discussion True cost of DIY

[evnmopwr]

DIY has taught me so much including patience and all the curse words imaginable.
First time myself and a few friends took Polo tdi gearbox out to replace clutch, took us a whole day. Clutch plate and concetric died a few years later, took me about 3 hours to replace.
I agree that special tools that you wont ever use regularly is better to hire or borrow. Make some car guy friends, then their toolbox is your toolbox.

I will never loan my tools out. Sorry. LMAO!

 

[VinceM]

I'd love to learn and have the money aside for tools and such but the issue, in Cape Town at least, is finding a house with space to setup a proper garage workspace and also not pay well outsidee our budget on a house - until I've got a decent garage to work out of it's a pipedream.

I recently moved from a house with a mechanic pit, workshop, lots of garage space, etc etc into a much smaller place in a “complex”

As they say, where there is a will there is a way.

I did an oil change in my garage which opens up into the “street” in the estate. Zero privacy!

I parked in the garage, closed the door.
Put my portable flood light on.
Put the car on Jack stands.
Did the oil change.
Done!


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[Holiman]

Money spent on tools is never a waste.
I make it a point never to sell a tool purchased.
Over the years i learnt, you will need that tool someday again and when you need to replace it, price is Much more

When i was parting out some E46 diesels, you need a Special tool to remove the high pressure diesel pump from the engine.
I paid like R350 for it a Diesel Electric few years back.

That same tool is 3 times the price. lol
Just my take

This is true. Money spent on tools is never a waste. But I knew specifically that I would never ever do this job again because I hated the effect it had on my back and health etc. Realised that job was best left to the pros.

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[Kyle]

Interesting topic, I've always been a DIY nut... I suppose I had to learn to fix things, not always being able to send a car in for repairs in my younger days. IMO, there is a serious lack of skill, or mechanics that actually take pride in their work... Especially in KZN, so there are jobs that I wouldn't even think of sending out to get done.

Having said that, time is precious especially once the little one(s) come along and it's important to find the balance between work, family time and (fun) stuff. This is the main reason I had to get rid of the N54. Often found myself in the position where I had no time to fix things myself, nor did I trust that the job would get done according to my standards at a shop.

Lessons learned:

1. It NEVER takes 10 minutes.
2. Absolutely no substitute for having the right tool for the job.
3. Neighbours can be really annoying.

 

[Spanky]

I'd love to learn and have the money aside for tools and such but the issue, in Cape Town at least, is finding a house with space to setup a proper garage workspace and also not pay well outsidee our budget on a house - until I've got a decent garage to work out of it's a pipedream.

I can commiserate with house/garage debacle in CPT

Fortunately I have folks nearby, so I shoot there and fill their Saturday afternoon air with curse mechanic noises

 

[M3boi]

1. It NEVER takes 10 minutes.

If this ain't the truth

 

[tdi_stig]

I recently moved from a house with a mechanic pit, workshop, lots of garage space, etc etc into a much smaller place in a “complex”

As they say, where there is a will there is a way.

I did an oil change in my garage which opens up into the “street” in the estate. Zero privacy!

I parked in the garage, closed the door.
Put my portable flood light on.
Put the car on Jack stands.
Did the oil change.
Done!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

This is so true. During lockdown my Polo Tdi popped a turbo and I decided to go Big Turbo. Single garage in a complex. always had to close the door or someone would come by and ask all the questions I was not really in the mood to answers since I am probably elbow deep in a "why doesnt this stupid bolt want to come loose" situation

 

[shauwn]

If this ain't the truth

HAHAHAHAHA WAARHEID..Youtube and forums sal jou slaan

 

[Mytfine]

Y

I think my tools are a good 20-25k over the years. But i find it therapeutic and 20-25k over 10 years of buying tools is cheaper than a cocaine habit.

For example i don't remove drain plugs, i have a oil extraction pump so oil changes are a breeze. Start the car drive it to Alma butchery and back, pull in the garage shove in the pipe switch on the pump go have a beer and come back. Oil out, change the filter pour in new oil, note in the service book, reset the OBC and we are good. My problem is disposing of the used oil and bits of BMW.y

I think my tools are a good 20-25k over the years. But i find it therapeutic and 20-25k over 10 years of buying tools is cheaper than a cocaine habit.

For example i don't remove drain plugs, i have a oil extraction pump so oil changes are a breeze. Start the car drive it to Alma butchery and back, pull in the garage shove in the pipe switch on the pump go have a beer and come back. Oil out, change the filter pour in new oil, note in the service book, reset the OBC and we are good. My problem is disposing of the used oil and bits of BMW.

Your local municipality dump will have an oil disposal drums

 

[shauwn]

check this out

 

[Tickled_Tortise]

Tools are an addiction, Im guilty of buying tools which I have only used once but it's an investment, (I'm sure I will use that dial gauge or pulley holder again at some point in my life)

My worst flop- changing a simple pcv valve on the tappet cover of my old Mazda, the old plastic became brittle and some fell through the pvc hole into the engine my fear was the plastic could get stuck between the valve springs and stop them from closing or maybe even fall through the valves into the cylinder, so I ended up striping the whole head. Probably wasn't necessary but I couldn't live with the anxiety of not knowing where those plastic bits could end up.

What I found during my DIY experiences:
1- a workshop manual is ideal, especially for the correct torque specs and diagnostic procedures. They also harder to come by for newer models or are electronic only.
2- if you don't have a workshop manual, never watch just one you tube video, some of them talk kak and the workmanship is questionable.
3- the right tools make the task so much more enjoyable.
4- at least for me, new cars are intimidating with all the electronics and wizardry that go into them, it feels like you not only need the right tools but also the right software. This can make a simple jobs difficult for DIY. VW Electronic hand brake needs to be electronically released (via cable to a diagnostic tool) before the pads can be mechanically replaced.

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[kingr]

you have not lived, until you have bench pressed a gearbox from underneath a car, on jack stands, with 100cm worth of clearance between you and the floor and your intended target...

And remember, it is not a successful project, until you have bled at least once

This thread has been quite entertaining so far! I had a good laugh for the above because I bench pressed a fuel tank into my mk1 and picked up a couple of bruise marks to show.

Over the past 15 years of "krapping" / DIY on and off I've made so many mistakes, here are the ones I can remember:

1. I didn't refit my rear wheel bearing correctly on my mk1 Golf, resulting in my left wheel falling off 2min after leaving the house.
2. Made some screw-up with my fuel lines when plumbing my webers and had the engine bay catch fire
3. On my Mk5 Gti I was busy replacing the tappet cover gasket and accidentally broke off a water pipe on the side of the head. I managed to strip the hole for the bolt while trying to fit a new pipe. I then ended up paying a flatbed to transport the car to a garage to tap the head for me.
4. I was busy changing wheels on my dad's polo and the car fell off the jack stands damaging the chassis.
5. Many over-torqued bolts result in all kinds of tricks to extract/repair threads.
6. Lots of stripped hubs

As many have mentioned, I'm also financially invested in tools and over years I've looked at these as investments rather than one off costs. I also find DIY satisfying and love spending time in my garage to take a break from everything else going on.

Next up for me is a lift in the garage.