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Interested in doing my own car maintenance.. Advice?

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mouser:
Appreciate all the advice!
I will try not to get under the car unless i have a buddy around.. I'm pretty paranoid about safety things, so I won't be doing anything reckless.

Stoic Joker:
I'm pretty paranoid about safety things, so I won't be doing anything reckless.-mouser (March 11, 2015, 05:29 PM)
--- End quote ---

That's the "beauty" of this type occurrence ... You never realize that it was reckless, until after it's wrecked. :D

xtabber:
Cars need a lot less maintenance nowadays than they used to, and a lot of the maintenance they do need is not something that you can do yourself.  It is often said that cars today are basically computers with wheels.  All new cars sold in the US since 1996 are required to have an accessible OBD-II port (On-Board Diagnostics). You can buy an inexpensive device to check the diagnostic codes if you get an engine check light, but the equipment you would need to do any serious troubleshooting or tuning can cost more than the car itself.

The most important thing is to follow the manufacturer’s schedule for changing oil, filters and other fluids, but given your projected usage, you (or your car) might die of old age before you need to replace a spark plug.  You won’t save much money doing the ordinary things yourself, but it can be interesting, at least for a while. 

I’d suggest looking for an introductory course in auto repair at a local technical school.  It will be well worth your while if you actually do decide you want to do your own maintenance.

MilesAhead:
One thing I would do once you have your setup for raising the car and pulling wheels, is check the disk brakes.  What happens especially when the calipers have a lot of time since the last service(or they never were serviced) is you push the piston(s) all the way in so that you can fit the new brake pads in.  This pushes the crud clinging to the piston through the seal inside the caliper.  Typically that is when they hang.  Usually after you drive the car for a few days one gets "frozen" so that the brake on that wheel drags.  You used to be able to tell by the car pulling to that side when you jabbed the brakes.  But with the computer controlled systems now you might not notice until stuff on that wheel overheats.

I got around it on an old Chevy Impala because in the shop there was a pile of Chevy disk brake pads we removed waiting to be sent for relining.  I picked out those about 70% worn and slid them in without having to do the caliper rebuild.  Just turning the rotors.  Nice and cheap.  $0 for parts.  :)  The moral of the story being never assume you can just put new pads in.  You may be lucky but more often than not it doesn't last.  You can end up wiping out the other brake and wheel components.

Anyway have fun with it.  :)

cranioscopical:
It is easy to think it won't happen to you.
-MilesAhead (March 11, 2015, 05:41 AM)
--- End quote ---
It did happen to me — escaped with some nasty bruises and bad cuts but nothing broken — I didn't enjoy the experience at all!
Better to think 'Why don't I?' than 'Why didn't I?'
 

 

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