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Interested in doing my own car maintenance.. Advice?
SeraphimLabs:
Ramps are positively dangerous because if the car slips out of gear or your chocks are not large enough it can very quickly roll right back down them.
Better to get the floor jack and a set of jackstands to go with it. The jack raises the car, then a jackstand is raised to be snug against the car's frame and latched at that height. If the jack fails or bleeds down, the car will land on the stand instead of on you.
And yes, better to go under it from time to time to make sure. You can spot fluid leaks, keep track of what is rusting where, and make sure there aren't any dangling pieces while under it.
Shades:
Is it not common to apply a coating on a new(er) car once every year or two, depending on the harshness of winter?
To clean roads of snow, municipalities use salt...which turns snow into a brown/blackish sludge that finds its way into every nook and cranny on the bottom and sides of your car. In no time your car will look eerilie similar to that brown/blackish sludge all year round. That is the reality in the Netherlands. However, there is a coating that protects your car. I only know it is called 'bitak'/'bitac' and that works very well for rust prevention.
If all you do is driving over smooth asphalt, then that coating easily lasts for years. Hence I always thought it was applied to any car. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Renegade:
To clean roads of snow, municipalities use salt...
-Shades (March 10, 2015, 10:49 PM)
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Oh my good grief! That stuff eats cars... Compared rusted out, old cars in Canada to pristine machines from the 1940s & 50s in southern climates... Sheesh...
So, yeah. +1 for having coating there.
MilesAhead:
Nothing Miles said.
One real danger is what may happen if you don't get under the car, because that's where any life threatening action on the road would take place. From time to time it is important to check for rust, how much is left of the brakes, is the petrol trunk rusting, are there any lose hanging wires, check suspension, etcetera. Changing oil and plugs, is cosy, and you save a little money, but getting under the car, may save your very life!
-Curt (March 10, 2015, 07:21 PM)
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Although he hasn't specified, I get the impression Mouser will be tinkering just he and the vehicle in most cases. My paranoia is about working underneath a car alone. Obviously I spent a lot of time in alignment pits, under cars on hydraulic lifts, and under cars in the lot that were on jack stands. But I remember doing foolish things in my enthusiasm when I first started. Like changing the oil and filter for friends in the driveway with only a bumper jack.
It is easy to think it won't happen to you. But I just wanted to emphasize that when working alone paranoia may save your life in the very short term. My cousin;s husband, who used the screwdriver in the jack stand, must have had over 20 years experience as a professional mechanic. It can happen to anyone. Complacency can kill you quickly, if you are lucky. I don't like to think about him suffering pinned under that car all night.
Stoic Joker:
^This - All it takes is one stubborn part, that requires just a bit more force...and an improperly secured vehicle can end up on top of you. Like using jackstands in the dirt without putting a board under them so they don't sink in while you're focused on the removal of a particularly feisty idler arm. Fortunately a friend was there at the time...or I wouldn't be now.
Sure finding the source of a leak requires getting under the vehicle. But finding out that something is leaking only requires paying attention to maintenance routines (e.g. checking fluid levels), and paying attention to any spots/puddles that appear under the car. Lift the hood once in awhile and look around so you know what it's supposed to look like, and if any odd (leak indication) deposits are starting to form.
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