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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Have you driven your car since?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

We do minor repairs ourselves. Saves a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you driven your car since?

No, but only because I didn't have time last night. Had to check homework and get everyone to bed.

But everything got put back together like it came apart, with no pieces left over. So I'm quite sure it's fine to drive.

[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.

Small steps. Lightbulb today, oil next month. Then a serpentine belt. Always learning.

You can do it.

[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.

Yeah, I save about $600 every time I do brakes. That ends up being twice a year, at least, because we have four vehicles in our family. I've probably saved in state tutuon for a couple semesters at UMCP just in brakes, lol.

[Anonymous]

I hate doing this stuff. I will do household repairs now with YouTube videos, but am scared of doing stuff on the car in case I screw it up...

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate doing this stuff. I will do household repairs now with YouTube videos, but am scared of doing stuff on the car in case I screw it up...

It definitely helps boost your confidence if it's not the only car you have! If you know you can screw something up, and fix it a few days later, it gets rid of the pressure to succeed immediately.

Just go slow. I look at it like I'm following a recipe. That's how it seems in my head, anyway.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

We hold onto old cars for this reason Op..so much easier to fix and maintain. Dh can do brakes, oil, bulbs, filters, etc, but on the newer cars half of that stuff is linked to electronic sensors or impossible to get to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We hold onto old cars for this reason Op..so much easier to fix and maintain. Dh can do brakes, oil, bulbs, filters, etc, but on the newer cars half of that stuff is linked to electronic sensors or impossible to get to.

The thing that most frustrated me last night was dealing with rusty/stuck bolts! I kept thinking "arrrgh, if this was a newer car, all this stuff would be SO much easier to take off!"... yeah, that was the hardest part. It's a 2013 car, and it gets driven in the winter, so there's quite a few sticky bolts that needed yelling at to come loose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We hold onto old cars for this reason Op..so much easier to fix and maintain. Dh can do brakes, oil, bulbs, filters, etc, but on the newer cars half of that stuff is linked to electronic sensors or impossible to get to.

The thing that most frustrated me last night was dealing with rusty/stuck bolts! I kept thinking "arrrgh, if this was a newer car, all this stuff would be SO much easier to take off!"... yeah, that was the hardest part. It's a 2013 car, and it gets driven in the winter, so there's quite a few sticky bolts that needed yelling at to come loose.

Poster above...ha, ha!
Dh "rates" the car work based on how many swear words he ends up muttering to himself.
I just stand by with the cold beer in hand for him