YACT: How handy are you, really?

[halik]

Well? ATOT seems to be full of home mechanics, so have you guys done?

On the A4 alone:
tranny swap
rear wheel bearings
all control arms
airbag swap and reset
CV joints
....

forgot starter, alternator, all suspension, most of the front end (bought it wrecked) etc. etc.

 

[tami]

i'm a female and not a mechanic. i'll leave modding cars to the fellas.

 

[iamwiz82]

I've never rebuilt an engine. That's about all I haven't done, though. I've swapped axles, helped build custom air compressor systems to run off of the engine, "fixed" and fixed rear and front main seals, replaced loads of bearings and bushings, swapped out pretty much every possible engine acessory, etc.

 

[iamme]

not very handy at all.

i've done basic electrical stuff like replacing bulbs, i've changed tires, installed foglights, replaced radios, that's about it. i wouldn't trust myself with anything beyond that unless i took some time to learn how to do it correctly.

 

[Hyperblaze]

Originally posted by: tami
i'm a female and not a mechanic. i'll leave modding cars to the fellas.

you could of just said "not a mechanic"

I know women who are very mechnicallly inclined (heck, my sister just finished mechnical engineering).

Female has absolutely nothing to do with it

 

[serialkiller]

ive put a huge 2' rear wing spoiler and a 5" fart can.

 

[tami]

Originally posted by: Hyperblaze

Originally posted by: tami
i'm a female and not a mechanic. i'll leave modding cars to the fellas.

you could of just said "not a mechanic"

I know women who are very mechnicallly inclined (heck, my sister just finished mechnical engineering).

Female has absolutely nothing to do with it

i feel like there are fewer female mechanics than there are female IT people. what do you think? it probably does have something -- not much, but enough -- to do with it.

 

[radioouman]

Originally posted by: Hyperblaze

Originally posted by: tami
i'm a female and not a mechanic. i'll leave modding cars to the fellas.

you could of just said "not a mechanic"

I know women who are very mechnicallly inclined (heck, my sister just finished mechnical engineering).

Female has absolutely nothing to do with it

A mechanical engineering degree has nothing to do with being handy.
I work with a room full of mechanical engineers and virtually none of them can work on their cars.

I've changed out everything except for an engine or transmission. I've stripped and painted my truck, I've replaced intake manifold gaskets, changed axles, driveshafts, replaced virtually every brake component, rebuilt air conditioning... on and on.

 

[Quixfire]

I?ve spent 20+ years as a mechanic. I?ve done everything you can think of to a car and then some. I?ve done light maintenance and rebuilt cars from the frame up.

 

[Tea Bag]

I've put NOS stickers on a car, subsequently rasing its wheel horsepower by 10

But seriously - the extent of my maintence is tire rotation, topping off liquids and the occasional oil change. I don't really have any tools to do anything else.

 

[Budmantom]

I rebuilt a Rochester carburetor, and the car still ran.



Tom

 

[Saulbadguy]

Air filter. Replaced the turn signal marker. Battery. Alternator. Thats it, really. I could do an oil change but its too much of a PITA.

 

[Tommunist]

oil changes
air filter
cabin air filter
fuel filter
spark plugs
coilpack
engine speed sensor
a couple of bulbs

that's all i can think of right now...

 

[luckysnafu]

On my old car I have done oil changes, control arms (were a b1tch to do), rear shocks, head gasket, brakes all around (rear were drums), lots more.
With my dad growing up I helped change clutches, exhausts and we even did body work on my sisters old car when it got hit in an accident.

Most I have done with my new car so far is changing the control arm bushings, which was relatively easy.

 

[yllus]

I've rebuilt an engine, built and raced an electric car up to 50 km/h, built and ran a number of autonomous robots... I know my way around a garage.

 

[Doboji]

I changed a headlight.... oh wait... no I blew a headgasket once....

-Max

 

[FeuerFrei]

Most I've done is replace the alternator and brake rotors/pads. Not a lotta.

*edit* Also replaced head/tail/signal light assemblies and replaced antenna. Added neons under the dash.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Replaced engine on a VW bug
Replaced engine on a Jeep Cherokee
Replaced clutch on my Dakota
Replaced half shafts on my Grand Prix
Removed+put back the dash from a few different cars
Replaced a transmission on a Bronco II

 

[SunnyD]

Changed a water pump on an old ford escort, at the same time replaced the timing belt and set the timing myself. It worked strangely enough. Timing wasn't perfect, but good enough to get it into the shop to redo.

And I ended up having a few bolts left over...

 

[Migroo]

Routine maintenance but haven't done things like brakes, suspension parts.

I've done some very complex audio systems comprising making new fibreglass interior panels, subwoofer boxes etc.

 

[TStep]

Only the basics, and that was before automakers started cramming 10# engines in 5# sacks. I enjoy butchering wood, but turning wrenches isn't my bag.

 

[jlee]

My uncle and I replaced the head gasket on my MR2. Aside from that, just typical maintenance (brake pads, caliper, plugs/wires/cap/rotor/coil..fuel filter..oil change, drain/refill/bleed coolant system, etc). Springs/struts as well.

 

[Ramma2]

Lower intake manifold gasket, about a 900$ job at the shop, did it in a weekend for 100$ parts.

 

[tfinch2]

Change oil every 3k miles for myself and rest of family/girlfriend
Brakes
Water pump
Gaskets
Spark plugs
Alternator
Transmission flush
Changed a solenoid on the valve body of a transmission
Shocks/struts
Tie rod ends
I've pulled a motor before to replace heads and head gaskets.

 

[Tommunist]

for all of you guys doing suspension work i hate it (at least on my mk4 vw).