Checkbook mechanic or DYI?

[Norm K]

I still do most things. For example, I recently upgraded the suspension and performed a timing belt/water pump service on my 200K mile GX470, then replaced the clutch and did a disc brake conversion on my 39K mile '49 Plymouth.

However, if not for buying a house with 12' garage ceilings (allowing for a lift) a couple years back I'd probably be doing less of anything that requires me to lay on a concrete floor.

_

[jcommin]

Depends - small stuff I can do - larger stuff is off to the shop. I have the same mechanic since I bought my 944 in 1983. He and I know just about every nut and bolt on the car
And I'm not getting any younger - my hands aren't as nimble as they were years ago..

I also have a 2019 VW Jetta - still under warranty.

[A930Rocket]

Not as much DIY as I used to, but it’s been regular maintenance stuff.

That’s going to change when I really dive into the 330ci I bought for the track. I’ve already fabbed up the seat mount for the Kirkey seat, modded the shifter and installed my MOMO steering wheel

The front struts just arrived from TC Kline, so I’ll be doing a lot of suspension work with all the other parts I’ve been collecting for two months. I’m not looking forward to laying on my back on concrete under the car like I used to.

[coldstart]

It depends on how busy I am and the skill required for the job.

I do the majority of the work on my 911. However I am going to farm out the interior work as I have gotten around to finishing it since I started 3 years ago. I enjoyed rebuilding the brakes and hubs. Changing the oil is super simple and there is no way I am going to pay a mechanic $200+ for a job that I can do in ten minutes.

For my other cars, I leave most things to a good mechanic. He can usually do it better and cheaper than I can. Plus normally I m there and I can see that he does a quality job.

[rusnak]

My average time for oil change, valve adjustment etc on the air cooled 911 is 3-4 hours, letting the oil drain for an hour or so before proceeding.

I just finished changing all 4 shocks/ struts and springs on the Cayman. I also flushed the brake fluid and changed the engine oil and filter. It took 2 days because I kept changing the ride height until I was happy with everything.

[livi]

Done the valves twice. Never again. I have come to realize I better stick to what I do for a living. I like to think I do that well and cost effective. That does not include adjusting valves.

[tdw28210]

Combo. I just dropped $1k at the Audi dealer for the wife's TDI Q5. I've been doing most of the maintenance myself, but it needed a new battery, which is under the seat and a PIA to DIY. Also, had them do the 35k mile service. It's still under warranty so I wanted at least some level of maintenance records created should I need to tap into the diesel-gate extended warranty

[ted]

I still like to diy on race cars, production cars not so much.
Unless you are the arrive and drive type with race cars you have to enjoy all of it.
That means everything is diy, weeks in the garage getting the car prepared, organizing the tools and support equipment in the trailer and loading the truck.
Followed by hours of towing to the track, setting up a pit space, and then servicing/improving/tuning the car at the track.
When something breaks at the track it's a fun/rewarding challenge to diy and get it fixed.
Same with maintaining the house/landscape it's a diy on a daily basis.


On this occasion the wife was at the track to spray Simple green in my oil soaked hair.

[p911dad]

I used to do all the wrenching on the old Carrera, but on the 993 I do everything but the suspension work. It's nice have the hydraulic valve lifters, no more valve adjustments. The worst job to date was changing out the S.A.I valve so it would stop throwing codes. Very tight quarters, just like the old Carrera.

The second photo shows a crowfoot wrench I had to modify to fit. This took me a few days to figure out, a real b--ch!
This basically kept me busy through part of the past year, along with some limited travel around the South. Our new puppy consumed the rest of the time!

[Mike Andrew]

Bit of both here on everything I own and have owned. Depends on time, tools needed(including lift), confidence level and possible cost of bad outcomes if I screw up. Tomorrow is a garage day for window switch replacement, window track and lock mechanism lube, speaker replacement and new vapor barrier on the passenger door. Driver's door was done before it got nasty cold. Sore back forecast for Sunday from hunching. Another limiting factor in project choices.
Just made an appointment for full suspension refresh yesterday as I just do not want to do it and still have to take it to my shop for balance and alignment. Valves will be done while it is there, on a rack and they are easily accessible.

[fanaudical]

I do almost all my own work on my 911; the only thing it's been in the shop for in the last 10 years is alignment and welding on a bracket.

The DD's get different treatment. I take care of the maintenance. Stuff I don't want to deal with or have time or equipment for goes to the shop (alignment, suspension fixes, etc).

[GH85Carrera]

I know my limits.

For the 2004R transmission on my El Camino, I use a local guy to service it, and he built it. A different local company that specializes in drive shafts is great. I just drop off the Elky, they R&R the shaft and balance it, and replace the universal joints every 170,000 miles. If I took it off there is no practical way for me to get the drive shaft to them.

Same for the front end suspension work on the Elky. Replacing the suspension bushings requires a new alignment, and I just let a local guy that works at a body shop do it. NOT some grease monkey at the tire shop.

I still remember walking out to the garage and seeing my 911 in the air with no suspension on it and thinking WTF did I do! Front suspension work on a 911 is easy. The rear was tricky, but not too bad.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by pete3799

I do all the work on all my vehicles.
The town equipment i do 90 percent of the work. Farm out the rest.

I blew the transfer case on the town 1 ton about a month ago and just didn't have time to fix it as we were in a stretch of snowy weather and we were putting in a lot of OT as it was so I "called a guy".

We got it back about a week ago and all was well.......until today.
I could feel a vibration in it while i was plowing this morning so i stopped and checked the wheels and they were all tight so i figured it was probably one of the outer u joints on the front axle.
Finished up the road i was on and backed it into the garage.

Driver side joint was ok... passenger side was ok......hmmm.
Guess i've got to crawl under this dripping, slimy rig.
Grab the front drive shaft and it's ready to fall out. 3 of the bolts are gone only 1 holding it to the transfer case. Check the 4 bolts on the rear shaft and can turn them all with my fingers

This is why i hate someone else working on my stuff.

I might be happy to write more checks except that finding a guy that doesn't leave a bunch of scheiße half done is hard to do.

[jhynesrockmtn]

It depends. Almost anything on the 914's or 356 I'll DIY. I went through full brakes, refreshing fuel system, etc. on a few 914's over the winter. The engine/trans is out of the race car for valves, belt, etc. and while I'm in there welding up mounts for the seat and harnesses.

My 996 needed a trans rebuild. I took that to a trusted Indy in town. I wanted someone who really knew what they were doing. He did the R/R on the trans, new IMS, clutch and installed slightly used struts I found with new mounts/bearings. I'm glad I did it. The trans had to come out again after install. The well known rebuilder was not happy with a noise we heard. I'f I'd done that part I doubt he'd be dealing with me the same way he's dealing with Greg.

I'm learning as I go. I'm not nearly the wrench most of you are but I'm having fun.
Things that are more art than science like carb balancing I will do but won't hesitate to take to the shop if needed. We're lucky to have some great mechanics in our town for both new and old Porsche's.

[porsche4life]

I DIY a lot of stuff, but I’ve recently realized that rolling around in the driveway really sucks, so my new rule is that if the vehicle won’t fit in the garage and go on the lift, or I can’t do the job with less than an hour or two on the ground, it’s going to a shop. There’s a good inde shop that’s close enough I can walk home from, and I’ve had them do a little work on our Escape. It needed a turbo last year, and when I saw how involved that process was going to be, I just took it in.

[chrismorse]

I've spent over 55 years wrenching on my stuff, (& family vehicles). I even did the timing belts, overhauled the webbers, full race suspension, giant brake upgrade on my old 77 308.
But recently, my "garage time" seems in very short supply. It has taken me almost 10 years to get close to finishing the restomod on my dad's 74 coupe. It is getting a full brake, suspension, ffuel and exhaust, transaxle upgrade.
I farmed out the 915 to CMS for an eyewaatering $13k bill. Also had a local shop install the seat covers on a set of sport seats I don't have machine shop capability but will probably get a mig/tig welder to do some rust repairs to the frunk gutters, rehab a harbor Fright 60 gallon air compressor and set up a paint booth for my buddy to teach me/show me how to repair and paint.

The single, most significant improvement to working on cars has been getting a used twin post hoist - standing up mechanical work/ getting off the floor - what a blessing. That was a bit of a chore, i had to cut out 100 square feet of concrete, (cracked and no steel) to provide a ssolid base for standing the Rotary, then steal the power from the hot tub to run the lift.

My dad had the 2.7 gone through 10K miles ago, (stock rebuild) and had the car painted the original Sepia and had the Fuchs refinished.

I hope to track the car a few times before my "use by date" arrives.
chris

[Seahawk]

This is really a great thread, Glen...no surprise, there are some stone cold DYI machines here.

Very enjoyable stuff, Folks, from multiple perspectives.

[908/930]

I do the work myself, as soon as it is off warranty. I had one item changed by a tec about 40 years ago, was going to a shop to discuss a transmission problem with my 630csi and the hanger bearing failed on the way, strange timing. When building this house one requirement was the garage height for a lift, when younger I could do a clutch swap on the 533i on the ground in about 8hrs, not fun though, re and re the exhaust took about 2hr of that, the lift makes just about any job easier.

So far, have never had car or motorcycle that I could not repair, rebuilding transmissions will be a little tougher as I no longer have access to fully equipped machine shops.

[RWebb]

I don't DYI but I DIY

[fastfredracing]

I think you mean DWI