I had to gasp!

[icladius]

free repairs aren't free they obligate one. my work time is as valuable as nearly anyones but my free time has the same value as everyones without exception. do you know what that value is? nothing, a concept i try to teach my children. they don't seem to get it. there are three reasons i work on my own cars, i am cheap, i am frugal, and i am of Scottish decent, besides i want to know it is done to my standards. this often means i don't get to a repair immediately but it is a small price to pay for the entertainment and piece of mind it gives me.

i cannot imagine a modern vehicle not making 200k miles. today i was at the stoplight next to a geo. a sasucki with 3 cylinders. the old timer driving it responded it had 163k to my mileage query. there are many reasons for longevity we have better metallurgy, lubricants and engineering. the old heavy metal cars had trouble doing half that.

 

[maxmk8]

Great points made by everyone... the way I evaluate if I am going to do a repair or not is via simple calculation.

If I devide the total cost for repair by the time I am estimating the repair will take... and I end up with a higher hourly wage than what I receive, I will do the repair myself. Because i am going to work for this money anyways... it makes logical sense.

Case point my Intake manifold developed a leak on the Crown Victoria...I called places and the cheapest quote I got was $400 for the labor only... I spent 4 hrs changing it myself... $100 is a bit more than I make per hour So hey it was a very worthwhile repair for me.

Brake jobs and oil changes are becoming less and less appealing to me because I know I can spend the same amount and have someone else do it for me.

Main reason I still do it myself is preference in parts (Mobil 1 oil, filter) and convenience of not having to someplace and wait there for 2 hrs anyways.

 

[LLT]

That's a pretty logical and reasonable formula! There are a few little weird things I still do myself. Until very recently, I was still doing brake jobs and oil changes myself... then I started bringing a case of Mobil 1 and my own filter - they charge me $10 labor and it's done in 15-20mins... best of all, I don't have to fuss with the ramps, wrenches and disposal of the oil. Works well if you find a place willing to discount for the fact that you have your own stuff!

 

[driller]

Now I know why I do most of my own repairs.

Seriously, usually it's a matter of proper tools and facilities for me. I generally get a lot of satisfaction from knowing the job is done right. A lot of times I take the car up to my work place to wrench on it, but we don't have a lift and I don't bend as well as I used too. I usually don't have help either. If I don't have what it takes; tools, lift or help - I pay to get it done. A couple places I go to will even let me lend a hand.