Ever changed the oil in your car yourself?

cjt156

Volvoboy wrote: »

Average of about 40000 miles a year Oil at 6K and Full service at 12K

So 7 Oil changes in a year and 3 Full Services (Plugs and Filters)

Are you really changing your plugs 3 times a year? What car is this? Mine are rated to last 60,000 miles.

I do my own oil, filters, plugs and have changed thermostats, suspension & brake components; all on the drive on a set of stands. It saves cash and besides I enjoy it. Some people just have the inclination; some don't.

CJhaughey

I used to do a lot of my own stuff, starter motors, shocks,etc.
When the nippers first came along I had no time, and had to pay a garage to do the work.
Now the nippers have grown up a bit I have a little more time and am starting to do the work myself again.
If you don't like understanding how things work or getting your hands dirty then you are probably better off suited to paying for it.
I think the more you do the more you learn and it will stand to you in the long run.

Stephen

I used to do basic servicing (oil, filters, etc) myself when I had a motorbike as everything was so easy to get at and you didn't need any special tools or anything. I don't even know where to look to find any of that stuff in my car :eek:

javaboy

Plug wrote: »

Also a FSH is better.

Considering Volvoboy's putting in 40,000 miles a year, I think FSH is the least of his worries when trying to sell his car.

I change the oil myself or with my dad.

Plug

Stephen wrote: »

I used to do basic servicing (oil, filters, etc) myself when I had a motorbike as everything was so easy to get at and you didn't need any special tools or anything. I don't even know where to look to find any of that stuff in my car :eek:

does that be you flying up the ballyfoyle road on the bike?

Plug

javaboy wrote: »

Considering Volvoboy's putting in 40,000 miles a year, I think FSH is the least of his worries when trying to sell his car.

I change the oil myself or with my dad.

Yeah your right there, I service my fathers car. The car he drives is worth nothing but its his bread and butter.

eringobragh

I do it myself. Got sick of being ripped off. I work in IT and never was under the bonnet until about a year ago.

So far I've

Changed the exhaust back box.
Changed the Alternator
Spark Plugs
Oil
Wiring various accessories
Ignition
Battery
Boot hinge
Backlight
Fitted HIDs

Reckon I've saved a fair few bob. Anything I can't do I've sent it to my Indy Mechanic.

ARGINITE

With an oil change it not just about how much I could save, but I know what oil is going into your car. Not just the cheapest thing the garage could find.

S.I.R

Yes, not a hard job, but people are afraid to fix their own cars these days...

MarkR

A friend of mine is a mechanic and has a pit in his shed. When I call him asking to do a service, he tells me to bring dirty clothes.

I use his tools and we have a chat while I changed the oil and air filters. Sometimes I will get him to take it for a spin if I feel something is off in the car. Newish car now so not so common anymore.

Stephen

Plug wrote: »

does that be you flying up the ballyfoyle road on the bike?

Eh, might have been if it was a few years ago. I haven't been on a bike in about 4 years now. Plus my bike had a top speed of about 55mph

ART6

Plug wrote: »

Jacks, axel stands, tools etc. Getting dirty....
Is it worth it at the end of the day?

niceirishfella wrote: »

Stall the horses lads. The real reason i encourage people to chase their own oil is -

1) to Avoid Ripp off labour charges (when invariably an apprentice is doing this simple chore)
2) Cos you don't have to book your car in and do it when you want
3) and here is the main big reason - Because when i do it, i know its been done right!

Given the awful weather of late I decided, like Plug, that doing my own oil change wasn't worth the effort, so I paid a local firm to do it. They returned the car with the copper washer on the drain plug missing, leaving a nice oil stain on my driveway. I had to make a new one out of a bit of copper pipe. So now I'm with niceirishfella:o

cullig_jp

Your better off using a fibre washer instead off a copper one. It provides a better seal. Im not a mechanic or anything, just change my own oil aswell.

ART6

cullig_jp wrote: »

Your better off using a fibre washer instead off a copper one. It provides a better seal. Im not a mechanic or anything, just change my own oil aswell.

Not really. A copper washer that has been annealed so it is soft is much stronger than a fibre one. I've been using them in all sorts of industrial applications for very many years.

skyhighflyer

I had never done anything on a car before, but I decided to buy a Haynes manual for our Citroen Saxo. I had changed to a new car having spent my formative years driving the Saxo everywhere, and since its an 8 year old Saxo with 110k on the clock I figured that even if I broke it it wouldn't matter much.

Have to say I was amazed at how easy everything was. I can even change the oil by feel and undo the filter without jacking the car up now :cool: It's probably the reason the car is going so strong after years of abuse by various drivers in the family: she gets treated to 3.8 litres of semi synthetic and a new filter every 8,000 miles or so.

I recently replaced the radiator on it as well. The Haynes manual is great, shows you how to bleed out the system properly when changing coolant, etc, which is somthing I've had mechanics mess up on before.

And plus nothing beats that manly feeling of self-satisfaction when you've done a job on the car.:D A neighbour down the road from me was selling a 1995 Peugeot 106 for €750 recently, I was tempted to buy it just to have something to mess about with.

Volvoboy

javaboy wrote: »

Considering Volvoboy's putting in 40,000 miles a year, I think FSH is the least of his worries when trying to sell his car.

The car is worth the guts of €1,000 there's no point selling it if i brought it to a garage i'd be lucky to see €500, regardless of how much money i've put into her, i'll never get it back, but its how i make my living. So its kinda priceless when ya think about it:D

cjt156 wrote: »

Are you really changing your plugs 3 times a year? What car is this? Mine are rated to last 60,000 miles.

Sorry i was using 10,000 mile plugs changed to platinum on the last service, so plugs and T/belt are due in about 50K miles:)

L-M

I can get a full service kit, oil, oil filter, air filter and plugs for 38 yo yo's incl. VAT, so when ever i feel like it the car gets a service lol.

Haynes manuals are briiliant but if anything goes wrong your snookered. They tell it as everything goes perfectly. If something goes wrong you can't ask it what do you do now lol.

Voodoomelon

Fair play to everyone for doing their own stuff. Fact is, if you're remotely interested in how things work, if your into building computers or engineering, servicing a car is a piece of pi$$.

towel401

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Fair play to everyone for doing their own stuff. Fact is, if you're remotely interested in how things work, if your into building computers or engineering, servicing a car is a piece of pi$$.

true. but a fair few people don't even change their own lightbulbs

note that this is mroe common in the city. (culchie vs townie rant goes here)

Voodoomelon

It's a true enough statement though, if you're in the city chances are you don't have a driveway and just a parking space if you're lucky. I'd imagine all these people just go to a garage.

Top Dog

I do the basic servicing myself, with the more involved things being left to the Indy. Only real problem I've encountered is where to dispose of the old oil. So next week will be doing plugs, leads, coolant and air filter. Will leave the oil/filter for the mechanic as the car will be going in soon after for timing belt and tracking - the sort of jobs I dont have the knowledge/equipment for.

Dolph Starbeam

Volvoboy wrote: »

Does it not give ya's a warm fuzzy hungry bastard feeling knowing you've saved the guts of €150 to do a service yourself?

:eek: €150..... Where do you get your car serviced and what kind of car is it?

Ferris

Limerick-man wrote: »

Haynes manuals are briiliant but if anything goes wrong your snookered. They tell it as everything goes perfectly. If something goes wrong you can't ask it what do you do now lol.

Haynes manuals are essential for this type of work alright but they're a poor imitation of the Haynes manuals of old. I have one for a fiat 600 at home and everything is shown in photos and in excellent exploded drawings. Stuff like brake servo's for example are made so clear by these drawings. I guess that manufacturers don't give them this info anymore.

BrianD3

€150..... Where do you get your car serviced and what kind of car is it?

If you compare home servicing (using genuine parts) to many Dublin main dealer service prices it's possible to save at least 150 quid per service. In my case, for a minor service I save myself around 190 quid compared to the Dublin main dealer, for a major service I save around 240 quid.

If I was getting service at the main dealer I would stick to the manufacturer's recommended intervals which is 2 services a year in my case. But as I do the servicing myself I have the luxury of being able to afford to service the car twice as often (4 times a year) yet still save a few hundred quid per year!

Dolph Starbeam

Wow nice saving, i didn;t think it was so expensive, i only used to pay around 60 quid plus parts for a full service, but do it myself most of the time now.

Stephen

Only 60 quid? Most non-Dublin main dealers would charge you about 200 (including parts/labour/vat) for a basic oil/filters service.

crosstownk

Anan1 wrote: »

Like many, I did it when I was younger but wouldn't be bothered now.

Yep - I'd be one of the many. When I was younger I did every job myself from oil to rebuilding the engine.

Now I couldn't be bothered - especially as I now have a company car. But I do plan to do a service on the wife's Bora as it's long overdue but this awful weather........:rolleyes:

ianobrien

We (myself, my brother & father) do all the regular servicing at home. We know what we can't do and that's done by friends who are mechanics. We do the routine stuff (oil, filters, plugs, brakes etc) but we won't touch modern electrics. If we get stuck, help's a phone call away...

On the last service I did, while checking the CV joint rubbers, I noticed that one started to perish. As we don't have air tools and a CV rubber spreader, it was down to a buddy's garage to do the job (on all 4 mind!)

I don't like changing filters on Almeras or Primeras. The filter's half way up the back of the block, meaning that three elbows are needed on the arm to clear the drive-shaft and (always hot) exhaust. Oh, and the oil has a nasty habit of running up my sleeve!

The worst job we did was to remove and reinstall an engine after getting it re-built. The front cross-member, along with front suspension and steering had to come off to clear the sump of the engine going in. Now, that's fun, especially when you realise that after putting it in, it all has to come back out as the new big-capacity sump won't allow the starter motor to fit!

We do have a pit at home, which makes things easier. All that's left is a clutch change in a Vectra to do tomorrow.

jonnygee

used to do diy servicing every saturday evening, mk 1 escort . changed oil every 6000 miles. chest all puffed up with pride, car sounded great, saturday night the exaust would fall off. next saturday put on new exaust, saturday night wouldnt start due to damp distributor cap or points gap messed up due to slippage in distributor. next saturday sorted out points by buying one of the new sparkrite electronic ignition kits, sx2000 i think it was, a few weeks later carbon brush in distributor burnt out due to excessive spark from new electronic igniton kit. next saturday removed sparkrite igniton kit and put in new points using a new set of feeler gauges, car going great now. following saturday starter motor burnt out, replaced starter motor with "reconditoned" starter motor from local electrical handyman, following saturday water pump failed. changed water pump myself buying it from local motor factors which didnt have correct gasket. squeezed gasket from a tube called instant gasket. next saturday instant gasket leaking, best solution ,carry a big bottle of water in car and refill radiator every 500 miles. Could go on and on here but whats the point, you young whippersnappers nowadays dont know youre living.

ninty9er

I triedI helped my dad try, but I we couldn't get the sump nut off.