>acquire car in july 2015 >can't even change a battery

Same as you.

Forums and youtube help

>>16127730
Yeah man, there is no excuse to not do your own work except if you work something like 60 hours a week or make $70/hour + to justify hiring a mechanic.

>>16127621
Just did my whole ac system.

Fucking sucked. Thanks ford engineers and your fucking and twisting layouts.

I did my system for $300 in parts and $200 in tools vs 2100$ i was quoted.


Ive done
Tune ups, Calipers, brakes, alt, power steering, water pumps, apex seals , differentials, wheel bearings

Ive never done a transmission. Not having a garage is an obstacle. Everything i do i do on the street in front of my apt.

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>>16127621
My father was a certified mechanic for everything minus transmissions so I learn a lot of shit from him. Wasn't really interested in cars until about May of 2015 when I graduated high school, started fucking around with my Vue.
Using money from my grad party I bought a $750 Volvo 240 because I fell in love with the body but this one was a mess. Replaced so much electrical shit and sensors and fuel delivery stuff and it was rusted away when I got it. Around the same time I bought it I started working at Autozone.

My daily driver Vue got totaled in February this year, replaced it with a 2002 Volvo XC70 because wagons and I became a Volvo person. That car has also had alternator issues, and I have to baby the transmission since 2001-2004 Volvos had shit gearboxes unless it was a manual. Still my "reliable" daily now.

In April I bought an '85 Nissan 720 and got to fool with a carburetor and a 5 speed for the first time. Learned a lot of simple things about engines on that since everything was so straightforward. Loved that little truck, but then I fell into a gem of a Volvo 740 Turbo at a junkyard.

Living at home with my parents, even with a two car garage and 3 car pole barn there's not much space for cars around my parent's dailies and my dad's projects. So I had to sell the truck to keep the 740 which was in way too nice of shape and low miles to get rid of before the 208k mile kinda rusty Nissan.
And here I am today putting a new gas tank in the 740, need to do some front end work I haven't done before, and who knows what else I'll learn from it.

tl;dr learned a ton from working at a parts store and working on my projects with my dad

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>>16127940
that was a garbage picture whoops

>>16127621

Buy $500 car as a DD
Fix said car or take the bus or walk
????
Profit?

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>>16127621
A few years ago I didn't know jack shit about cars, was getting raped left and right by repair shops. My grandfather used to run a little shop back in the 50's but doesn't know anything about modern cars and my dad doesn't know jack shit about them. Then I met an older guy in a machining class I was taking who owns a small repair shop in town here. We got to talking and I asked if he'd work on my car. It turned into him teaching me how to do the repairs on my vehicle in his shop which included pulling and rebuilding the engine and transmission. I learned so much doing that and now I do all of my own repairs unless it's something seriously fucked that requires equipment I don't have access to. I recently rebuilt my Ford 8.8 rear axle installing all new bearings, new gears and an ARB air locker. First time ever setting up gears so I relied a lot on youtube and forums and spent two weeks working on it after work making sure everything was set up perfectly. Runs like a champ.

Tfw no garage

>>16129346
This. I have an exposed driveway and no space either side of my house to go around the back

So anything I do has to be within an afternoon

>>16127951
Gentlemanly.

>>16127621
>How the fuck can't people do this shit?

It's not that I can't. It's that I'm scared I'll do it wrong, miss something, and end up dead.

All these slammed Miata kids are one faulty part away from a fatal accident

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>>16127621
People don't wanna do hard physical labor or get dirty or get cold or sweaty

Also LPG

>>16127621
My dad and forums/youtube.

>tune ups
>fluid changes
>belts and tensioners
>cv axles and trans seals
>trans fluid, filter and internal modulator
>7 engine swaps
>carbs and distributors
>headers and exhaust systems
>diffs, whole rear axles
>full suspension overhauls from all new OEM to full aftermarket tubular kits with coil overs and sway bars
>ac systems
>cam, headgaskets and head port/polishing
>main bearings and valve train
>pulled several transmissions
>full brake jobs on multiple vehicles
>stereo installs
>reupholstered 2 bench seats, full carpet/headliner/door skins in one car, all new foam and vinyl on another cars seats
>front/rear window installation after rust repair on pinch welds
>new floor pans, rocker panels, kick panels, cab corners, wheel wells, trunk floors
>mild body work
>some painting
>fully custom wiring harness in one car
>frame repairs


Grew up in a car family, we all own several vehicles and work on others cars as well, not one of us has ever had a job involving cars either, it's all maintenance/restoration/mods for fun shit in our spare time.

>uncle's currently $55k deep in frame off restoration of a 57 bel air as a gift to a family friend

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>My ford fusion dies while driving on the road
>Manage to make it to Autozone and they check what the problem number is
>Bad throttle body
>Call Ford and ask how much it would be to replace it
>They tell me it'll be at least $400
>What the fuck? How much does the part itself cost?
>$80
>Bought a throttle body
>Went home
>Borrowed a buddies tools
>Pull up youtube
>10 mins later I fixed my own problem
I can not believe people pay for mechanics, that shit is straight robbery

>buy car
>expect to learn things
>it never breaks

>>16127621
My first car was a 1972 Mustang (Im old) that my dad ALLOWED me to buy because it needed a lot of work.

I did not have much $$$, so I learned to work on it myself.

I am now a VERY good mechanic, but sometimes pissed at my dad. lol

Idk how it is in euro but in canada even uttering the words "i work on my own car" people look at you like you just told them you want to lick their asshole