Are Less People Working On Their Own Cars?

[stef123]

It struck me earlier that it would seem like less and less people are working on their own cars these days?

Is it because many systems are becoming too complicated and manufacturers are developing systems which require expensive 'special tools'?

I know many people have cars on lease deals so are covered by manufacturers warranty and only really need to have the car serviced before they trade in and get another new car so that must also contribute to a fair amount.

[Goodkat]

If it is something like brakes, I will do it. But with pretty much everything needing to be updated on ECU I think that much else would be garage time.

Sent from my Gen 1 WAP phone

[L666JER]

I do as much of the work as I can myself on my cars. If I can do it, I will do it :) Pretty confident with engine, brakes etc myself.

Only things (as you say) that need specialist tools, ie. tracking and tyre fitting.

Having said that, I did get the rear trailing arm bushes (on my silver one) done at a garage, because they're a right pig to get out when they're rusty - took them the whole day!!

Luckily my cars are pretty basic in terms of tech anyway

[alexp999]

Depends what it is for me.

I won't touch anything electrical beyond changing a bulb.

If I can find enough information about how to change cosmetic or interior things I will do that myself.

Then anything mechanical I would never touch as I wouldn't feel safe having done it myself - that said if I was trained or knew what I was doing it might be different...

[hywelkidd]

Having said that, I did get the rear trailing arm bushes (on my silver one) done at a garage, because they're a right pig to get out when they're rusty - took them the whole day!!

I changed a them on a Fiesta once with another tech. They were a real pain to get out even with the assistance of a specialist tool (specific to Ford) and a lot of heat.

[karlos1987]

I do as much as possible on my car.

I hate paying garages. Will only do so if I really have no other option.

I tend to think if I can get it off I can.get it back on so I can replace it.

I brought a Haynes manual for my focus and even though it hurt me paying £20 for a book. I've more than saved my money.

Infact it's earned me money by doing bits for other people.

[TomsFocus]

I do as much as I can tbh.

Tyres, tracking, bearing pressing and MOTs are all I go to the garage for.

I trained as a mechanic so have the knowledge to do stuff and plenty of tools...though having the confidence to do is completely different lol!! Had to take a break from for health reasons unfortunately. Have done clutches, turbos, torsion beams, front suspension, brakes, cambelts, even a full engine swap on my last car lol.

I also like messing with the ECU stuff and have various diagnostic tools (ELM, modded Ford ELM, VAGCOM, Peugeot Planet and a generic OBD reader with live readouts) so not short of those either lol!

I think people get scared of all the sensors and modules on newer cars, but they're really not as complicated as people think!!

[JC600]

As soon as I got my first car my Dad said there's the tools, I'll tell you what to do!.....he's a very experienced technician and MOT tester, so knows his stuff. Still ask for help sometimes now at 34. I did for a while start getting certain jobs done at a garage. But since getting the Escort I've started doing everything myself again (with a helping hand now and again). No specialist tools though, but you can get round most jobs without them. Six years in the Royal Engineers as a plant op mechanic and 10 years as a mobile tech for a hydraulics company have taught me how to improvise lol. Not bothered about working outside as I do it day in, day out.

But there does seem to be a decline in the do it yourself mentally.

[SeanW]

So you can fix it all with a tin of WD40, a roll of gaffa tape, a big hammer and a tin of NATO green paint then? :p

[JC600]

Don't forget the green string lol :-P

[Stoney871]

WD40 for things that should move but don't and harry maskers for thing's that move but shouldn't.

Easy :d

[FOCA]

The cars seem to be designed to discourage home/ user servicing/ repairing, and more so as time goes on, even simple things like changing the air filter is becoming difficult on some cars

Years ago a keen/ experienced motorist would almost be expected to do his own servicing and minor repairs, these days the majority of the general motoring public dont seem to, though forum members are more likeley to be be more knowlegable and do at least some of the work

I recently had my car MOTd, i checked all the basic things myself (like lights etc) then cleaned the car out, and (re)fitted the undertray, then stuck it in for the ("pre") MOT, it failed on 2 things, i did one myself (had to wait for parts to come online mail order) and got the MOT / connected garage to do the other (always a good ploy) it was suspension (i hate working on the suspension, siezed nuts and skinned knuckles etc) it passed, but i had to do a little bit more tweaking to sort the suspension 100% - (probably should have done it myself in the 1st place)

Ive had others do work i could should have, due to lack of time, lazyness, no place to do it, convenience, or lack of knowlege/ skills or confidence, or not wanting to do certain jobs

I think home mechanics can be either over-confident, tackling jobs they probably should'nt, or having a little or the wrong knowedge, or be under-confident, not tackling jobs they cound do easily (depending on the person)

[troy45]

The usual case is that cars are primarily designed to be assembled as quickly as possible, and as a kit of major sub-assemblies.

So there's great access to say fit an alternator to the engine while it's being assembled but then an airbox gets put over the top of it, a radiator in front of it and then the whole assembly with front subframe is lifted up into the bodyshell surrounding the whole lot tightly packaged into the engine bay.

It's often hard enough to design everything to be suitable for mass production let alone to be easy to work on out in the big wide world. For repairing cars that have faults identified before shipping to customers there are often methods worked out ad-hoc to reduce repair times but your average home mechanic is unlikely to be aware of these, as are a lot of dealers in many cases.

Basically the whole design of the car is a compromise trying to balance packaging of parts and assemblies along with the ability to put it together consistently within the cycle time for the production line. Unless there's a specific legal requirement to be able to change something easily it's just not a consideration within the bigger picture.

And that's before even touching the rather complex area of electrical features going wrong or wiring issues which can often be hard enough for dealers to diagnose and fix let alone the home mechanic :(

I try to do as much work as possible on my own car and in the past had access to a pit for working under the car which was a god-send. Lying under the car is something I try to avoid at all costs not having a garage to use to keep out of the weather and so on :( For the more complicated stuff a mate helps me out, or I'll take it to a trusted specialist. Often the information on forums or an ETIS disc is priceless for giving the best info on how a job needs to be done, what's needed etc but again there's a vast section of the population who aren't aware of this or just aren't mechanically minded enough to give it a go.

Probably find in 10 years time there's loads of wizz-kids who can plug a laptop in to re-programme the whole car but no idea how to change a wheel lol

[jeebowhite]

Definitely a bias in the design to lure people away. I try to fix all I can but some electrical issues (specifically airbags) I can now diagnose the fault but would rather an autospark did the fix. Things like timing belts and drive belts etc for me it would cost as much to buy the tools and take too much time, and things like clutches etc are just better for me to leave to a garage.

Any faults, I consult the computer to diagnose, the Haynes for advice and if it's too big or expensive for me to do I will all around for the cheapest and most reliable bidder, otherwise I will so it myself.