Service Issues: How do you service your Car?

[passenger]

I rent it almost 5-6 years for stuff under the car. Now I change radiator cross rail and diesel filter, diff oil and few small stuff. Really helpful. I have few small rusty surface. Will rent it again just 1-2 hours to clean that and protect it.

1L oil to dispose is 2€. I had like 7L, but I collect it and take it with me cause in my small town I can dispose in one cointainer 2min from me for free

[Forg]

For my better-half's car, I prefer someone who knows what they're doing to look at it at least once a year. Here in NSW we need a yearly safety check for registration after the car goes past 5 years of age, so I get a trusted mechanic to do that at the same time as a service in December and I replace oil & filters myself in June.

For the 242, it barely gets used. Lucky to rack-up 1000km a year. I use full synthetic & do a full oil-change with fuel & oil filters probably too infrequently, I guess every 2 years.

[SnineT]

Many ways to look at this.

I've always done mine myself unless it needed a special tool or space under it that a jack doesn't provide.

When we're young it's a good thing to add an arrow to the bow if you have the time to spare that is.

When you're older it's ok as long as the body and strength says it's ok to carry on.

When we're either we might have a disability or an illness that prevents us from crawling under to drop oil etc.

I always saw it like this, a service is £250 on average and all you get is 3 filters and a gallon of oil and the fluids topped up, for £60 I could service every filter on my Insignia and checking levels is easy anyway, once a year MOT would come round, this is the part I didn't do but completes a £250 service, obviously I always check discs,pads,lights and rubbers before sending it in for MOT but all the rest unless obvious while I'm dropping the oil will get seen and reported within the MOT.


I'm getting there now where I think I'm going to have to just say enough is enough soon though so I'll then be in the grouping of too old to want to crawl under a car anymore even though I can still do it if need be.


@ passenger, you might want to get an oil burning turbo heater if you live in a cold region, you could then offer to dispose of other peoples old oil free.

[4x4]

Do my own on my ramp

[SnineT]

The apprentice looks like he had a few too many last night and I'd discourage him from sucking up exhaust fumes as it's not good for a Hompride Hoover.

[Offgrid]

I'm servicing my van and cars myself now. I'm fed up with fixing things that were not done correctly by garages, and 740s are fairly easy to service, not like the modern stuff.

[Phil Croxley]

Originally Posted by Offgrid

I'm servicing my van and cars myself now. I'm fed up with fixing things that were not done correctly by garages, and 740s are fairly easy to service, not like the modern stuff.

I used to always do the servicing on my 740. The cam belt was a breeze being at the front, and being rear wheel drive the engine was the "right way round" making most things accessable. I've said it before on this forum, what a great car it was!

[Forg]

Originally Posted by Forg

For my better-half's car, I prefer someone who knows what they're doing to look at it at least once a year. Here in NSW we need a yearly safety check for registration after the car goes past 5 years of age, so I get a trusted mechanic to do that at the same time as a service in December and I replace oil & filters myself in June.

For the 242, it barely gets used. Lucky to rack-up 1000km a year. I use full synthetic & do a full oil-change with fuel & oil filters probably too infrequently, I guess every 2 years.

Aaaand ... the guy who was happy to do the servicing on my wife's car has since stopped doing so. His son stopped apprenticing with him, and he decided that if he was going to cut back working on things it would be the boring services on dailies rather than the engine-rebuilds on the race cars &/or sorting the suspension on a turbocharged 242GT.

So now I have to decide ... do I just do it all myself & run the risk of missing something, or do I get some filthy monkey to do it & put their filthy paw-prints all over the white Alcantara trim inserts?

[Forg]

Originally Posted by Forg

Aaaand ... the guy who was happy to do the servicing on my wife's car has since stopped doing so. His son stopped apprenticing with him, and he decided that if he was going to cut back working on things it would be the boring services on dailies rather than the engine-rebuilds on the race cars &/or sorting the suspension on a turbocharged 242GT.

So now I have to decide ... do I just do it all myself & run the risk of missing something, or do I get some filthy monkey to do it & put their filthy paw-prints all over the white Alcantara trim inserts?

Answer - Filthy Monkey.

I live not far from the light industrial estate where Mighty Car Mods have their "sheds", so I asked Marty if he had any recommendations there. He did! So now I have a recommendation, and am happy.