Anybody that works on their own cars needs to read this

[Blotto 23,560]

17 minutes ago, Doc Reeves said:

Those fucking Honda’s were nails. Honda made 3 of the best daily driver engines you could buy for almost 20 years

My old man bought a 76 honda accord hatchback the first year they were imported into the states. Nobody in our small town knew what the fuck it was. By the 90's our town was swimming in Honda's and my dad's was still chugging right along. He finally sold it around 2000 to the mechanic that had worked on it all those years and got something crazy like 50% of what he originally paid for it. 

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

13 hours ago, jettrink said:

Try changing something as simple as a fucking turn signal bulb.  $200+ at the dealer or disassembly your car.  For a bulb!

For 200 bucks, I'm playing Car Charades.

Edited September 3, 2020 by RDCanecutter

[Brisketexan 105,177]

13 hours ago, jettrink said:

Try changing something as simple as a fucking turn signal bulb.  $200+ at the dealer or disassembly your car.  For a bulb!

Actually experienced this several years ago.  Was driving a used Isuzu Rodeo at the time.  Something took out by back turn signal -- broke the plastic lens.  I could take it off with a screwdriver in about 90 seconds.  Should be a $5 part.  Nope.  You have to buy the entire rear taillight assembly.  $180

So, I went to a junkyard.  Bought an assembly off a wrecked Rodeo for $40 (frame color didn't match, I didn't care).  Took off the plastic lens cover, put it on my car, gave them back the assembly and told them "sell it again for parts."

Absurd.

[Cheeseweasel 26,438]

8 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

For 200 bucks, I'm playing Car Charades.

Yeah, the people behind you think you are making obscene gestures at them and you're gonna get shot.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

Just now, Cheeseweasel said:

Yeah, the people behind you think you are making obscene gestures at them and you're gonna get shot.

As if. They'll just miss me and hit some baby in a stroller.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Actually experienced this several years ago.  Was driving a used Isuzu Rodeo at the time.  Something took out by back turn signal -- broke the plastic lens.  I could take it off with a screwdriver in about 90 seconds.  Should be a $5 part.  Nope.  You have to buy the entire rear taillight assembly.  $180

So, I went to a junkyard.  Bought an assembly off a wrecked Rodeo for $40 (frame color didn't match, I didn't care).  Took off the plastic lens cover, put it on my car, gave them back the assembly and told them "sell it again for parts."

Absurd.

You were out of red tape?

[Brisketexan 105,177]

Just now, RDCanecutter said:

You were out of red tape?

Tried it.  Inspection outfits still wouldn't pass me with tape on it.  Had to get a new lens.

Trust me, I was plenty pissed off at the time.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

First car was a VW air-cooled Bug. In kinda shitty shape when I bought it, same story years later when I sold it.

For old times sake, I recently bought that classic Idiot's guide to VW repair book, just to read. Realized that I had done almost every single bit of maintenance in the book on my old Bug.

The problem was, in those days I'd wait til something broke before I fixed it. If I had done the same work, just a little sooner, the damn thing would still be running and worth who knows what.

[RPM 26,327]

11 hours ago, SA-KC_Horn said:

I also have an 07 Dodge Ram with a lifetime power train warranty, so I never have to worry about major repairs.

You might want to read the extrafine print. It's prorated. 

[B00M 6,430]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Trust me, I was plenty pissed off at the time.

You? That doesn't sound like you

[WBT 20,642]

4 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

You were out of red tape?

Hits closed to home.  And has passed inspection 3 times.

Is there not a market for easily repairable vehicles?  It seems like being the manufacturer known for this, or even having one or two models known for this, could be a way to differentiate these days.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Tried it.  Inspection outfits still wouldn't pass me with tape on it.  Had to get a new lens.

Trust me, I was plenty pissed off at the time.

I live in the Wild East now. Still got my 2004 Texas inspection sticker. Fun to watch cop's expressions when I go back to Texas to visit.

[WBT 20,642]

12 hours ago, dcar00 said:

the gear is plastic and the teeth break. fucking make it out of metal and charge me 100.00 more for the car.

It's all about lightweighting to hit the fuel efficiency number.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

2 minutes ago, WBT said:

Hits closed to home.  And has passed inspection 3 times.

Is there not a market for easily repairable vehicles?  It seems like being the manufacturer known for this, or even having one or two models known for this, could be a way to differentiate these days.

According to one of those Youtube car videos, there are enough Model A parts sitting around, that except for the gas tank, you could basically build yourself a new one.

 

[BonzoMontreaux 1,061]

Automakers gotta do everything they can to help pay their employees - present and past.

I did all my own repairs (mostly good results!) until I (me, the wife and 2 daughters) started UT in 94.  Since then, I have delegated my auto repairs.  I still do things that don't require much work.  But my days of spending an afternoon under, or sitting on the wheel well of, a car are done.  

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,329]

The fact I can get a new/replacement electronic key to my house that I can program myself in 30 seconds for around $30-50 yet I have to spend $300+ for a replacement "2nd" electronic key that only the dealer can program and I have to drop off my car for an hour or two still pisses me off.

 

[atomheartbevo 89,757]

2 hours ago, 52-80 said:

real get-off-my-lawn moment, but do you remember when engine bays looked like this?

 

 

i remmeber swapping my alternators in a parking lot on west campus and it took me all of 15 minutes to do.

I wish I had held onto my early '00s Forester, that thing was easy to work on, and I really didn't have to do much work, outside of preventative maintenance, until around the 100,000 mile mark.  Even then, the engine was easy to access.

[Brisketexan 105,177]

2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I wish I had held onto my early '00s Forester, that thing was easy to work on, and I really didn't have to do much work, outside of preventative maintenance, until around the 100,000 mile mark.  Even then, the engine was easy to access.

Back in high school, we had an old 1948 Willys ranch jeep that we tinkered on.  You could tackle pretty much everything on that jeep with just the miscellaneous rusty tools kept out in the barn.  Shit, if we needed to jack it up, 4 of us just lifted an end and propped it up on blocks.

[BabaYaga 15,302]

Tesla owners laughing at this thread

[SA-KC_Horn 1,295]

30 minutes ago, RPM said:

You might want to read the extrafine print. It's prorated. 

Naw bruh.......all parts and labor are covered. All I have to do is bring the vehicle in every five years for inspection and that renews my warranty. 

I've had a couple repairs and not a dime paid.

[Jiggy-Z 3,433]

This hits close to home.

As an Excavation and Concrete contractor, I have the responsibility of owning a fleet of vehicles and machinery.  The "fleet" breaks down into 3 categories.

Trucks/Autos (Crew trucks, haul trucks, light trucks)

Machinery/Heavy Trucks (backhoes, crawlers, water trucks, dump trucks, skid steers, forklifts etc.)

Small Equipment but still heavy duty(Light towers, various trowel machines, survey equipment, compressors, jack hammers, generators)

 

Our newest vehicle is a 2013 Toyota Tacoma, which is my truck.  The rest of the truck/auto fleet is between 2001 and 2010, simply because it is all diesel vehicles.  We are able to maintain them without much issue.

The worst problem we ever had was with the 2003-2006 Ford 6.0 liter diesels which were the first generation of low emission diesels Ford made after they discontinued their legendary 7.3 liter power stroke(of which we still have a few).  The 2003-2006 Fords suffered mostly from a bad oil cooling design and subsequent high exhaust gas temperatures which subsequently destroyed the EGR.  The EGR's were replaced numerous times under warranty until the warranty expired.  The trucks continued to have problems due to the oil cooling issue (Ford designed the oil cooler to be a coolant/oil heat exchanger-due to the tight quarters of the oil cooler, the coolant would eventually congeal and the exchanger would not operate  properly and eventually the first thing that would give out would be the EGR if you were lucky.  These trucks were notorious for  for blown heads and other catastrophic related engine failures.)

Fortunately for us we kept a close eye on them  and never had any catastrophic problems before we decided to replace the oil coolers and EGRs with aftermarket parts.  The aftermarket oil cooler was particularly  clever, in that it disposed of the old cooler and replaced it with a dummy filler which rerouted the oil to an air cooler mounted in front of the radiator.  We did that work back in 2012 and the rucks have been great since.  We have even considered buying these vehicles and fixing them for pour fleet because they can be had so cheaply, but decided against it as there is a risk that serous unknown damage may be lurking in the background.

Anyway.  New trucks =bad. Old trucks=good.

[RPM 26,327]

5 minutes ago, SA-KC_Horn said:

Naw bruh.......all parts and labor are covered. All I have to do is bring the vehicle in every five years for inspection and that renews my warranty. 

I've had a couple repairs and not a dime paid.

I forget what the exact parts were (trans and transfer related) but BIL got hit with $800 bill under "lifetime warranty" on his Dodge 3500. Got so mad he sold it and bought a GMC the same day. "Lifetime" meant lifetime of the part not forever.

[deadshank 24,653]

Shade tree mechanic used to not have a bad connotation attached to it.   The engines were so simple one would just pull under a shade tree and get to work.

Not so much anymore.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,427]

13 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

My uncle gets at least two offers a month on his (originally my grandpa's) 4440.   It's to the point where he parks it at the back of the barn so it can't be seen from the road, but then people will occasionally stop in and make offers on other equipment, see it, and make an offer on it as well, and they ask about any junked equipment he has, parts, etc.

And these aren't locals that have known he (and my grandpa before) and knew he had this stuff, it's folks from out of the county, and once in a blue moon, somebody from Texas or Kansas (they are in Oklahoma).  And quite a few are offering cash.   Some of them seem to be other farmers, but he's gotten pretty good at spotting the flippers.

My wife's grandfather made damn good money buying and selling older Deere equipment before he passed away. He was a farmer in Hartley all his life, and once told us he made more money in retirement flipping older farm implements than he ever made farming. When he passed, he had barns full of the stuff on his 2,000 acres. My wife's uncles spent almost two years cataloging and selling it. Of course, they had people call at least once a week and try to low ball them for the full lot. 

[Llano Estacado 1,257]

According to one of those Youtube car videos, there are enough Model A parts sitting around, that except for the gas tank, you could basically build yourself a new one.
 

DeLorean MC is based in Humble, TX now. The widow has sued them and Universal (Back to the Future) multiple times, but IIRC the new owners have the rights free and clear.

You can get a restoration, OEM parts, or New Old-stock for around $50k.

Seeing the DMC stuff on news and shows always made me curious if there wasn’t a pretty sizable market for the big manufacturers to do the same with American muscle car era stuff. Package some old stock, OEM stuff with readily available aftermarket components from some rust belt warehouses and sell kit cars.

DMC is super niche market I don’t understand, but would think the demographic with disposable income and time wanting a “new build” daily driver they can actually tinker on is at its peak if it hasn’t already passed. “Here’s a late 60s MOPAR or 427 Chevy with no miles you can actually work on, sign here and I’ll go get the title paperwork.”

That being said, I assume DMC is so small they may get exemptions to Clean Air Act and CAFE standards the big manufacturers wouldn’t. A man can dream.

[Samson's Wig 3,193]

2 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Tesla owners laughing at this thread

For now.

[burntorangebongos 10,750]

17 hours ago, jettrink said:

Try changing something as simple as a fucking turn signal bulb.  $200+ at the dealer or disassembly your car.  For a bulb!

The turn signal bulb requires removing the wheel well plastic and bottom of the bumper to get at the bulb for my car. I was going to try with the YouTube video but decided to talk to my Jiffy Lube dudes where I get my fluids changed, etc. They did it for free. It took the guy about 20 minutes and it turned out just loosening the bottom bumper plastic was enough. I can't imagine going to a dealer for that. 

[burntorangebongos 10,750]

16 hours ago, Rougarou said:

I'm a millennial so I don't know how to put a car on cinderblocks or bust my knuckles on engines while drinking pull tab, pearl in a can, but I did grow up learning at least how to change a tire and change a battery, back when they cost $40.

The first time I tried to change my own battery in a newer car and realized I had to take out half the parts to get the old one out and a new one in so I had to take it in to get done was when I saw the writing on the wall. This is why I now drive a Cadillac despite not being in the Cadillac demographic. The service is phenomenal and up to 50k, bumper to bumper anything you could possibly need, it's free. Up to 80k miles for power train it's free, and up to 90k with emission stuff it's free. I typically keep cars for about 60-80k miles, so it works for me.

And the service is white glove treatment, you get a nice loaner anytime you need it, and you never have to fret.

If you go to auto zone or other auto parts stores, they do it for you. I needed a new battery and they took care of it for free. They also put on my newwiper blades. That was nice.

[WBT 20,642]

2 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Tesla owners laughing at this thread

 

13 minutes ago, Samson's Wig said:

For now.

Just wait until they approach the right guy who takes the bribe and installs the virus that turns them all into bricks.

[BabaYaga 15,302]

Just now, WBT said:

 

Just wait until they approach the right guy who takes the bribe and installs the virus that turns them all into bricks.

Or in the case of my wife, a lifetime supply of blinker fluid......

[atomheartbevo 89,757]

1 minute ago, WBT said:

Just wait until they approach the right guy who takes the bribe and installs the virus that turns them all into bricks.

Make sure it only activates when they are doing above 65.

[Prepuce of Doom 21,097]

3 hours ago, WBT said:

Hits closed to home.  And has passed inspection 3 times.

Is there not a market for easily repairable vehicles?  It seems like being the manufacturer known for this, or even having one or two models known for this, could be a way to differentiate these days.

You can thank Cash for Clunkers for getting many of these vehicles off the road and indirectly boosting the value of the remaining reliable used cars due to relative scarcity. 

[immortal13 4,059]

3 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Actually experienced this several years ago.  Was driving a used Isuzu Rodeo at the time.  Something took out by back turn signal -- broke the plastic lens.  I could take it off with a screwdriver in about 90 seconds.  Should be a $5 part.  Nope.  You have to buy the entire rear taillight assembly.  $180

So, I went to a junkyard.  Bought an assembly off a wrecked Rodeo for $40 (frame color didn't match, I didn't care).  Took off the plastic lens cover, put it on my car, gave them back the assembly and told them "sell it again for parts."

Absurd.

You drove an Isuzu Rodeo "several years ago"? 

[Llano Estacado 1,257]

She drove off with my heart, I gotta let her know.
Need the girl in that little, red Rodeo
Texas plates, candy-apple RED RODEO!!!

[kevwun 15,811]

16 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

What's interesting about this is that it primarily favors dealers rather than the manufacturers.  I suppose the manufacturers have an incentive to make their dealers more profitable, but I'm not aware that dealers are flaking out in droves for any particular reason.

It's because dealerships make it based on their service department.  The margins are so small on car sales that service is the only way they keep the lights on.

Edited September 3, 2020 by kevwun

[Guest Lobo]

Their service departments are a huge chunk of their revenue stream with good margins.  Most car owners aren't wholly opposed to expert mechanics working on their new ride under the umbrella of the dealership...particularly warranty work.  While you're in there for a warranty job, you're more likely to toss in some out-of-pocket uncovered expense like alignment, oil change, or brake pads.  However, what TADA doesn't want people to take notice of is the after-market parts department (completely unregulated, high margin, and not warrantied)...but the most batshit insane part of their business model is the in-house finance department.  It's beyond corrupt, it's basically an illegal cartel, and it makes the regulation of payday lending look honorable by comparison.  It's beyond bullshit.  But we can't talk about it because it means we're in the bag for Tesla.  

[Brisketexan 105,177]

27 minutes ago, immortal13 said:

You drove an Isuzu Rodeo "several years ago"? 

Twenty-something years ago, something like that?   I'm getting old.  My takes on time are getting pretty loosey-goosey.  "Back in the day" would have been accurate as well.

[TwiceHorn 31,512]

52 minutes ago, burntorangebongos said:

If you go to auto zone or other auto parts stores, they do it for you. I needed a new battery and they took care of it for free. They also put on my newwiper blades. That was nice.

Even when batteries sat in a tray under the hood, they could be a bitch to get out or back in without those battery tong things.  I smashed the hell out of my fingers at least a couple of times dropping a new battery into a tray next to a brace or the fender or some piece of metal.

[52-80 19,205]

15 hours ago, SA-KC_Horn said:

I also have an 07 Dodge Ram with a lifetime power train warranty, so I never have to worry about major repairs. I can handle everything else on it. 

Problem is the Dodge Ram only has a lifetime of 6 months.

[B00M 6,430]

15 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Even when batteries sat in a tray under the hood, they could be a bitch to get out or back in without those battery tong things.  I smashed the hell out of my fingers at least a couple of times dropping a new battery into a tray next to a brace or the fender or some piece of metal.

Should've asked your husband to do it

[kevwun 15,811]

8 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Their service departments are a huge chunk of their revenue stream with good margins.  Most car owners aren't wholly opposed to expert mechanics working on their new ride under the umbrella of the dealership...particularly warranty work.  While you're in there for a warranty job, you're more likely to toss in some out-of-pocket uncovered expense like alignment, oil change, or brake pads.  However, what TADA doesn't want people to take notice of is the after-market parts department (completely unregulated, high margin, and not warrantied)...but the most batshit insane part of their business model is the in-house finance department.  It's beyond corrupt, it's basically an illegal cartel, and it makes the regulation of payday lending look honorable by comparison.  It's beyond bullshit.  But we can't talk about it because it means we're in the bag for Tesla.  

There is a huge markup on factory parts for dealerships also.  You can usually get the same part on Amazon for 1/2 price if not a 1/3 or even a 1/4.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

4 hours ago, WBT said:

Is there not a market for easily repairable vehicles?

See them all the time, in a daisy chain at 60 mph, headed right down 59.  Going to make thier 3rd, 4th, 5th life down in Old Mexico.  I don't know how Mississippi has so many old Tacoma's, but they do/did. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,912]

This is all the fault of Microsoft and the Anti-Christ Bill Gates

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

BMW 5 series.  High beam switch goes out.  I figure $20-40 replacement part, plug and play.  Nope....  Zee Germans connected the high beam with to the odometer for some very good reason I'm sure.  

Only a dealer could install it because it was connected to the odometer at around $1,200 in parts, and labor...  Last BMW I ever owned.

[RDCanecutter 26,458]

5 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

See them all the time, in a daisy chain at 60 mph, headed right down 59.  Going to make thier 3rd, 4th, 5th life down in Old Mexico.  I don't know how Mississippi has so many old Tacoma's, but they do/did. 

That ain't no joke. They repair them til the wheels fall off down there, then they put on new wheels.

[washparkhorn 9,939]

4 hours ago, RDCanecutter said:

You were out of red tape?

[Samson's Wig 3,193]

13 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

BMW 5 series.  High beam switch goes out.  I figure $20-40 replacement part, plug and play.  Nope....  Zee Germans connected the high beam with to the odometer for some very good reason I'm sure.  

Only a dealer could install it because it was connected to the odometer at around $1,200 in parts, and labor...  Last BMW I ever owned.

Well, at least you figured out what the underlying problem was.

[wd40 1,976]

18 hours ago, Rougarou said:

I'm a millennial so I don't know how to put a car on cinderblocks or bust my knuckles on engines while drinking pull tab, pearl in a can, but I did grow up learning at least how to change a tire and change a battery, back when they cost $40.

The first time I tried to change my own battery in a newer car and realized I had to take out half the parts to get the old one out and a new one in so I had to take it in to get done was when I saw the writing on the wall. This is why I now drive a Cadillac despite not being in the Cadillac demographic. The service is phenomenal and up to 50k, bumper to bumper anything you could possibly need, it's free. Up to 80k miles for power train it's free, and up to 90k with emission stuff it's free. I typically keep cars for about 60-80k miles, so it works for me.

And the service is white glove treatment, you get a nice loaner anytime you need it, and you never have to fret.

battery in my wife's car died at her office.  between her, one of her millennial coworkers, and Google, they still couldn't figure out how to jump it.  I had to drive down 360 from Spicewood Springs Rd to BeeCaves Rd and back at 5pm to jump it for her to get home so Icould pull it and take it to Autozone after dinner to get it tested/replaced (didn't want to have to jump it again).

a few years before that, her battery died on us up in Dallas, while visiting her mother.  Autozone was a block away, so I just let them do it, not having any tools with me, etc.  felt like a millennial, standing there with my thumb up my ass (metaphorically speaking) while the kid replaced the battery in the parking lot.

 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

Just now, Samson's Wig said:

Well, at least you figured out what the underlying problem was.

Yeah..... owning a BMW......  I loved those old BMW's you really felt connected to the road. Loved driving it...

[Vito Andolini 9,127]

17 hours ago, deadshank said:

Aww shit, is this another law enforcement thread?