D2R HID Bulbs - $12 pair. for one can cost 70 -90 dollars each. OEM bulb nearly twice that. - Oil filters - 5 for 30 dollars. Approx 15 - 25 each. - Full Honda Odyssey Timing belt set (from USA) - $ 130. Quoted 400 here. Though some start from 230 but incomplete; also brand dependent. - Distributor cap/rotor. about $40 half the cost here. - Ignition module - $12 for one I scored online. These show vast cost differences. some Over $250 (for OEM Hitachi original). Also other sensors - crank, egr valve, throttle position, map sensor, etc. can be cheap to expensive 20 - 200 dollars range.. I'm not saying rush and buy, but if DIY cars, then research carefully, and see what people are saying in forums, reviews, etc. But... car manufacturers have preferred supplier/manufacturers/brands of parts. So need consider that...and yes I know OEM parts would be the way if budget allows. Two over old school 60's (age that is) mechanics I follow, and find inspiration, on YouTube... slow fix Jimmy (www.youtube.com) and quick fix Scotty... (www.youtube.com) |
kahawai chaser (3545) | ||
| 1447137 | 2018-03-09 23:31:00 | Quite quick as well stuff from Communist China talkes about a week from ebay and ali express. Got an oil filter for my Royal Enfiield Classic 500 for $ NZ 7.00 including free freight. | prefect (6291) | ||
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