Thoughts on Do-it Yourselfers
Should people be allowed to fix their own cars? It’s an interesting topic for thought, as it is something that will never be legislated or could ever be enforced, but some of the horror stories make for good musings.
If you are in a crosswalk, having looked both ways, and are crossing the street, do you not have a right to expect that the car approaching you has the ability to stop and not run you over?
There are obviously a lot of very competent DIY people repairing, maintaining and customizing their vehicles at home, but what about all the people who only think they can do it?
While it is one thing to tune up your car at home in the driveway, cross the spark plug wires and spend two days at the library trying to figure out the firing order, at least you aren’t in danger of hurting anyone.
I have never understood why people feel the need to change their own oil. Does it make you feel macho to put on your worst clothes, go lie in your lane and drip oil all over yourself to save $10? The point everyone misses is that the extra $10 you pay to have your oil changed at a shop is an insurance policy! Yes, when the oil filter leaks, you will have someone to complain to.
One of my customers changed his own oil, and as sometimes happens the old oil filter gasket remained on the engine and didn’t come off with the old filter. Then he went and screwed the new filter on, it was double gasketed and it leaked. Unfortunately for the customer, it didn’t leak fast enough for him to notice after he finished his oil change. It took him about four days to run out of oil on the freeway coming home from work one night. The engine repair was $3600. He had to no one to complain to, but at least he did save ten dollars.
Doing your own brake job is another matter altogether. Two weeks ago I was at the local parts store buying some bits and pieces for a speed boat I am refurbishing and as I walked in I was greeted by a somewhat animated discussion. The customer was trying to return a wheel cylinder that had blown apart while he was trying to do the rear brakes on his car at home in his driveway. He was arguing that the cylinder was defective and the part supplier was arguing that the customer didn’t install it properly.
“Did you forget the cylinder push rod? Did you try and bleed it with the drum off? Did you adjust the brakes before you bled it? Did you blow out the cylinder trying to put the brake return springs on the other side?”
This shouting match could have been avoided if the customer had the knowledge to put the wheel cylinder back together after he blew it apart. Heck, we’ve all done that.
Over the years I have seen people put brake calipers on upside down, so the bleeder screws are on the bottom, push a gallon of brake fluid through the system and wonder why they still have no pedal. Then they telephone me for an over the phone diagnosis and eventually tow their vehicles, or in some cases drive them to my shop for us to fix.
I have seen people replace only the inboard brake pad, as the outboard wasn’t worn out yet! Do you think the sliders might be seized? Did it occur to you both brake pads should wear at the same rate?
I have seen people stuff brake pads into vehicles with dangerously ground out brake rotors, ground out brake drums stuffed over new brake shoes and not adjusted because the lip on the drum was so spectacular.
I have seen a million brake shoes put on backwards - all four shoes aren’t necessarily the same you know! Can you say Primary and Secondary? Why would someone take on a job they know nothing about, when it has the potential to kill them?
My all-time favourite was one particular smartass, one of those people who figure they are the smartest person on the planet. I had a difficult time feeling any sympathy for him. He had a seven or eight year old Ford F250 4×4, that he loved, babied and kept as mint as possible. However, he thought our brake jobs were too expensive, so he and his neighbor, who was either a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker, decided to do the brakes on this truck.
When it finally came to us, with no brakes, among other part installation issues, they had elected to use power steering fluid instead of brake fluid to bleed the system. Brake hydraulic parts do not accept oil, and they tend to literally swell up to probably 10 times their original size, and fail of course. The customer was obligated to replace every brake part on that truck that had rubber in it, starting with the master cylinder, the calipers, the wheel cylinders, brake hoses, and the proportioning valve.
Or what about the guy who didn’t want to pay an hours labor to have a starter changed in his 305 Olds Cutlass. When it came to us two weeks later it had the positive battery cable welded to the frame, resulting in the burning out of the fusible link, his transmission cooling lines were kinked and leaking from trying to get them out of the way and the tow bill was almost as great as the hour I would of charged him to replace the starter in the first place. Oh, and he didn’t have a car for two weeks.
I don’t do my own taxes, I don’t fix my own computers, and I know how far I am capable of going if I am trying to nail two pieces of wood together. However I really wish people who are trying to fix their cars could recognize their limits as well. The result would be better for both of us.