Actually going to pay someone to work on my car

While I have paid for alignments, tire mounting and exhaust work on my cars; I have only paid someone to do mechanical work on my car 2 times in my life.
At 15 I paid someone to adjust the the brakes on my AC VW, once At 36 I paid some some poor mechanic to swap out the front end parts on a F250
Finally this Monday I am going to pay some other poor mechanic to do the rear bearings on the Explorer
I feel like the man card takes a hit each time I pay someone to do it, but this really is a case where I am GLADLY paying someone else for there time and my lack of aggravation.
I still feel like I should crawl under the Explorer and hit all the bolts/nuts with some PB Blaster, is that wrong?

Timeormoney wrote: I still feel like I should crawl under the Explorer and hit all the bolts/nuts with some locktite, is that wrong?

You're so wrong.

Nope. I broke down and paid a mechanic to change the rear bearings on my 944 a few months back. Apparently it took an absurd amount of force to press them out, more than any machine I would have reasonably able to beg/borrow/steal would have been able to produce.

I don't think so about the man card.

Sometimes it's best to accept that paying for the job will be cheaper in the long run.

Rear wheel bearings on my E30 will be one of those things. And letting a pro tune my turbo motor once it's finished.

The funny thing is that it was dong the rear wheel bearing on the e30 that convinced me to pay to have them done on the Exploder.

IRS explorer? i've found that most small shops will let you pay one of the guys under the table (ie straight to his pocket) to press out/press in hub bearings on his break if you pull the hub off the car and bring it and the new bearing to them. maybe that was just because we had a good relationship with several shops delivering parts to them all the time...

I dropped off my other car for a transmission rebuild yesterday. I'm less than thrilled at what it's going to cost, but I don't know how to do it. Even though I probably have the tools to fudge my way through a junkyard tranny swap, it's not worth the time and trouble to me.

I'll write the check- more often than not anymore what little mechanical knowledge I have gets applied mostly to having an idea of what's wrong so the mechanic doesn't completely take advantage of me.

I figure I need to throw these guys a bone now and then, or their children will go hungry.

I refuse to work on my MINI- that damn thing is a nightmare. Dealer can do that stuff allllll day. My ms3 on the other hand, only time it's seen a rack is when the engine fell out and fragged most of the drivers side driveline.

Strizzo wrote: IRS explorer? i've found that most small shops will let you pay one of the guys under the table (ie straight to his pocket) to press out/press in hub bearings on his break if you pull the hub off the car and bring it and the new bearing to them. maybe that was just because we had a good relationship with several shops delivering parts to them all the time...

In most of the "how to's" they suggest the same thing. But with the e30 needing an exhaust gasket and the e24 needing a driveshaft rebuild: I just do not want to deal with trying to remove pinch bolts, control arms and the like. I am still going to get to enjoy replacing the HVAC control flap that has actually fallen off and onto the fan. Plus i get to swap some master cylinder switch to get the abs light off and the cruise control on, and finally the fuel filter with the anti-WTFBBQ clips that are either easy or impossible. Seriously ford? Ah well, its comfy and 17 years newer than the bmw's.

I've paid several times. I'm going to pay someone to put the clutch in my S2000 Monday.

I've had the S down for almost 3 months now looking for time to work on it, it ain't happening. My wife schedules us full and then complains that I don't fix the S so she can drive it. I keep telling her give me time or give me the $$$. She just gave me the money.

I've replaced the clutch and transmissions on S's 4-5 times, just not on my own car and not when the engine was in the car. It's so easy when everything is sitting down on the ground.

Tim, I think there's an idea here for a new magazine. You should call it SORTA GRM. It's for people with a life outside cars.

Yeah, I'm a failure as a car guy. I don't do anything anymore other than tuneups and changing wheels. No garage – it's too hard and most of the time I'm just too busy.

I have no idea how people who have kids/dogs, work more than 40 hours week, a) get a chance to do anything b) don't go insane from a lack of down time.

I find that the older I get, the more I take it somewhere. Or did, before I got laid off. I think the reason I'm ready to ditch the Alfa is because I'm just tired of working on cars. Keeping our DDs healthy really reduces my desire to work on the damn things for recreation. Her Jag is still sitting in the driveway because the fuel filter didn't fix the cold start problem, and I'm using the excuse that it's too hot outside (and the shop manual's not here yet, either) to start digging into the injection. At least she's got the Exploder to take to work.

Salanis wrote: Nope. I broke down and paid a mechanic to change the rear bearings on my 944 a few months back. Apparently it took an absurd amount of force to press them out, more than any machine I would have reasonably able to beg/borrow/steal would have been able to produce.

Harbor freight screw-type bearing press set worked a treat on mine, but I did have to pay to have a local shop air chisel the outer race off the hub.

I farmed out two jobs this past month. With work being insane and trying to get ready for a third child, there was just no way either job would have gotten done in a timely manner.

On the other hand, my father-in-law and I did most of the work in the baby's room, and I did a bunch of landscaping work outside

z31maniac wrote: I have no idea how people who have kids/dogs, work more than 40 hours week, a) get a chance to do anything b) don't go insane from a lack of down time.

I work at least 44 hrs' a week, run a business, race 2 bikes, and spent the day doing the trans, building a head, and putting 12-1 pistons in my GTi. I also decided if this tranny doesn't work out, I sure as hell ain't doing it agin. It's going to my buddy's shop. This will be my last old older project car. From now on, it's newer, factory hi-po stuff, that I can work on when I feel like it (yeah, right)

I also have 2 dogs, 2 kids, and a farm. I like to stay busy.

I'm not touching the timing belt on my girlfriend's TDI. That one is getting farmed out to local VW shop.

I work at least 44 hrs' a week, run a business, race 2 bikes, and spent the day doing the trans, building a head, and putting 12-1 pistons in my GTi. I also decided if this tranny doesn't work out, I sure as hell ain't doing it agin. It's going to my buddy's shop. This will be my last old older project car. From now on, it's newer, factory hi-po stuff, that I can work on when I feel like it (yeah, right) I also have 2 dogs, 2 kids, and a farm. I like to stay busy.

So should we put you up on a pedestal and all bow down at your feet?

your man card isn't taking a hit. sometimes the wisest thing is to let somebody else do the project and for you to go to work and make money to pay for it.

I learned years ago with exhaust....unless I am hanging some cool old ANSA exhaust system on my restored 240Z (this is actually a dream, not reality); I am not crawling under a stock vehicle and replacing a stock exhaust system when Fair Muffler in Countryside would do it for $125.00.

http://www.fairmuffleril.com/

Sometimes you just don't have the time, tools, or space to do the work needed.

I'm limited with what I can do on an uneven gravel driveway with basic hand tools and little useable wrench time.

With me, it's more often whether or not I'm going to fix the part or replace it. Yes, I'm that cheap.

That being said, there are things I refuse to do, at least until I have the tools required to make it safe and easy. I hate doing A/C, and I'm not a fan of transmission work. I've done both, but I won't bother with rebuilding another automatic transmission, and A/C is just better done with at least some leak detection equipment and a real vacuum pump.

Did it twice today. something chewed up a fairly new serp. belt going to work. Had to run so I had the wife wait with it and took her car to work. She found out on the way home that the something that killed the belt was the waterpump.

If I have time and enough skill, I'll work on the car myself. Otherwise, I figure my time is more valuable studying or caddying than it is working on a car. Besides, I like my mechanics. The economy only works if it people spend money. People spend money on me as a caddy, I'll spend money on [former caddy's] people who are mechanics.

EDIT: Oh, and most of my bills at the mechanic come out to be ~$90 or less (usually less). The guy sponsored my hockey team, I've bought raffle tickets from his kid for football. In the summer, I earn an average of about $100 a day. There is really no good reason not for me to go to him.

somethings are best left to professionals.. I basically farm out anything with lots of spinning gears and tight tolerances