Doing your own work

obi_waynne

Administrator
Staff member
Moderator
Points
1,157
Location
Deal, Kent UK
Car
A3 1.4 TFSI 150 COD
Has the recession and economic reasons had any impact on the likely hood of you doing work on the car yourself?

How far are you willing to go with doing things yourself?
 
I am currently gathering money for my Skoda for the winter for a little makeover and the economy crisis have been tough on having work done for me, the only thing I will NOT do myself is paint and tinted windows :)

I will put the lowering system on myself along with sandblasting & painting the rims, putting in the stereo system and badge less grill and other small stuff :)
 
Same here, always done work to my car. The only time i haven't is when i need special equipment to fit the item, things such as changing suspension.

Otherwise, everything else is all done by lil' ol' me.

I have re-mapped my car (using maps supplied to me), changed brake set ups, and loads of other mods to the car.

It may take longer doing the jobs myself, but i save money, and get more satisfaction.

Cheers
Dave
 
I can do wiper blades; fill screenwash tank; fill fuel tank; adjust tyre pressures; check engine oil (but the dashboard display covers this one).

I can change lamps front and rear. This is enough for me. Anything else is left to the professionals.

If I do anything serious I wind up with 'spare bits' syndrome.

O yeah, I can change CDs in the changer. This, of course, means opening the boot. In itself not too challenging. Wading through the 'ballast' is, though. :)
 
I can do wiper blades; fill screenwash tank; fill fuel tank; adjust tyre pressures; check engine oil (but the dashboard display covers this one).

I can change lamps front and rear. This is enough for me. Anything else is left to the professionals.

If I do anything serious I wind up with 'spare bits' syndrome.

O yeah, I can change CDs in the changer. This, of course, means opening the boot. In itself not too challenging. Wading through the 'ballast' is, though. :)

Your just lazy. ;)
Would you change a wheel yourself or call a breakdown company?
 
I'm on a simmilar level to HDi. If ever I try and do anything, it becomes 100x more complicated than it should be, and takes 2-3 days to complete.

I tried changing the discs and pads on my Freelander for uprated onces - under the grounds of "how hard can it be?". The caliper wouldn't swing up (guide pin wouldn't move) and I had to rench it out instead, buggering it somewhat. I then had to order a replacement from Land Rover.

Onto the other side and one of the bolts to remove the capiler assembly from the car was jammed. Borrowed a massive rench from the neighbour - and ended up buggering the head of the bolt. Ended up bashing a smaller socket onto it with a hammer, heating everything up with a blowtorch, crossing my fingers and eventually removing it (close shave).

Go to remove the disc - one of the two retaining screws snaps off. Had to spend an age drilling it out.

The last time I tried anything was nearly 2 years ago, on a now sold car, and I ended up with a massive hole in the dashboard - which I ended up 'fixing' by means of a stick on air-freshner (don't ask).

I think i'll wait another 2 years before attempting anything else.
 
I tell a lie - having replaced the MAF sensor on my girfreinds Bora (reallly easy) I decided to try replacing it on the FreeLander... HAHAHA, what a joke.

The enginer cover forms part of the airbox and is the biggest pain the arse to remove and unbeknown to me - the first lower screw of the engine cover actually seals the engine too - so without at least the screw in place, oil squirts everywhere (stupid design!).

It then took 2 days to find a DIY that sold the relevant screwdriver to remove the screws from the MAF. Strange tamper-proof things... and when I finally found one, it promptly snapped within 10 seconds - due to the harsh angle its mounted at down the back of the engine.

Moral of the story is.... I shouldn't bother.
 
always done most myself. with the economy the way it is right now im more hesitant to get anything that doesn't need to be fixed right away done. still get the part done that will cause more damage or a safety hazard the longer you wait but the minor stuff like the motor on a power window going out or something like that i just wait a bit longer.
 

Similar threads


Please watch this on my YouTube channel & Subscribe.


Back
Top