How do you talk to a car mechanic…

[253point9]

....Because dealing with the used oil is a pain in the rear...

If you live north of Mr. Mason and Mr. Dixon's line twixt Mary's Land and Pennsylvania (or even if you don't), you can pour it through a coffee filter and burn it in a space heater while working on the car when it's chilly.

 

[GeorgeC]

I'm not (yet) a car guy, but I try to be an educated consumer. Last year, I went to start my car and it had a dead battery. I figured I'd left the dome light on or something, so I jumped it and off I went. Get to destination, car sits a few days, it's dead again. Take it to AutoZone, assuming the battery is shot... turns out the battery is fine but the alternator tested bad.

I get home, break out youtube and ye olde multimeter and sure enough, one of the diodes is bad, causing a parasitic drain. I briefly considered swapping the alternator and trying to replace the failed diode on my own, but my don't-mess-with-it spidey sense tingled, so I called up the dealer and had the parts folks order an alternator.

I showed up a few days later and the service advisor explained to me that I shouldn't have been able to order the alternator because they didn't do the diagnostic (which is understandable from his point of view), but ultimately relented and did the work.

Similar experience in the summer. On a hot day, it sure felt like my (hydraulic, as it turns out) clutch needed to be bled. "We couldn't reproduce this, therefore we cannot do the work".

So yeah, I have jack stands now...

 

[253point9]

I'm not (yet) a car guy, but I try to be an educated consumer. Last year, I went to start my car and it had a dead battery. I figured I'd left the dome light on or something, so I jumped it and off I went. Get to destination, car sits a few days, it's dead again. Take it to AutoZone, assuming the battery is shot... turns out the battery is fine but the alternator tested bad.

I get home, break out youtube and ye olde multimeter and sure enough, one of the diodes is bad, causing a parasitic drain. I briefly considered swapping the alternator and trying to replace the failed diode on my own, but my don't-mess-with-it spidey sense tingled, so I called up the dealer and had the parts folks order an alternator.

I showed up a few days later and the service advisor explained to me that I shouldn't have been able to order the alternator because they didn't do the diagnostic (which is understandable from his point of view), but ultimately relented and did the work.

Similar experience in the summer. On a hot day, it sure felt like my (hydraulic, as it turns out) clutch needed to be bled. "We couldn't reproduce this, therefore we cannot do the work".

So yeah, I have jack stands now...

On my car a (rebuilt) alternator is $220.00 exchanged. (New is $500.) The diode pack is $31.50 (and it's $26.50 for two new bearings). Do the math.

 

[GeorgeC]

On my car a (rebuilt) alternator is $220.00 exchanged. (New is $500.) The diode pack is $31.50 (and it's $26.50 for two new bearings). Do the math.

I did. My math accounted for my car being down for weeks while I dork around with a project and buy tools and parts I didn't know I needed, instead of driving to the places I needed to drive to

 

[Daleandee]

I did. My math accounted for my car being down for weeks while I dork around with a project and buy tools and parts I didn't know I needed, instead of driving to the places I needed to drive to

I like to do my own projects and save money but there are times that doing that isn't productive.

Years ago I spent most of a weekend replacing a water heater. Usually it's a pretty quick piece of work but some funky wiring and strange plumbing made the job require extra trips for parts and tools that should not have been needed.

Afterward I wondered if I shouldn't have just spent the money to have someone else deal with the headache while I went flying for a couple of days ...

 

[Half Fast]

Afterward I wondered if I shouldn't have just spent the money to have someone else deal with the headache while I went flying for a couple of days ...

As I get older, I find I'm more selective about how I spend my time and I've become more inclined to pay others to do jobs I don't particularly enjoy. I will never EVER do housepainting, interior or exterior, again.

As far as automotive stuff, racing forced me to learn to do many things on my own. I couldn't haul the car into any mechanic shop; it had specialized parts and things that weren't legal for street use. Plus I had to be able to fix things at the track. I paid to have specialists do some things, like build a rollcage or overhaul a tranny, but I did all the basic stuff myself.

But for our street cars, I'd rather not waste my time dealing with most jobs.