Why dosen't everybody work on their car?

[potato28]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: potato28
Some people aren't mobile enough to get underneath a car and do the change, and some can't be bothered to properly dispose of the fluids. I change my own oil, but to the factory spec and still take the car in when I need a second opinion.

Those people should NOT be working on their own car. If you can't dispose of oil properly then you're too stupid to even own a car IMO.

I agree, but around here you have to go 17 km to the transfer station to dispose it and many people just can't be bothered to do something like that.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Why can't you learn how to spell?

 

[Rio Rebel]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Why can't you learn how to spell?

I'm not sure who you are referring to - the previous post doesn't seem to have any misspellings. Either way, I would suggest you learn how to communicate with civility.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Why can't you learn how to spell?

What a useful contribution.

 

[steppinthrax]

Originally posted by: mooseracing

Originally posted by: exdeath
or brake rotor lathe in their garage.

haha who even turns their rotors/drums anymore? Most people can have a new set put on for what it cost to get them turned, Flywheels on the otherhand....

If you have only 1 car it's nice to have a spare set of rotors in the shed. I did this with one car I owned. When I did brakes I swapped the rotors and had the old ones turned. Turning rotors is somewhat cheaper then new.

 

[lurk3r]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: potato28
Some people aren't mobile enough to get underneath a car and do the change, and some can't be bothered to properly dispose of the fluids. I change my own oil, but to the factory spec and still take the car in when I need a second opinion.

Those people should NOT be working on their own car. If you can't dispose of oil properly then you're too stupid to even own a car IMO.

Yeah cause everyone just loves loading nasty used oil into the same trunk they put their groceries into to haul it for an hour to the legal dump site. I guess not wanting to ingest used motor oil makes you stupid.

--edit-- I don't even like putting empty beer bottles into my trunk, I would rather give them to the school band, or whatever bunch of kids comes running by than have my car smell of beer.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: potato28
Some people aren't mobile enough to get underneath a car and do the change, and some can't be bothered to properly dispose of the fluids. I change my own oil, but to the factory spec and still take the car in when I need a second opinion.

Those people should NOT be working on their own car. If you can't dispose of oil properly then you're too stupid to even own a car IMO.

Yeah cause everyone just loves loading nasty used oil into the same trunk they put their groceries into to haul it for an hour to the legal dump site. I guess not wanting to ingest used motor oil makes you stupid.

--edit-- I don't even like putting empty beer bottles into my trunk, I would rather give them to the school band, or whatever bunch of kids comes running by than have my car smell of beer.

Have you ever even done an oil change...why would one put empty beer bottles in their trunk?

Used oil should go into an approved container...they don't allow the oil to escape.

Also most people can bring their oil back to the same place they bought the new stuff...which is about 10 mins or less for most people.

If you live out in BFE then YMMV.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: potato28
Some people aren't mobile enough to get underneath a car and do the change, and some can't be bothered to properly dispose of the fluids. I change my own oil, but to the factory spec and still take the car in when I need a second opinion.

Those people should NOT be working on their own car. If you can't dispose of oil properly then you're too stupid to even own a car IMO.

Yeah cause everyone just loves loading nasty used oil into the same trunk they put their groceries into to haul it for an hour to the legal dump site. I guess not wanting to ingest used motor oil makes you stupid.

--edit-- I don't even like putting empty beer bottles into my trunk, I would rather give them to the school band, or whatever bunch of kids comes running by than have my car smell of beer.

Have you ever even done an oil change...why would one put empty beer bottles in their trunk?

Used oil should go into an approved container...they don't allow the oil to escape.

Also most people can bring their oil back to the same place they bought the new stuff...which is about 10 mins or less for most people.

If you live out in BFE then YMMV.

Well stores around here generally don't accept the used oil back, and if they do it's usually cheaper to go to a stealership and get them to change it because the store charges for the disposal.

 

[vi edit]

Have you ever even done an oil change...why would one put empty beer bottles in their trunk?

$.05 - $.10 bottle redemptions for recycling.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: potato28
Well stores around here generally don't accept the used oil back, and if they do it's usually cheaper to go to a stealership and get them to change it because the store charges for the disposal.

never heard of a store charging for that. Also many dealerships will take the oil. I don't think you have looked much for options.

Then again with $9-15 oil changes at many dealerships, it's pointless to do your own. They will usually use your own oil if you bring it.

 

[lurk3r]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: potato28
Some people aren't mobile enough to get underneath a car and do the change, and some can't be bothered to properly dispose of the fluids. I change my own oil, but to the factory spec and still take the car in when I need a second opinion.

Those people should NOT be working on their own car. If you can't dispose of oil properly then you're too stupid to even own a car IMO.

Yeah cause everyone just loves loading nasty used oil into the same trunk they put their groceries into to haul it for an hour to the legal dump site. I guess not wanting to ingest used motor oil makes you stupid.

--edit-- I don't even like putting empty beer bottles into my trunk, I would rather give them to the school band, or whatever bunch of kids comes running by than have my car smell of beer.

Have you ever even done an oil change...why would one put empty beer bottles in their trunk?

Used oil should go into an approved container...they don't allow the oil to escape.

Also most people can bring their oil back to the same place they bought the new stuff...which is about 10 mins or less for most people.

If you live out in BFE then YMMV.

Used to all the time, before I got a real job. Now the $40 for a synthetic oil change vs $28 for the oil in Costco is just not worth my time, and Costco does not take used oil back, don't know about other places, dont care, $12 is not worth handling used burn oil. As for the beer bottles, Michigan charges a $0.10 per bottle deposit, so I just take the donation to school functions instead of returning them.

--edit -- I save my time for projects like the new disc brakes I'm putting onto my vette, should make it much more fun to drive.

 

[TallBill]

Because I don't want to. Why don't people build their own computers. It's litterally plugging stuff into the only hole that it fits and you only need a screwdriver.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: steppinthrax

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: steppinthrax
As far as the AC system goes you can do some basic things such as charge a low system with the charging tube and cans of R-134a they sell at Wal-mart.

If you want to do it wrong, you can do it this way, yes. An A/C system is a closed system. If it gets low, it is BROKEN and needs to have the leak repaired. Just charging it again is the wrong way to fix things.

ZV

It's a closed system however it does leak over time (just undetectable). And if it's not too low it can be recharged in the method I suggested before. However, if it keeps comming down then yeah you need to find the leak and fix it.

Unless the system has a sight glass there is no way to know exactly how much refrigerant needs to be added. Sure you can guess but the only way to be sure is to recover, evacuate and then charge the system with the correct amount or refrigerant. I'd say 20% of the cars I see that have poor ac performance was because some dumb ass overcharged it. Cars now days use such a small amount of refrigerant in the first place accuracy really matters.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: mwmorph

3. Flushing an automatic transmission is impossible without the right tools, hell just about every car has some thing that requires a SST at some point.

6. It requires specialized tools to diagnose anything on some cars like Mercedes where the ECU is locked down.

Yup even the best equipped shop can't fix every car do to SST's or information thats
just not available.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Yep, not allowed to work on the car in front of my apartment.

Would have to drive it over to the house to work on it.

I do what I can, though.

A man has to know his limitations.

Most cities have ordinances against working on your car even on your own property.
This includes in your garage with the door shut, though they would never know.
I had a neighbor years back that had a ball joint break when he was pulling in his
driveway. The easiest place to fix it was where it broke down as it was not movable
without a tow truck. The police drove by and stopped him from fixing his car even
though it was completely on his property. He ended up towing it to a shop to get it
fixed. I know people fix their cars all the time at home but do not start a big project
in plain sight without knowing the local laws or it might bite you in the ass.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: mooseracing

Originally posted by: exdeath
or brake rotor lathe in their garage.

haha who even turns their rotors/drums anymore? Most people can have a new set put on for what it cost to get them turned, Flywheels on the otherhand....

Yup and you get cheap ass after market rotors that are already warped. And if they do not cause pulsation problems right off the bat will in a short time. I always use the original rotors
if within factory spec after machining them. If rotor replacement is necessary I machine the replacements. Also the hubs need to be totally free of any rust or debris.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: potato28
Well stores around here generally don't accept the used oil back, and if they do it's usually cheaper to go to a stealership and get them to change it because the store charges for the disposal.

never heard of a store charging for that. Also many dealerships will take the oil. I don't think you have looked much for options.

Then again with $9-15 oil changes at many dealerships, it's pointless to do your own. They will usually use your own oil if you bring it.

Years ago most if not all shops and even the city accepted used oil. Now when a shop wants their used oil picked up spot checks are made to make sure the oil is not contaminated.
I worked for a shop that got busted with 500 gallons of used oil that was contaminated with brake cleaner. By the time a haz mat permit was purchased a special haz mat truck was payed to hall the oil to a recycler that could handle the contaminated oil and they were
payed it cost $20K. In this day and age if a shop takes used oil from the public they are dumb as hell.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: wonderwrench

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Yep, not allowed to work on the car in front of my apartment.

Would have to drive it over to the house to work on it.

I do what I can, though.

A man has to know his limitations.

Most cities have ordinances against working on your car even on your own property.
This includes in your garage with the door shut, though they would never know.
I had a neighbor years back that had a ball joint break when he was pulling in his
driveway. The easiest place to fix it was where it broke down as it was not movable
without a tow truck. The police drove by and stopped him from fixing his car even
though it was completely on his property. He ended up towing it to a shop to get it
fixed. I know people fix their cars all the time at home but do not start a big project
in plain sight without knowing the local laws or it might bite you in the ass.

you are probably talking HOA rules, not city laws.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: lurk3r

Used to all the time, before I got a real job. Now the $40 for a synthetic oil change vs $28 for the oil in Costco is just not worth my time, and Costco does not take used oil back, don't know about other places, dont care, $12 is not worth handling used burn oil. As for the beer bottles, Michigan charges a $0.10 per bottle deposit, so I just take the donation to school functions instead of returning them.

--edit -- I save my time for projects like the new disc brakes I'm putting onto my vette, should make it much more fun to drive.

This made no sense. synth change vs non synth. $12 for burnt oil vs driving beer bottles around.

WTF?

 

[1prophet]

Originally posted by: wonderwrench

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: potato28
Well stores around here generally don't accept the used oil back, and if they do it's usually cheaper to go to a stealership and get them to change it because the store charges for the disposal.

never heard of a store charging for that. Also many dealerships will take the oil. I don't think you have looked much for options.

Then again with $9-15 oil changes at many dealerships, it's pointless to do your own. They will usually use your own oil if you bring it.

Years ago most if not all shops and even the city accepted used oil. Now when a shop wants their used oil picked up spot checks are made to make sure the oil is not contaminated.
I worked for a shop that got busted with 500 gallons of used oil that was contaminated with brake cleaner. By the time a haz mat permit was purchased a special haz mat truck was payed to hall the oil to a recycler that could handle the contaminated oil and they were
payed it cost $20K. In this day and age if a shop takes used oil from the public they are dumb as hell.

Most shops in colder climates burn the oil for heat and some in warmer climates burn it to avoid environmental costs.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: wonderwrench

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Yep, not allowed to work on the car in front of my apartment.

Would have to drive it over to the house to work on it.

I do what I can, though.

A man has to know his limitations.

Most cities have ordinances against working on your car even on your own property.
This includes in your garage with the door shut, though they would never know.
I had a neighbor years back that had a ball joint break when he was pulling in his
driveway. The easiest place to fix it was where it broke down as it was not movable
without a tow truck. The police drove by and stopped him from fixing his car even
though it was completely on his property. He ended up towing it to a shop to get it
fixed. I know people fix their cars all the time at home but do not start a big project
in plain sight without knowing the local laws or it might bite you in the ass.

you are probably talking HOA rules, not city laws.

No HOA here, call your city and ask them I bet they say you can't.

 

[imported_wonderwrench]

Originally posted by: 1prophet

Originally posted by: wonderwrench

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: potato28
Well stores around here generally don't accept the used oil back, and if they do it's usually cheaper to go to a stealership and get them to change it because the store charges for the disposal.

never heard of a store charging for that. Also many dealerships will take the oil. I don't think you have looked much for options.

Then again with $9-15 oil changes at many dealerships, it's pointless to do your own. They will usually use your own oil if you bring it.

Years ago most if not all shops and even the city accepted used oil. Now when a shop wants their used oil picked up spot checks are made to make sure the oil is not contaminated.
I worked for a shop that got busted with 500 gallons of used oil that was contaminated with brake cleaner. By the time a haz mat permit was purchased a special haz mat truck was payed to hall the oil to a recycler that could handle the contaminated oil and they were
payed it cost $20K. In this day and age if a shop takes used oil from the public they are dumb as hell.

Most shops in colder climates burn the oil for heat and some in warmer climates burn it to avoid environmental costs.

Yes I have worked for several shops that burn the oil to help heat the shop. Its a pain in the ass to maintain. Besides if the oil was contaminated everyone is breaking the law because oil heaters/burners burn at too low a temp to get rid of the contamination. All your doing is changing it from a liquid to a gas. Just watch next the gov will be spot testing oil burners.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: wonderwrench

No HOA here, call your city and ask them I bet they say you can't.

Here you cannot do work for profit unless you are zoned for it, you can do detailing as long as you are reclaiming water.

The main prohibitations is dropping any fluids onto the ground.

We have tons of places that take all fluids. The only thing they do not take is antifreeze and that we are told to flush. Water treatment will remove it. You cannot dump it into a storm drain though as that goes directly into ground water.

 

[MegaVovaN]

alkemyst, I find your avatar really fitting to post about fluids

 

[cKGunslinger]

Kind of a stupid question. The same thing could be said about 95% of everything that people do. I assume the OP does the following:

• 
  * Grows/raises/processes his own food. All you need is some land and some knowledge & time.
  
  * Assembles his own computers. All you need a a screwdriver and some knowledge & time.
  
  * Makes his own clothes. All you need is some inexpensive material, thread, a needle and some knowledge & time.
  
  * Home-schools his children. All you need is some books, a curriculum, and some knowledge & time.
  
  * Never eats out. All you need is some food, cooking utensils, and some knowledge & time.
  
  * Doesn't buy furniture. All you need is some tools, a workspace, and some knowledge & time.

See how easy it is to break everything down this way? At what point do you realize you have no time for work/leisure because you are attempting be completely self-sufficient to save money and "have a rewarding experience?"

You have to pick-and-choose your battles. We live in a society for a reason.