Mad Cow wrote:I stopped trusting mechanics after the dealership mechanics forgot to tighten some (not all
) lugnuts on 2 wheels of my dad's car. He only realized when he got home and he could finger tighten them.
Yea belts are a simple job, invest in a good tool set and you'll be set for a while.
Heh, this happened to too. Front-left wheel. Was getting new winter tires, and I don't have a tire changing machine, so I get garages to do it.
When they were done I went to the car in the parking lot with my tire iron, and sure enough, one wheel wasn't tightened. Sigh.
I never take my car to a garage unless it's someone I know, or it's an emergency and I just don't have time to do it myself. The thing is, think about how you do work for yourself, vs. work for others. We don't care nearly as much about our quality of work for others we don't know as we do for ourselves. It's just human nature.
Most mechanics will do a
decent job, and screw up from time to time. But when you do it yourself, you know one of two things:
1. It's done right (clean job, used thread sealant, etc),
2. It's done wrong, but you
know it, where the corners were cut, and what's outstanding.
On top of all that, it just feels damned good to get in and drive after a 4 hour repair/upgrade. Changing my clutch on my escort was my first major mechanical job, and though it took me 2 weeks (missing parts that I was waiting on), what a feeling when I fired it up, threw it into reverse, and watched in amazement as my car sprung to life again.
And finally, you get to know your car inside out. Top and bottom. Where the rust is forming, what the CV and strut boots look like, if/where oil is collecting.. so you can stay on top of things.
Yay home mechanics.
