ME OWN CAR SERVICE

tattoo man

right im going to do this meself,well ill get a hand of a mate in the know.so whta do i need to sevice me motor???

PLUGS
OIL FILTER
AIR FILTER
NEW OIL

i know everything else is topped up
or am i better off getting someone to do it??is it expensive??

Graham_B18C

Depends on the car, I serviced a Micra a few weeks ago dead handy, only problem was getting the oil filter off was a bit tough

eden_my_ass

tattoo man wrote: »

right im going to do this meself,well ill get a hand of a mate in the know.so whta do i need to sevice me motor???

PLUGS
OIL FILTER
AIR FILTER
NEW OIL

i know everything else is topped up
or am i better off getting someone to do it??is it expensive??

First time around unless you can borrow the necessary tools it'll probably cost you same or more, if you have to buy tools then you'll save next time! Worth doing and most task are simple, although you may need tools you thought you didn't (i.e. oil filter as mentioned)

tattoo man

Grahamo999 wrote: »

Depends on the car, I serviced a Micra a few weeks ago dead handy, only problem was getting the oil filter off was a bit tough

,but i hear its real cheap to get them done in places now???so if it was going to cost me for example 60 euro for parts,or 100 to get it all done,bein lazy id get it all done:D:D
but ive never got one serviced before,so ive no idea how much it would be for the parts alone to do it??it a nissan maxima....its drinking juice at the mo,should hve bein seviced ages ago

El Guapo!

Do it yourself. Its not hard and plus you'll get the satisfaction of doing it and its nice out today too so it wont be a chore. Just make sure you double check everything afterwards. If it has air-con it'd be worthwhile changing the pollen filter too. Also have a look at the brakes while your there too. Good luck and have fun!!;)

Graham_B18C

A mixima, is that a 2.4 or a V6 or something like that?

No idea how much it'd cost to get done in a Garage, I bought the stuff for the Micra in Consort, 4 Plugs, Gallon of Oil, Air Filter and Oil Filter, 45 quid for the lot, then I bought the Tool for taking the plugs out, that was 87 quid and the thing for getting the oil filter was 20.

In the end it costed a bit less that getting it done in a Garage but I have the tools needed to do it again.

mickdw

New plugs would help out with the fuel comsumption alright. Go ahead with it yourself. Have a good look aroound the car first and see what you are likely to need re tools. Are the plugs easily accessible?
Can you easily get under the car to get at sump nut?
Oil filter should be simple depending on access
Air filter should be ok.

You will also need to do alot of checks.
Check brake wear all around
Have a good look and shake around underneath at exhaust brackets, rubber boots, etc
Check brake fluid levels
Check coolant levels & concentration
Check wheels for play in bearings & steering
Bulbs

etc
etc

tattoo man

right feck it,ill have a crack meself lads,sure me mate has the the tools,cheers lads ill be back to yis if anthing fails:D:D

thanks very much folks....

kazul

Deffo cheaper to do it yourself if you can. Spark plugs are a bit tricky and there's 6 of the buggers, make sure you use the correct heat rating. Also, the dipstick on my one gives a flase reading. IIRC oil capacity without filter is 3.5 litres, with filter is 4.
A32s don't have pollen filters and, if it's an import, chances are the A/C is not even connected.
Check transmission fluid (if it's an automatic), power steering fluid, coolant and brake fluid. I've been told that it's a specialist job to do brake fluid if it has ABS.
Treat her to some NGK double platinum spark plugs and some Bardahl semi-synthetic oil. And try not to use Lockheed brake pads if you're replacing them, I find them squeaky.

mickdw

kazul wrote: »

I've been told that it's a specialist job to do brake fluid if it has ABS.

If airs gets into the abs pump, it may well be a specialist job/procedure to get it out but there is nothing wrong with running fresh fluid into the reservoir while bleeding it out at each wheel. This cannot cause any damage as you are not introducing air (Use a one man bleed system) and you are not introducing any undue pressure into the system. So IMO, it quite safe to change fluid like this.

Webmonkey

I just stick a screw driver through the oil filter towards the end of it, right through and it only takes a sec to take it off by turning the screw driver. I don't have the proper tool for it, i'd imagine a lot easier if I did but still comes off nice and handy :pac:

L1011

Webmonkey wrote: »

I just stick a screw driver through the oil filter towards the end of it, right through and it only takes a sec to take it off by turning the screw driver. I don't have the proper tool for it, i'd imagine a lot easier if I did but still comes off nice and handy :pac:

There is the slight problem that if the filter is stuck, you've got a car you can't drive to a mechanics due to the screwdriver... know someone it happened to!

mikkael

I agree with everyone who says do it yourself. I began doing my Volvo 440 myself ( Renault B18U engine ) about a year ago, and haven't looked back. Cost?

1/ Sump plug tool - 5 euro

2/ Bardahl Semi - synthetic oil - 30 euro

3/ Filter - 10 euro

So 45 quid outlay ( already had the chain thingy for the filter - about another tenner ). MOST IMPORTANTLY, I know it's done properly. I'd discovered that the 'mechanic' hadn't been changing the filter at all. God knows what he'd been putting in the engine as well, one thing was always obvious though - the oil was going black instantly. I don't know if he was putting diesel oil in or someone else's oil or what! I think it's fair to say he was draining the oil cold as well, leaving most of the old stuff in the engine.

It took about 5 oil changes to get all the crap out of it. Now I've done over 2k. miles since the last change and the oil is still golden. I also dosed it up with 'Dipetane' through all that time in a bid to clean things.

For me it puts paid to the thought "Ah sure it's simple, surely they can't mess it up" ... oh yes they can! Do it yourself and you know it's done right.

Cheers,

Tony.

Webmonkey

MYOB wrote: »

There is the slight problem that if the filter is stuck, you've got a car you can't drive to a mechanics due to the screwdriver... know someone it happened to!

Yeah always goes through my mind when I'm doing it! - It's grand though, works for me. Prob better off doing it correctly


And yes doing it yourself is really quick and cheap. I mean it no more than a 45min job really. Most expensive part mine was the Oil, that castrol magnatec is really good.