How to Fix Stuff

[UncLeJunkLe]

I recently replaced the starter in my truck. Two bolts. Bottom one in the wide open for the world to see. Top one buried beyond belief. Couldn’t see it. No room. Could barely get two fingers in there. Only wrench I could get on it was a short 5/8” box. Even then, I could only turn it 30 degrees…just enough to advance the hex head and get the box end to get a hold of it again. Laid under the truck a half hour turning that bolt out. Head, neck, and hands going into convulsions. But I got er done.

100% the dealer has a specially configured tool to get to that bolt head to make short work of it.

Similar experience to replace a crankshaft sensor in my car. Both bolts were fairly well accessible but had to work completely blind. Of course, one bolt was almost impossible to remove lol, but I got it. YT vids for similar car helped to locate the part, then and used my hands to feel for it.

Had to buy ramps for $80, part was less than $10. Mechanic wanted $360 to replace (which is a quick simple job if you have a lift). Saved $270 plus now I have ramps that I've used at least 7 times since.
American labor rates are not conducive what many, if not most, Americans can actually afford (credit card/lines of credit is not savings or income lol).

 

[Bronze]

Similar experience to replace a crankshaft sensor in my car. Both bolts were fairly well accessible but had to work completely blind. Of course, one bolt was almost impossible to remove lol, but I got it. YT vids for similar car helped to locate the part, then and used my hands to feel for it.

Had to buy ramps for $80, part was less than $10. Mechanic wanted $360 to replace (which is a quick simple job if you have a lift). Saved $270 plus now I have ramps that I've used at least 7 times since.
American labor rates are not conducive what many, if not most, Americans can actually afford (credit card/lines of credit is not savings or income lol).

I replaced my crank sensor a bit back. Had to tear out the fender well just to be able to touch it with my finger. Fun job!

I can relate to your monetary figures. I do all my own repairs unless it doesn’t make sense like exhaust stuff or crazy stuff like trying to replace motor mounts on my V8 while laying on the garage floor.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

I replaced my crank sensor a bit back. Had to tear out the fender well just to be able to touch it with my finger. Fun job!

I can relate to your monetary figures. I do all my own repairs unless it doesn’t make sense like exhaust stuff or crazy stuff like trying to replace motor mounts on my V8 while laying on the garage floor.

I got a story about the stealership, which is why I'll never use one again.

Back in the late 90s I bought a used Nissan Sentra. There was a little bit of play in the steering wheel but the car cost me under $2K. I bought it and a couple months later took it to the stealership to get it checked out becuase the play got a lot worse.

The estimate comes back and was told the steering joint needs replaced. $2200, because they said they had to take the cluster panel apart as well as pull the steering column to replace it.

I asked if it was a serious safety issue the way it was and was told it wasn't. He also said he'd "be happy" to get me a salesman to just get a new car. I left. I was worried about it because despite him saying it wasn't a safety issue, I felt differently. But I could not afford that.

So a few months later I took it to an independent mechanic for state inspection. First thing he did was hop into the car and took it for a spin. The first thing he mentioned when he got back was steering joint seems to need replacing. He put it on the lift to verify and pointed right at the joint from the bottom - right there, easily accessible. I asked how much and he said....

$80. Yeah, you read that right. Eight, zero.

When I went back to pickup the car that day, he showed me the old joint. I was lucky. That joint was barely intact. I wish I could have taken a pic but that was before everyone had cameras with them 24/7. I bet my face was ghost white.

No more stealerships for me.

 

[Bronze]

I got a story about the stealership, which is why I'll never use one again.

Back in the late 90s I bought a used Nissan Sentra. There was a little bit of play in the steering wheel but the car cost me under $2K. I bought it and a couple months later took it to the stealership to get it checked out becuase the play got a lot worse.

The estimate comes back and was told the steering joint needs replaced. $2200, because they said they had to take the cluster panel apart as well as pull the steering column to replace it.

I asked if it was a serious safety issue the way it was and was told it wasn't. He also said he'd "be happy" to get me a salesman to just get a new car. I left. I was worried about it because despite him saying it wasn't a safety issue, I felt differently. But I could not afford that.

So a few months later I took it to an independent mechanic for state inspection. First thing he did was hop into the car and took it for a spin. The first thing he mentioned when he got back was steering joint seems to need replacing. He put it on the lift to verify and pointed right at the joint from the bottom - right there, easily accessible. I asked how much and he said....

$80. Yeah, you read that right. Eight, zero.

When I went back to pickup the car that day, he showed me the old joint. I was lucky. That joint was barely intact. I wish I could have taken a pic but that was before everyone had cameras with them 24/7. I bet my face was ghost white.

No more stealerships for me.

Ripoff artists.

In 1999 I brought my 6 year old pickup truck to one of those quicky lube joints for an oil change (back in the day I worked 60 hrs a week and had no time for DIY). The punk who was changing the oil told me my exhaust was about to go. I finally had to replace my muffler 1-1/2 years ago.

 

[hittman]

We used to use a Jiffy Lube place years ago for company vehicles and they cross threaded my drain plug and often times didn’t get the oil filter tight. After the drain plug incident, I went to the boss and refused to take my company car there. Right after that all of us quit them.

 

[borno]

I got a story about the stealership, which is why I'll never use one again.

Back in the late 90s I bought a used Nissan Sentra. There was a little bit of play in the steering wheel but the car cost me under $2K. I bought it and a couple months later took it to the stealership to get it checked out becuase the play got a lot worse.

The estimate comes back and was told the steering joint needs replaced. $2200, because they said they had to take the cluster panel apart as well as pull the steering column to replace it.

I asked if it was a serious safety issue the way it was and was told it wasn't. He also said he'd "be happy" to get me a salesman to just get a new car. I left. I was worried about it because despite him saying it wasn't a safety issue, I felt differently. But I could not afford that.

So a few months later I took it to an independent mechanic for state inspection. First thing he did was hop into the car and took it for a spin. The first thing he mentioned when he got back was steering joint seems to need replacing. He put it on the lift to verify and pointed right at the joint from the bottom - right there, easily accessible. I asked how much and he said....

$80. Yeah, you read that right. Eight, zero.

When I went back to pickup the car that day, he showed me the old joint. I was lucky. That joint was barely intact. I wish I could have taken a pic but that was before everyone had cameras with them 24/7. I bet my face was ghost white.

No more stealerships for me.

I had a '88 sentra to tool around in. I remember having to lube up that steering joint when it got tight.I had to do a lot to it over the years, but it was easy to work on and got 36mpg fully loaded on a trip. No ac, no ps or brakes and it needed 1 more gear. My wife made me get rid of it when I told her one of the back wheels almost came off when the radius rod broke. I welded new threaded ends to it, but she worried about the frame rusting out.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

I went to a Jiffy Lube only once, but I've gone to Valvoline Instant Oil Change many times. What made me stop going there and strictly change my own oil from that point forward?

One time I brought in my own oil. My car at the time took 2.98 quarts (so does my current car). Says so in the manual plus if you put 3 quarts in, the dipstick reads full. So, I mean, it takes 3 quarts! lol But after I handed over the 3 quarts, the tech goes and looks up my oil capacity in their system and comes back to tell me I need 4 quarts. I told him he was wrong and I can prove it with my manual, but he can prove it just by putting the 3 quarts in and checking it. So he did. That was the last time I got my oil changed by anyone but me because that incident made me wonder if they'd been putting 4 quarts in it all the other times I got an oil change there using their oil. Also made me wonder if others might do the same. 1 quart over actually capacity is quite a lot when you consider capacity is only 3 quarts.

TBH, I'm tired of changing oil in my car. It's not easy getting to the oil filter and is a messy job as a result. I hate doing it anymore.

============================================

Another story, this time Jiffy Lube - happened to a co-worker but I saw it with my own eyes. The girl went to a JL 40 miles out of town, then drove home. Oil light came on and she stopped into work becuse home was another 15 or so miles, bawling her eyes out. I happened to be on break and went to check if I could see a problem. The problem was immediately evident. Stream of oil on the ground coming from under the car. Looked under and there was no oil pan drain plug. My guess is they put the drain plug in but very loosely and it fell out sometime in that 40 mile drive. She said she noticed the oil light come on a couple miles before she stopped into work. So she got lucky. Far as I remember her car was fine after she got a new plug and filled the oil, but it could have been catasrophic.

===========================================

One of the problems is this: I had a friend that got a job at VIOC in another state right after he moved there and he had no mechanic training, certification or experience. It was little more than minimum wage at that time, plus bouses for upsells for which they had quotas to meet. I mean, they'll hire anyone with a pulse. Not that it matters much because the stuff they do is simple, but I think that's part of the problem. But no certified mechanic's gonna work at these types of places - it's a low wage job and instant oil change workers aren't so much mechanics as they are upsell agents. It's all about the upsell, no money in the oil change.

I know it's really convenient but it's really best to just stay away from these places of you care at all about your car.

 

[Bronze]

I went to a Jiffy Lube only once, but I've gone to Valvoline Instant Oil Change many times. What made me stop going there and strictly change my own oil from that point forward?

One time I brought in my own oil. My car at the time took 2.98 quarts (so does my current car). Says so in the manual plus if you put 3 quarts in, the dipstick reads full. So, I mean, it takes 3 quarts! lol But after I handed over the 3 quarts, the tech goes and looks up my oil capacity in their system and comes back to tell me I need 4 quarts. I told him he was wrong and I can prove it with my manual, but he can prove it just by putting the 3 quarts in and checking it. So he did. That was the last time I got my oil changed by anyone but me because that incident made me wonder if they'd been putting 4 quarts in it all the other times I got an oil change there using their oil. Also made me wonder if others might do the same. 1 quart over actually capacity is quite a lot when you consider capacity is only 3 quarts.

TBH, I'm tired of changing oil in my car. It's not easy getting to the oil filter and is a messy job as a result. I hate doing it anymore.

============================================

Another story, this time Jiffy Lube - happened to a co-worker but I saw it with my own eyes. The girl went to a JL 40 miles out of town, then drove home. Oil light came on and she stopped into work becuse home was another 15 or so miles, bawling her eyes out. I happened to be on break and went to check if I could see a problem. The problem was immediately evident. Stream of oil on the ground coming from under the car. Looked under and there was no oil pan drain plug. My guess is they put the drain plug in but very loosely and it fell out sometime in that 40 mile drive. She said she noticed the oil light come on a couple miles before she stopped into work. So she got lucky. Far as I remember her car was fine after she got a new plug and filled the oil, but it could have been catasrophic.

===========================================

One of the problems is this: I had a friend that got a job at VIOC in another state right after he moved there and he had no mechanic training, certification or experience. It was little more than minimum wage at that time, plus bouses for upsells for which they had quotas to meet. I mean, they'll hire anyone with a pulse. Not that it matters much because the stuff they do is simple, but I think that's part of the problem. But no certified mechanic's gonna work at these types of places - it's a low wage job and instant oil change workers aren't so much mechanics as they are upsell agents. It's all about the upsell, no money in the oil change.

I know it's really convenient but it's really best to just stay away from these places of you care at all about your car.

And the stuff they upsell is low quality besides paying a premium for it. Take a look at their air filters, for example. They are thin compared to a standard filter you buy at Wally World.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

And the stuff they upsell is low quality besides paying a premium for it. Take a look at their air filters, for example. They are thin compared to a standard filter you buy at Wally World.

And next oil change they'll be telling you you need a new one. They might even tell how the one you have is inferior lol.

I never once bought an upsell at VIOC.

Them: You need a new air filter, sir.

Sir: I'll just take the oil change.

 

[zoiDman]

 

[borno]

Anyone know of a good squirrel deterrent. I just cleaned a big squirrel nest from the engine compartment of my son's old buick. Sucker gnawed through #4 injector wires and barely had enough left to solder new wires to. I ordered some mint spray and wondered if anyone had experience with these sob's. I'm in town, so the 12ga. is ruled out. lol

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

Anyone know of a good squirrel deterrent. I just cleaned a big squirrel nest from the engine compartment of my son's old buick. Sucker gnawed through #4 injector wires and barely had enough left to solder new wires to. I ordered some mint spray and wondered if anyone had experience with these sob's. I'm in town, so the 12ga. is ruled out. lol

Now that it's gone, what are the chances it'll happen again? Or is this an on-going issue?

 

[borno]

Now that it's gone, what are the chances it'll happen again? Or is this an on-going issue?

That's my concern because he parks behind me by a telephone pole, a handy means of ingress and egress. This is the first nest I've seen in a car out front. I pulled his car behind the garage in the alley for the night, but I don't like to park back there. I'm thinking the mint spray and maybe some mothballs?

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

That's my concern because he parks behind me by a telephone pole

Wait, he actually uses the truck daily?

 

[borno]

Wait, he actually uses the truck daily?

No, he has an old buick and has been job hunting on line (cringe) for a month and didn't drive it the last two weeks. I might switch parking spots since I drive more, but I just bought my little truck in dec. lol

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

No, he has an old buick and has been job hunting on line (cringe) for a month and didn't drive it the last two weeks. I might switch parking spots since I drive more, but I just bought my little truck in dec. lol

Well you certainly can try the mint spray. Speaking of which, can you give me a link to that? I have a similar situation in my home but it's a bit complicated to bother posting right now. Would love to try a mint spray myself.

 

[borno]

This is what I'm trying, hope it works.

 

[borno]

I cant get the link to show, but it's mighty mint rodent repellent spray

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

I cant get the link to show, but it's mighty mint rodent repellent spray

Thanks. I have to add something to my Amazon order to get free shipping. This should do it.

Did you see they make one specifically for vehicle engines and interiors?

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

Now I see what you mean. All of a sudden ECF hates Anazon links.