How mad do you get when you work on a car? (or anything for that matter?)
 

Just curious...
On a scale of 1-10. Some days it is like sticking an icepick in your forehead. Is it even healthy?
And maybe this relates to the recent "should I be a mechanic for a living" thread- but-
Today I was working on my volvo xc70. It is overwhelming at this point. I still haven't got the AWD to work, I discovered a torn CV boot on the front, it needs a brake job, and I decided to tackle a clogged PCV system. Really needs all new shocks/struts too. Took all day to fix the venting system by pulling manifold and such. Scraped hands/ sore/ a lot of work just to get the case to vent right and not blow seals and such.

I always reach a dark point, right before the light, where I ask myself "why the f#%% do I do this?"... I mean, NONE of my friends can even change a battery, and most volvo owners can't even change the batteries in their key fobs... so why do I do this to myself??? ... And it's just a volvo... There is no passion to the end result....

And I'm not just talking volvo- any car- people say "they enjoy it", but really, in every project there is a moment of pure anger- a stripped bolt, a snapped bolt, a rusted bolt, an inaccessible bolt... etc.. etc... surely this must be a sign of insanity! On my 911, I can see the payoff- It inspires, but even that is pushing it sometimes!

I don't know..am I psychotic? I can't be the only one. Maybe it's fun when we want to work on something, and sucks when we have to. Maybe it's the context. At any rate, today was an overwhelming ordeal spent getting the engine to make a sucking sound at the oil filler cap. Unlike the still broken AWD, at least the crankcase has vacuum- but how does one relate that to a clever facebook post for your non car driving friends? You can't.
Rant over! (and tomorrow I get to put snow tires on my 2wd volvo!):)
Ron

Never........is a useless emotion payed to a inanimate object. Walk away and come back, It will fit then. .

I so totally identify with this. After I curse up a storm, throw some tools, maybe punch the car and hurt my hand..........I figure it out and beat the mf'er. In some ways it's like golf, you have 100 terrible shots that put you in a rage, but there's that one good shot that keeps you coming back. For me that's a how I feel working on cars. There's the frustration of a challenge, and the satisfaction of solving it. Plus I'm an anal-retentive SOB and there are very few people that meet my standards.:cool:

Even 911s can make you mad. Parking brake backing plate was fused to the control arm. Thought oxy-mapp would expand it enough to be hammered off. No. Had to make precision cuts with a cutting wheel and chisel the rest enough to pry it off. Fun Monday night.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1421894562.jpg

I always have my 9 year old son help me. It teaches him how to do repairs and it keeps me in check from swearing and losing my temper.

It's not even considered a project until I'm dropping F-bombs, bleeding and throwing tools.

I just do it for a living, It make sit so much better

It was a lot worse pre-internet days. Now to minimize hassle I research the hell out of everything.
Reliable tools also helps, and not letting things get too fouled up to intervene.

Otherwise, I always say the same thing: Why the **** do I do this ****?

rjp

True dat!

I have reached a point where if it is going to take more than 4-6 hours on the cold concrete floor I just save myself the pain and take it to a mechanic...

And a few times I have got 2-3 hours into a project and realized I am over my head... put things back together... and head for the mechanic.

Mind you I do enjoy working on cars, I installed the coil overs on the Miata (had to remove/adjust them three times before I got the ride height I wanted) install new hoses and radiator, installed a new radio/speakers/power amp.

i would get so mad at my '77 triumph bonneville that i invented swear words and phrases. i got rid of it. since then, i am able to stick to conventional swear words and phrases.

I have very little patience so when a simple job turns into something bigger I get frustrated. Yes, I have thrown tools across the garage.

Forcing myself to leave it and come back usually works for me, though.

Also, I don't like having a continuing project, be it in the house or a vehicle.

Right now, I am stripping the paint from the 911 wheels BUT I am purposely not hurrying to get it done. I don't like the wheels on my bench half done but I figure it's a growing experience. :(

Ha, tru dat. Try doing it for your paycheck flat rate, and tell me how frustrated you get. Get paid for a 3 hour job, then have a bolt break, or strip that takes up 2.5 hours to fix by itself.
I seriously do still love it though. I do most of my p car work, and my own projects on the weekends, and it really helps to go in with no real time constraints, and a good attitude . I love to take my sweet time, clean up, and paint everything, keep all my tools organized, and laid out on the workbench etc.. Something goes wrong? Just walk away , hit some other easy part of the project till you are in the right place in your head to tackle the pia part of the project. I almost always come home feeling all warm and tingly inside when I do weekend work on my own timetable.
I gotta admit though, I spaz sometimes. I am getting better with age, but I have completely lost it in the past, threw **** at cars , spit on them, broke my hand taking a hissy fit punching a cabinet before.
One of my older shops that I rented had 6 inch thick styrofoam insulation on the walls. It was amusing to see how many tool shaped holes were in that material when I was done with it .
I kicked over r2d2 ( a 30 gallon metal drum of gear oil with an air powered pump on top), spilling it's contents all over the floor. Yeah, I've got anger issues
I think the secret is to realize when you are starting to get frustrated. Nothing good will happen when you are in this state of mind. Sometimes, you just have to take 5 or 10 to cool off, and regroup. Seems I can fight a fitting for 20 minutes till I am ready to spit nails. I walk away, come back in 5 , and it slides right back together, first try.
Sometimes though , things just go horribly sideways, and you gotta buck it up and deal with it. Always better to carefully think your next move through , b
before you go in all rambo and make matters worse.
Great thread.

I don't do it for a living, yet I can relate. Especially the temper part.

BUT!

Is it ever great when you have a whole day of things going right! You find needed bolts in your junk drawer. Exhaust parts come apart easily and go together easily.

Brakes are bled rock hard the first time and they stay rock hard for months! Electrical gremlins are chased, found and corrected. Transmission splines line up the first time. Grease smears on upholstery swipe off easily...

Life can be good for the mechanically minded!

Having the time to myself working on the car, bloody knuckles, swears, sore muscles, it's still better than listening to other people's crap. Sometimes it's just nice to not think about other things.....

Oh ya,baby. The air can get pretty blue sometimes.
I don't throw tools in my garage but there were a few times on an overhaul site that the company's tools felt the effects of weightlessness...
I am getting more able to realize when I am about to go over the border into crazy town when working. I may call the rotten piece of crap lots of nasty names but it seems to focus me more on the task at hand. In the end it gets done... Correctly.

This. Getting mad at a car is a waste of emotion and energy. I may cuss at myself for doing some bonehead thing but I never get mad at the vehicle.

Car fixing is fun although as I get older I may rethink this. Just walk away when you've had enough and if you often loose your temper you're better off paying a mechanic to do it for you.

I rarely loose it but when I do it's usually something to do with my kids.
Something happens or they do something stupid and then it's up to me to clean up the mess.
Dealing with the stress is the worst part. It certainly can take a toll on you.

I need to get better at dealing with that.

You just nailed it right there.

Working on your car b/c you feel like it
is a lot different than working on your car b/c it's broken and you need to drive to work tomorrow.


LOL, this made is spit my coffee.

This has been happening more often lately.
I think part of it is getting more experience, and having a more complete tool set.

A big part is not getting in over your head.
I've been pretty careful about what to try myself.

Working on 944/951s makes me angry. Volvos are easy to work on.

I used to get mad from frustration. Over a long period of time of telling/training myself it doesn't do anything to solve the problem, I just look at a poor situation as a problem to be solved. That doesn't mean I won't walk away and take a break. Sometimes I sort of worry something has gone wrong (with myself) when I just look at something I'm having problems with and take the attitude it's just a problem I have to solve when I know I should be feeling mad & exasperated.

And don't get me started on fixing computers (part of my job) often it is in a public place and my language has to be rather creative "ding dang frify fraf sorgum doodad!"

I have three moods when working on stuff.
Rarely, it is almost zen-like - a calm, enjoyable experience no matter what. I don't work on the 356s unless I'm in this mood. It can take months to get a simple job done.
Often I just want to get a job done in a reasonable time and only get seriously pissed off if something goes wrong. When something goes wrong I end up making things worse with my impatience.
Sometimes I start out with a general level of pissed off that remains through the whole project and these are the times I'm most productive.

dont work on cars anymore. Used up all the soap to wash my mouth long ago. I cuss at something stupid like the shoulder strap design on a tote bag. It goes from one side to the other diagonally just trying to be cute and different and f'ks up the function of access to the bag. I think this is something old people btich about. I am getting there, fast.

I often find myself trying to improve on what the manufacturer did... And then I stop myself and just get on with it. :rolleyes:

When I was younger I used to loose it but looking back it was not knowing that caused most of my stuff ups.
Over the last ten years that agro has leaked away. (I'm 50 next month)

I tend to count my blessings and appreciate what I have now. I wasn't always like that.

Thanks Mr Spock

It's not always fun but it's a hell of a lot more fun than paying good money to someone else!

Anger, No.

Anxiety, Yes.

I am way too emotionally attached to some of these cars, especially after the time and work put into them.

Rebuilt 911 engine after throwing a rod. Whole time I am breaking it in, my stomach is in knots and I feel sick. It took 100 miles to get over that.

It seems it's never a 70 degree June evening when I need to work on something, it's always January and cold/windy, the heater won't light, the halogen blows a bulb, I can't find the tool I need, I bust a knuckle and can't stop bleeding, my fingers go numb from the cold.....Yea I curse !

I can't imagine taking my car to the "local" Porsche dealer 60 miles away, and paying thier insane shop rates, and parts prices, so I do it myself and curse.

Years ago, I used to get anxious when things weren't going just right. These days, I tend to think things over more and more before I pick up a wrench (or hammer or saw). This usually makes me more prepared for the snags I will find. Since I am working for myself, if I run into a real roadblock, I can stop. I usually retire to the house, have a cup of tea and think the problem through before breaking stuff.
Last spring I bought a used rotary hay mower. The PO said some bearings on the main spindles had been replaced, but it was breaking belts (at $60 per). I had made a 13 hour round trip to get it and wanted it ready for haying season. Did some work. No. The new belt broke. Thought it over for a while and finally replaced the bearings on an idler pulley. Bingo!
It will work for this haying season.

Life is too short to waste emotion on bad stuff. (But then, I don't do this for a living.)
Best
Les

Assembly of xxxxx require great peace of mind (from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

I was a mechanic in a past life; one of my fellow mechanics was an occasional wrench thrower.
These days it's hard to get upset when all I have to wrench on is my few bikes with my million $worth (well, not quite) of Snap-On/Mac tools.
Jim

I would get worked up sometimes when something didn't go perfect, or I had to keep climbing out from under the car to get a tool I forgot to bring with me. Then I finally realized; at least I have a car to work on, have the tools I need, and the aptitude to do the job. And beer!! So now I feel lucky during even the crappiest job. Sometimes it just takes another beer. But it will get done cheaper and better than somebody else doing it. Did I mention the beer?

My point exactly. At least you have a 911 to work on. The tools and the know how. Now you just need the beer. :D

My wife still does not fully comprehend I work on my cars as a hobby. I really do enjoy it, but it is never a high pressure job that I have to finish or walk to work. That is one reason I have more than one car.

I tend to work at a very slow pace. My biggest problem is lack of focus on one thing. With a 333,333 mile 1986 El Camino there is always something to tinker with. The 911 has 157,000 miles. Invariably I start a project and "while I am in there" I see something else that is working fine but needs some attention and I have to fix that. On so many occasions I start off on a brake pad change and end up doing that but I find some wire that is 28 years old and brittle. That means take a lot of other stuff apart to replace the entire wire and the factory style connector with a new factory style connector.

The fact I am working in my well lit, heated and air conditioned garage with a scissor lift and I have good music playing and cold beer in the refrigerator helps my attitude a lot. :cool:

who says I didn't. Great car restoration beer. Downside it's not my car, I'm restoring an 86 Cab for friends. Dumbest thing I've ever done in my life.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1421934147.jpg

I can usually keep it in check. I enjoy working on cars, especially Porsches...it is sort of an escape for me. However, walking away to decompress and regroup, helps. What peeves me is when a routine walk-in-the-park service goes awry:

• An oil filter stuck so badly, that you have to mangle and destroy it to get it off
• Spilling enough oil to solve an energy crisis
• Taking the time to get all four corners of my new to me 993 on jack stands (tedious considering how low it is) for a brake service, only to realize that the original wheel lock key is no where to be found!!! Then having to take it all down and find a dealer with a master wheel lock key set, so I can figure out which key I need, then start all over
• Dropping a piece of hardware into the black hole of a Porsche engine bay and having to fish it out
• Having to remove one part to service another, having success with the part you needed to replace, then destroying the innocent part you had to move out of the way
• blah...blah...wah...wah...etc

Bat ***** insane...

I step back and say things like this:

over and over...usually it's something along the lines of "it's just obeying physical laws"

Beyond ridiculous, but true.

Working on a piece of acrylic that would shatter if I applied one billionth of an RPM too much while drilling resulted in a body slam of the drill driver that bounced up and rotated perfectly to leave two nice dings in the driver door of the pcar on its way down.

Some of the most colorful words, expressed with the deepest emotions have come from my love of wrenching on my own fleet...... WHY would I deny myself such joy!!!!!!??????

Always satisfying solving a particularly difficult problem. ANNNND!!!!!!!!........ I often end up acquiring some nifty new tools in the process......

Joys of life.

The emotion is car dependent for me:

The old DD, Nissan Altima, I used to get fuming/throwing tools etc. because the jobs were exponentially more difficult than they should have been simply due to poor design and low quality materials

Wife car: slow and methodical, always keep my cool and focus just to get it done. She's happy and it's another thing off the honey-do list

Porsche: Usually an exercise of anxiety and wonder. Due to the ridiculous cost of parts, I'm always nervous I'm going to break some unobtanium. Wonder is because it's a 37 year old car built with such quality that it comes apart and reassembles better than the new cars I own.

The Mercedes (560SL) is the only thing that really drives me nuts when I work on it. It's a lot like I'd imagine working on a 928 would be - large engine shoved into a small space. Nothing is accessible, bolts are stuck, everything has sharp edges and there are 15 different things that could cause the problem I'm experiencing and no real way of testing any of them without replacing parts and hoping for the best.

The Volvo is REALLY easy to work on, but I'm dreading swapping the transmission on it sometime this spring due to having to jack up the car a lot higher than I'm comfortable with.

Oh yeah guys, beer if for AFTER the job is done. Enjoy while sweeping up the floor, and putting your tools away . Can also be consumed while cleaning parts, or painting, but not while assembling a motor, replacing your brakes etc...