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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
mammoth lakes ca
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Jul 22, 2015 - 09:38pm PT
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" Trust your mechanic to wreck your life..You see an awful lot of him now..."
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Jul 22, 2015 - 09:47pm PT
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Ya, until he got deported :(
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greyghost
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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Jul 22, 2015 - 10:10pm PT
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Too bad for you guys.. I have an excellent independent Toyota mechanic in Las Vegas. Been with him 14 years and he has never screwed up. Only does Toyota and Lexus: Precision Performance. Far as I know my 2007 Tacoma 4WD doesn't have the same digital vulnerabilities as those Jeeps and GM vehicles.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Jul 22, 2015 - 10:15pm PT
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I trust my mechanic for most things. I know he will occasionally screw up..but he never charges me for it. He has gotten better over the years and is actually pretty good now..Only things I dont trust him to do right are rebuild motors and transmissions...He just swaps those out.
I am my mechanic.
Anyone who allows internet access to their cars driving functions is an idiot. Any benefits are not even close to worth the risks.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 22, 2015 - 10:26pm PT
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Trust yer mechanic?
It depends upon how soon his next boat payment is.
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jonnyrig
climber
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Jul 22, 2015 - 10:45pm PT
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I don't trust my mechanic.
I AM my own mechanic.
So... I never fix my own cars.
Just other people's.
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Majid_S
Mountain climber
Karkoekstan
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2015 - 11:05pm PT
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limpingcrab
did you call ICE on poor Jose?
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tripmind
Boulder climber
San Diego
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Jul 22, 2015 - 11:29pm PT
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I don't have a mechanic and hope I never need one. I've replaced a clutch, a few radiators and once swapped out a cracked cylinder head and gasket for new ones. The miniscule amount of money you'll pay for specialized tools or even just for several different sets of sockets is just spit in a bucket compared to the gouging that any random shop can and will give you when your car is knocked out and you're on the ropes.
The last time I took my jeep to a shop, they charged me 200$ to replace a 50$ sensor, they took over two hours to fix it even though it had totally classic symptoms of a Throttle position sensor failure. F*#k shops, f*#k mechanics. Don't ever get a job that requires you to drive your car for a living. Always have a backup car, or a motorcycle, or a moped... Garage your ride when it shits itself and spend the hours wrenching on it to get it back on the road. Use the internet, use chilton manuals. Find friends that are mechanics. Don't be afraid to dive in and tear sh#t apart, just make sure you keep all the parts organized and all the bolts in seperate containers when taking apart different systems.
Also my 2000 cherokee does not have any magical wifi access points like modern cars do. It has a radio activated keyfob and it has a plugin port for CEL code reader, that's it. Computerizing cars is one of the stupidest things that modern manufacturers have ever done and I hope to never have to buy one of these shitcans in my life time.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 23, 2015 - 09:04am PT
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Who the hell CAN work on their own these days unless they invest in thousands of electronic
diagnostic shizz AND have the dexterity of a gerbil visiting Richard Gere?
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jonnyrig
climber
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Jul 23, 2015 - 09:49am PT
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I don't have a mechanic and hope I never need one. I've replaced a clutch, a few radiators and once swapped out a cracked cylinder head and gasket for new ones. The miniscule amount of money you'll pay for specialized tools or even just for several different sets of sockets is just spit in a bucket compared to the gouging that any random shop can and will give you when your car is knocked out and you're on the ropes.
The last time I took my jeep to a shop, they charged me 200$ to replace a 50$ sensor, they took over two hours to fix it even though it had totally classic symptoms of a Throttle position sensor failure. F*#k shops, f*#k mechanics. Don't ever get a job that requires you to drive your car for a living. Always have a backup car, or a motorcycle, or a moped... Garage your ride when it shits itself and spend the hours wrenching on it to get it back on the road. Use the internet, use chilton manuals. Find friends that are mechanics. Don't be afraid to dive in and tear sh#t apart, just make sure you keep all the parts organized and all the bolts in seperate containers when taking apart different systems.
Also my 2000 cherokee does not have any magical wifi access points like modern cars do. It has a radio activated keyfob and it has a plugin port for CEL code reader, that's it. Computerizing cars is one of the stupidest things that modern manufacturers have ever done and I hope to never have to buy one of these shitcans in my life time.
Modern vehicles don't have a prayer of meeting emissions standards without computerized controls; but I guess we could regress to 1970's non-electronic carburetion standards and points, so the average joe can tune his own ride. Might as well bring back leaded gas while we're at it.
I've no doubt there are mechanics who gouge on a daily basis, as I've seen their work and heard plenty of quotes and anecdotes from those who've worked with them. With that in mind, my advice is to try and avoid flat-rate shops, since they're the guys who need to "beat the book" to make money, often taking short-cuts and tacking on unnecessary repairs to your bill.
Personally, having been a mechanic for nearly two decades now, and currently tasked with educating fresh new future mechanics, I make it my personal ethic to provide accurate diagnostics and efficient, accurate service as well. Today's technicians are constantly faced with increasingly complex systems, controls, and diagnostic procedures. It is difficult and costly for any shop to maintain tooling and technician knowledge at the same pace as industry development, and proprietary technology from the manufacturers increases that disparity.
At the same time, most mechanics, or those with an interest in vehicles, are not sourced from the high-end techie gene pool, meaning they often struggle with electronic complexity that controls the old suck-squeeze-bang-blow cycle that forms the basis for engine operation in the majority of vehicles on the road today. It's certainly not getting easier.
So yeah, I guess "f*#k mechanics", since they're just out to gouge you. But I'll tell you what, I personally like do-it-yourself-ers. They really know how to f*#k up a good thing, often costing themselves more money than taking it to a shop ever would have in the first place. There's almost nothing more difficult and/or satisfying than rebuilding someone else's fubar basket case.
And yeah...
Who the hell CAN work on their own these days unless they invest in thousands of electronic
diagnostic shizz AND have the dexterity of a gerbil visiting Richard Gere?
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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Jul 23, 2015 - 09:52am PT
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Yes. With a last name like Goodknight, why wouldn't I?
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Jul 23, 2015 - 11:12am PT
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I like the computerized diagnostics. Makes life easier..The equipment costs a lot less than the old guessing game did.
But this new stuff where the diagnostics and computer engine controls are hooked into internet capable systems is a real can of worms. Seems like a chinese hackers wet dream to me....ahh lets see here... lets shut down LA traffic...hahahaha
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 23, 2015 - 11:23am PT
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I bought my last new car in 1991. We currently own a 2002 and a 2004, and I have access to a superb independent mechanic, Bailey European in the Big Raisin.
I always try to make sure that my legal and economic clients can see that my services saved them far more than I cost, so I apply the same test to a mechanic. If it costs significantly less to take my car to my mechanic for service and repairs than it costs in car payments for a newer car, it's worth it. He more than qualifies.
john
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patrick compton
Trad climber
van
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Jul 23, 2015 - 11:33am PT
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not really, do most stuff myself.
case it point: dealership wants $70 to change cabin air filter. cost for part - $10, time- 10 easy minutes.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Jul 23, 2015 - 01:09pm PT
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I like the computerized diagnostics. Makes life easier..The equipment costs a lot less than the old guessing game did. OBD-II code reader is about $20. You can get a data stream tool for maybe $50 more.
From there, combined with the internet and half a brain, you should have 90+% of your car problems covered.
Most of the time, a simple code points to a common problem with a particular vehicle that people post things about.
The rest is regular maintenance and reasonable driving habits.
Pretty simple stuff, really.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Jul 23, 2015 - 05:59pm PT
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The miniscule amount of money you'll pay for specialized tools or even just for several different sets of sockets is just spit in a bucket compared to the gouging that any random shop can and will give you when your car is knocked out and you're on the ropes.
You are ignoring the opportunity cost of your time to learn about stuff and to learn to fix it, screw up a few times while gaining experience. If it's your hobby and you consider it play, fine. If it's an economic decision, I have a lot more valuable ways to use my time.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jul 23, 2015 - 06:16pm PT
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... I own a 1981 Blazer- you remember, those simple 350 V8s...
I moved to L.A. in 1982. There were a ton of late 70's/early 80's cars on the road with those "simple v8s."
Smog alerts all the time. Couldn't see the mountains but for about one day a year when a big winter storm would blow through. Driving down the mountain from Idyllwild into an impenetrable sea of smog you had to put the top up and close the windows or your eyes would tear up.
Yeah those were the good old days, huh. Today from my place up on the foothills of the San Gabriels most daze I can see Saddleback Mtn in Orange County, Pacific Palisades, and Catalina (30 to 40+ miles.)
I mean this in the nicest way, but so far as I'm concerned your car should have been in the junkyard years ago.
I dunno any more about older cars but my experience is that if you have a Toyota made in the last ten years your most honest and affordable service option is a dealer. I have 100K+ on an '09 Tacoma, serviced every 5K at one or another dealers around the country. So far I am 100% satisfied.
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
where the wind always blows
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Jul 23, 2015 - 07:12pm PT
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I have gone through two Toyota Tacomas in the past 5 years ( 2005 and 2011). Just bought a new 2015, (with lifetime warranty on the parts I have problems with).
I went through 12 front wheel bearings, two driveshafts, and five master cylinder/brake problem repairs, etc...ect...!
I think the problem I have is that i use my truck daily on rough logging roads and for farm work. What it is supposed to be designed for! Obviously these problems are abnormal to 99% who own a Toyota.
They all look like brand new trucks. I don't crash through trees, just drive up rough roads.
I have older Toyotas 90's and early 2000's that never have monthly issues, but my new ones it is constant. Sorry, grumpy and rambling.
In short, I use my NEW trucks for their intended purposes and they fall apart!!!!! QUICKLY
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T.J.
climber
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Jul 23, 2015 - 07:45pm PT
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Well I have one but id rather offer this. I went to a "jiffy Lube" or whatever to get an oil change I didn't feel like doing myself. The "guy" to greet me was a former student in one of my science classes. I got nervous...fortunately the manager came out and informed me that his "technician" was unable to get the drain plug loosened and was in fear of stripping it. I said fine and thanks. Went home and popped the drain plug out almost with my fingers. Makes me wonder what bolt my former student...umm their technician was trying to take off...
Cheers!
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