I saved $1,600 in 3 hours yesterday doing car repairs myself! AMA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH did this too on my car. My car was really difficult to change the CV boot though, but I have a German car with a computer system that everyone whines about.

We save a ton on brakes and brake pads by doing them ourselves too.

Do you both do it? Or just the DH?

[Anonymous]

Are you a redneck?

[Anonymous]

Are you male or female, OP?

Also, are you aware of the problems with low quality car parts from China?

I do my own brakes. I know how to do more, but the tools and time required make it challenging. Being a woman, I lack the upper body strength to loosen and lift some things. It’s frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Well done!

I know nothing about cars and don't dare do anything other than small repairs - plus I don't have the physical strength. My husband has done thousands of dollars of work in home repair, though. A/C ducts, electrical, insulation, you name it.

[Anonymous]

Hope you kept it spotless (no dirt in there) and got all boots back on with no tears, clamps not too tight (can tear a new boot over time),,etc.

And IME OEM boots tend to be higher quality than some aftermarkets, don't want a tear and your CZv grease spewing everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you male or female, OP?

Also, are you aware of the problems with low quality car parts from China?

I do my own brakes. I know how to do more, but the tools and time required make it challenging. Being a woman, I lack the upper body strength to loosen and lift some things. It’s frustrating.

I'm going to agree with this. DH is extremely strong (he's an athlete) and even he has trouble with loosening parts. He just installed some thermostat in my engine and he had the hardest time with it. We were quoted 2k for this thermostat and he got it done for $200. It was hard work though. I was hoping he wouldn't get it fixed and I'd buy a new car for myself. hah

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's awesome! Congrats! We do the time & effort vs cost comparison as well. I fell more comfortable with home repair, so do most of that stuff myself. Without having a garage, I don't like working on the cars. Our Toyota is easy to fix, but the Nissan is ridiculous. I fell like they intentionally make everything hard on they car.

Yeah, I WISH I had a garage. I have to work on it the driveway.

Next house is definitely going to have a garage. Not just because it's easier, but I feel like my neighbors are judging me while I'm working. I mean, I COULD afford to pay the $1,800, but I just didn't WANT to.

If I ever get that feeling, I would feel like I am a man that knows how to fix things, and am smart enough to save myself $1800.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you male or female, OP?

Also, are you aware of the problems with low quality car parts from China?

I do my own brakes. I know how to do more, but the tools and time required make it challenging. Being a woman, I lack the upper body strength to loosen and lift some things. It’s frustrating.

I'm going to agree with this. DH is extremely strong (he's an athlete) and even he has trouble with loosening parts. He just installed some thermostat in my engine and he had the hardest time with it. We were quoted 2k for this thermostat and he got it done for $200. It was hard work though. I was hoping he wouldn't get it fixed and I'd buy a new car for myself. hah

Extension bars for your wrenches and/or breaker bars make this a snap! It doesn't work everywhere but they help a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you male or female, OP?

Also, are you aware of the problems with low quality car parts from China?

I do my own brakes. I know how to do more, but the tools and time required make it challenging. Being a woman, I lack the upper body strength to loosen and lift some things. It’s frustrating.

I'm going to agree with this. DH is extremely strong (he's an athlete) and even he has trouble with loosening parts. He just installed some thermostat in my engine and he had the hardest time with it. We were quoted 2k for this thermostat and he got it done for $200. It was hard work though. I was hoping he wouldn't get it fixed and I'd buy a new car for myself. hah

Extension bars for your wrenches and/or breaker bars make this a snap! It doesn't work everywhere but they help a lot.

They do, but don’t fit in tight spaces. It seems like 85% of parts that need to be replaced are in tight spaces.

[Anonymous]

Did you torque all of the bolts to spec, or just figure tight works? You said basic hand tools, you do know some stuff needs to be done to a certain pressure right?

[Anonymous]

Are you a man or woman?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dealer quoted me $1,800 for replacing the front CV drive axles and a rear wheel bearing hub.

Uh, no thanks! I knew it would be expensive, but that figure is just absurd. Called other places, and it's not absurd, I guess. That's what they all seem to charge. Wow.

So I ordered the parts last week for $200, watched a few videos and read up on what I needed to do, and completed it yesterday in about 3 hours, with basic hand tools. Certainly not the first time I've done my own car maintenance, but this time was the biggest savings, by almost $1,000 dollars.

Maybe you can make extra money doing car maintenance on the side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you a redneck?

I dunno. Are there Jewish rednecks? If so, then maybe I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good job! Yes, car repair is a racket and I'm also sick of the constant up-sell when I'm having work done. However, I personally don't have the guts to do more than just change a light bulb.

It's not a racket, it's a profession. People could also save money cleaning their own houses or doing their own construction, or writing their own will. Making their own investment decisions. You could call any business a racket!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you male or female, OP?

Also, are you aware of the problems with low quality car parts from China?

I do my own brakes. I know how to do more, but the tools and time required make it challenging. Being a woman, I lack the upper body strength to loosen and lift some things. It’s frustrating.

OP here

I'm a guy. Sexual dimorphism definitely helps with grip strength, yeah. But if it's any consolation, you could probably run me into the ground. At 6' and 205lbs, I'm plenty strong, but I hate hate hate jogging.


Yeah, ChiCom replacement parts are a crapshoot. Some are fine, some are absolute junk. I try to get well known parts from NAPA or other reputable manufacturers, but even they source from China sometimes. OEM parts are even Chinese sometimes.


That's awesome that you do your own brakes! You're probably the only woman you know who does that I'd bet!