Just curious, how many of you do your own work on your vehicle? Shop owners don't really count but I suppose they can chime in as well. And if you do, do you just do simple things like plugs, oil, etc.? How many people actually do serious work on their own vehicles? And to narrow it down even further, after you do that work how many people tune the car themselves? Just wondering how many, if any, jack of all trades people there are out there

 

I try and work on my car as much as I can. I just replaced my suspension with a set of bilsteins with spec-rs, I installed AC a while ago, along with all of my gauges. I also hard wired a relay into my dome light circuit to make it work...

I plan to tackle a clutch job here soon with the help of a friend, and I'm going to install a viper alarm with remote start. I am also fully tuned by myself.

I do plan on getting the more serious work done by professionals (cams), and I will probably get a professional e85 tune for analysis and direction for a switchable setup.

I never worked on cars before 4 months ago when I purchased my evo, but I have torn my street bike down multiple times (frame swap, engine swap). I have no mechanical background, other than my engineering major.

curious to see what others say as well...

 

i try and do all the work i can. i cant really vote on one because i do have lazy times where i would rather pay someone to change my oil. the main reason for that is so while its on the lift i can do other inspections under the car more easily. i supply my own oil so its just them doing labor while i watch and make sure its done right so no big deal.

alot of times working your own car and doing EVERYTHING is rewarding. you constantly learn. even if you dont do the work you should pay attention to what the other person is doing and learn all that you can. yesterday for example i was going to work and my serpentine belt broke in half. half came off and the other half stayed on for 60+ miles. i got home called the parts house luckily they had one in stock, and i thought well ill just pick it up monday and let the shop do it. then i thought screw it ill do it now. i had no idea how easy or hard it would be, but turns out it was about as hard as taking the lug nuts off the car. actually i take that back it took me longer getting the wheel off and back on than replacing that belt.

 

Not that it was hard to do, but I took out the carpet today to let it air out for about a week. It's been in there for 8 years and it's never been properly cleaned. I've also tackled 2 of the hardest things to do on an Evo: timing belt and clutch, no lift just jackstands, and the trannys gotta come back down very soon so it can be sent off to be rebuilt. As much as I'd love to rebuild it myself, I don't have the knowledge nor the experience that TRE does.

 

Everybody has those lazy times, but for the most part is what I'm looking for. I hardly ever have someone else change my oil because most of the shops in my po-dunk town are pretty shady, but I can't refuse a 10 minute drive up when lovely oklahoma weather hits and its -5 outside. Like you said I do it to learn. I am always learning something new.

I work at Autozone and get knocked on by some of the older people that come in wondering why I haven't done this that or the other on a damn Chevy 350, and I'm like well I am learning, just that's not the type of vehicles I enjoy learning about. So I spend my days at work learning about your average Chevy, Ford, blah blahs and how to solve their problems, and spend my nights learning the performance shiny bits on imports and such.

For only 20 and nobody in my family being mechanically inclined I think I am moving along pretty nicely, though, it gets kinda hard cramming all the automotive stuff in while also doing my engineering junk for school haha

 

Should have made this multiple choice IMO.

Anyways, I try to do as much mechanical work on the car as I can, but I don't really have any specialized tools so sometimes it has to go to the shop. I tune the car myself though (as a matter of fact I just finished my 91 octane street tune w/ trackday alt map )

 

youre gonna do a clutch job but you wont do cams? I feel like cams would be muchhh easier than a clutch job... I did my own cams but I dont think I'd ever touch my clutch...

 

I do everything I possibly can because everybody is pretty much clueless around here. I can't even get that 10 minute oil change around without them effing it up even when I told them what to do. I like to do as much as I can. I have already put a new clutch in, did shaft seal, shift linkage bushings and am about to replace my brakes for the first time since I have had the car. I change all my own fluids. I am pretty good with cars and my brother can do just about anything so I see us doing most the mechinical stuff and leave the tunning to the professionals.

Trying to decide if my 60k service (belts and pulleys) are too much and if I should just pay to do it.

 

Clutch wasn't that hard really. I have replaced transmissions before in automatics and this was my first clutch and if u have all the tool you need and extra hands then you'll be ok. I am afraid to to touch my engine. I wanna replace my lifters and am scared to take the cams out to do it.

 

Been working on cars for 15+ years, so naturally I try to do all my own stuff. But like other people, I will be lazy at times and have the dealership do work like change my drive train fluids or something like that. Did solid shifter cable bushings and installed my CBE this weekend with a few friends and felt very pleased that I had done it all in my own garage. As everyone else says, its a great reward to do the work yourself and feel good about it afterwards.

 

There used to be a time when I'd tear down and rebuild my cars. But with more responsibilities at work and at home, time becomes a premium product that I don't have enough of. With that said, out went spending entire weekends on car projects. If I ever start a build on my own again, I'd need two to three years from start to finish.

It's just one of those things man. Some have the ability to do it every day and make a living out of it and some treat it as a hobby and only do big stuff every now and then. It just depends on what you're willing to give up in order to do what you enjoy doing a lot of.

 

For now I just drive it, wash and keep it clean. Haven't had a need for maintenance and my 60k mile service was free from the dealer so they'll be handling that one. Now, beyond that I will be changing the oil and fluids, but she's staying stock otherwise.

 

I do as little mechanical work on my Evo as possible. STM takes care of it all for me. I bring them a car in perfect condition for regular maintenance, they do what's needed, and my car leaves looking and working just as perfect as it arrived. I do like audio and working on paint, but I'm sure that's not what the OP meant.

 

Everything, BUT tunning a machine work

 

If you can replace a clutch, then you'll have no problem with cams.