How many of you guys actually do work on your own car?

[dude8383]

sort of a mix, big ticket stuff (paint, built-up motor, rebuilt tranny, new door, tire mounting / balancing) I had done at shops... little stuff (suspension, engine install, lighting, interior, electrical resealed LSD, body trim bits, bolt-ons, fluid changes, etc. etc.) did myself, with help from friends etc.

upcoming shop items include

- rear subframe crap
- rear wheel bearings
- dyno tuning

ez stuff on my list

- ss brake lines
- front end (tierods, control arms, control arm bushings)
- rear swaybar links
- other little mods

werd...you know who to call for the "ez stuff" lol...

ill talk to rohan about getting both of our cars up on the lift for the subframe bushings..

[Graham325]

I do most, it just depends on financial situation and free time when things come around, I do pay to have my oil changed by a local guy, I'd rather pay $18 and have it done in 20 min. than deal with doing it at home. I am however replacing the cooling system in my jeep, especially since the dealer quoted $1700 to put in a new radiator

[Kruzen]

Gig harbor/Tacoma crew does each others work :D

One guy to wrench, one guy to make shitty e30 jokes, one guy to eat pringles, and another guy to hand the wrencher tools, and then 3 guys to stand around saying they're hungry and want food.

Washington crew for life <3

[BMW BMXER]

I do some stuff. I don't like messing around behind my dash though. Some things under the hood, not all, belts, alternator, fuel filter, thermostat, rad, fan. Little stuff.

I do however love to sand and paint.

[Axxe]

I do everything minus machine work and mount tires.

[Sean]

I do some stuff. I don't like messing around behind my dash though. Some things under the hood, not all, belts, alternator, fuel filter, thermostat, rad, fan. Little stuff.

I do however love to sand and paint.

Why didn't you just remove the valance? In the amount of time taken to tape it off, you'd have the valance off. ;)

[DEV0 E30]

That piece on early models is just a strip, it's not a part of the valance. An ac/fan line wraps around the back of it. Took me 30 minutes to get it to come off when I was parting my eta. Could be the reason he didn't take it off.

I work on my cars, most of my friends are way too lazy to work on their own. Or have brand new cars and don't understand why I like my old e30s.

[silversleeper]

I love wrenching on my own cars. A feel a lot of satisfaction when I complete something. I just wish I wasn't so lazy... getting started is the hardest part for me.

To add to DEV0's last sentence, I say I like my old E30 because it has that classic look and a lot of character. But I think people hear "I am too poor to buy a new car".

[volgapower]

i've done everything except putting the engine and changing tyres on the rims... oh yes aslo needed help installing my 325 exhaust tube (its so heavy LOL)

[lucky7]

well, i used to own a civic, so the only things i really had to do was change the oil. and toss new mods on it when i bought them ofcourse. im not all that balsy when it comes to working on my own stuff. i bought a 97 240sx and an RB25DET. its been at the shop for over a year now, they're kind enough to let me store it and all the parts there. an engine swap scares me, as does wiring up a power FC, and dyno tuning. so basically, im a waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles and took it to a shop.

i am now an ashamed owner of a DSM. a 1st gen to be more specific. holy shit, im learning all sorts of new crap. i dont plan on having this car too much longer, but it has been somwhat enjoyable trying to figure out how to get this car to run correctly. swapping ECU's, MAS's, IC piping. i need to change out the struts cause there fubared. i also will be doing the rear hubs shortly. well, as soon as i track down some junkyard parts. already put new brakes on it. i need to bleed the brakes, the pedal is really soft. i also need to build a boost leak testor. im not sure if the turbo is going, or if i have some serious boost leaks. this damn car is a headache. but i kind of like it!

anyhow, im getting more and more confident everytime i tackle some small project on the DSM. i plan on doing all my suspension on the 240, and all the maintanence ofcourse. im getting more and more comfortable as time goes on. i really want to learn how to do a clutch/flywheel. thats next on my list of things to learn.

[BMW BMXER]

That piece on early models is just a strip, it's not a part of the valance. An ac/fan line wraps around the back of it. Took me 30 minutes to get it to come off when I was parting my eta. Could be the reason he didn't take it off.

Winner! Besides masking stuff is easy to me now.

Wish I knew how my valence got so bent though. I will blame PO's..

[AdironRider]

I will say that working on your own car can also be an incredibly frustrating experience, especially when the unexpected happens. Its all worth it in the end though.

[DEV0 E30]

Winner! Besides masking stuff is easy to me now.

Wish I knew how my valence got so bent though. I will blame PO's..

I suck at masking, I spent a few days cleaning drips when I shadowlined my car, and it's still not perfect...ohwell.

If I ever put on my euro valance you can have my current one.

It can be frustrating, but it is indeed worth the effort. I'm much better at swapping in and out engines now.

[TerribleONE]

im sure that most enthusiests on this forum love to work on their car just for the fun of it and to just learn new things about thier car while thier doing it. i know that is why i love my car so much, i had to replace my blown head gasket and i upgraded plenty of things on my car inside and out. while i was doing the head gasket, i learned everything about the top of my engine. :D now i am in love with my e30 with a strong running motor and clean parts all around.
do all the work yourself, its worth it.
-michael

[lucky7]

its ironic i posted in this thread today. i was down on 11 mile and woodward today for the dream cruise.. my fucking fuel pump took a shit. n/a talon + turbo motor swap + n/a fuel pump = overload! finally figured out my bogging issues i would assume... buying a DSM was the worst mistake of my life.