Tag: car repairs

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10 Reasons to Consider Having Your Own Hydraulic Lift

Until I started working on my own vehicles I thought it was a frivolous thing for an individual to have their own hydraulic lift. After using my best friends time and time again it is amazing the time and money you save by having your own lift:

1) Having your own lift means you can change your own oil and save $$$. Imagine saving at least $10 each time you change your oil and not having to wait in line!

2) Rotate your own tires

3) Make repairs standing up instead of laying on the ground

4) Having a lift can be safer than having your vehicle on mere jack stands. Every so often there is a story in the news where a car on jack stands has slipped off, pinning a person underneath.

5) Work on your brakes standing up instead of kneeling or sitting down on the ground

6) Change your own shocks or struts

7) You can freely inspect the under carriage

8) Save your back instead of hunching over on cars. My best friend recently had to work on his 91 Eagle Talon and having it on the lift he said saved him from bending over and his back becoming stiff. He was able to lift the car to a comfortable level.

9) Do maintenance on your transmission: change the fluid and/or the filter standing up

10) Watch how components are working. Every once in awhile one of our vehicles may have an issue (popping noise, clanking metal, something leaking, squeaking…) That may require one of us watching things move (or possibly not).

 

Ultimately a lift can save you time not having to go to the mechanic shop and wait until a bay becomes available and/or having to pay a shop to look at your vehicle or change your oil, transmission fluid, or differential gear oil. You can rotate your own tires, work on brakes at eye level too. There are some drawbacks to having one such as routine maintenance, making sure components are lubricated, you have to have a building big enough to set one up; putting it together, family and friends taking advantage of you because you have a lift; people treating you like a mechanic shop. With some cars it requires you to get on your knees to position the arms and pads in the correct location; sometimes you have to change out the adapters, depending on the height of the vehicle. On occasion we have helped family and friends do work on their transmission (like replacing it), changing out the transfer case or replacing a fuel pump. Just today my best friend changed out my broken motor mounts on my 2000 VW Passat and claimed it was just as easy as replacing them in our Jeep Cherokees. He says it was easy thanks in part to having the lift.

Overall though, you can work on your own vehicle anytime, take a break anytime you want. Having a lift allows you to get to know your vehicle. The hydraulic lifts really are not that expensive, my best friend’s dad got his at harbor freight about eight years ago for a very reasonable price. With all the vehicle repairs and maintenance we have done using the lift, it has paid for it self over and over again .

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How to Save Money on Car Repairs

One of the first things I wanted to do at 16 was learn as much as I could about car maintenance and how to do the basic things: check the oil, change the oil, flush the radiator, change a tire…etc. When I started to have common issues with my first car (fuel pump quitting, starter dying, timing belt going) the cost of those repairs really ate at me.

After dealing with mechanics who took advantage of me and gouged me with costly repairs I made a vow to myself I would find a vehicle I could do most of the maintenance and repairs myself. Five years ago I bought a 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport off Ebay. My best friend aka the Jeep Guru has helped guide me through a lot of the repairs I have done.

Last Fall I ended up with the project of a lifetime: rebuild my mom’s 1993 Jeep Cherokee Country that had a fire in the engine compartment. While the engine was not injured in the fire, most of the damage was on the drivers side that included the air box, computer, brake booster & cylinder, radiator, intake manifold, valve cover, power steering pump and the steering box.  My mom wanted the Jeep to be salvaged and I wanted that and her to save money in the process.

We used donor Jeep parts from an XJ we have from a friend, parts from an XJ that was at my brother’s work in TX, An XJ off roading friend from KY, Ebay, new parts from O’Reilly Auto, Advance Auto and Crown Automotive, which we are a dealer of. I spent a great deal of time writing an entire list of the parts needed to complete the project as well as doing price research.

If you would like to save money on repairs:

1) Find out if your automobile has a forum- there are plenty of forums out there for Jeep Cherokee’s (XJ’s). I found forums for my recently acquired 2000 VW Passat GLS, before I purchased the car off Ebay. I was able to learn about many of the common issues, how to take care of them myself as well as save a lot of money.

2) If you can buy used parts and save money go that route. Some parts are not meant to be purchased used and often times you will learn this through the forums. Most parts though you should be able to find at a junk yard, Ebay or through the forums through trades or purchases with transactions through PayPal.

3)Buy a service manual. Most auto parts stores sell service manuals whether they are Haynes or Chilton. Some book stores that sell new or used may have them as well. If all else fails, then definitely google and some forums may have a PDF version of a service manual for your vehicle. Many times Ebay may have sellers who have CD’s or downloads (just review feedback before making a transaction). Learn as much as you can about your vehicle and repairs.

4) If you feel comfortable working on your own vehicle or you know someone who would be willing to assist you or help do the work then go for it. If not then ask your mechanic if they are will to put on a part that you purchased.

5) Ask your mechanic if you can get a discount if you pay cash for repairs. I recently had to have a snub motor mount put on my car. Because I paid in cash, the mechanic knocked off $23! Before you go to pick up your vehicle make sure you ask.

6) Do NOT let family or friends deter you about your vehicle and repairs. Just because certain vehicles have a reputation does not mean they are lemons or jalopies. Go get involved in a forum about your vehicle, learn from the owners! They are the ones who will reassure you on things that most people would panic over. They are the ones who will direct you to places to purchase parts at reasonable costs, how to make repairs yourself and much more.

7) Find out if your forum has people in your area who work on vehicles like yours. Some forums will have a list of people with similar vehicles who work on the vehicles themselves for reasonable costs.

8) Check engine light is on? Don’t panic, take your vehicle to AutoZone where they will check the codes and print them out for you. Google check engine light codes for your vehicle OR if you are involved in a forum check and see if they have all the info for you. Often times they will.

 

I can recall so many times I have had family and friends question me on having my Jeep and now on my VW Passat, including my brother who is an ASE certified mechanic. What they fail to understand is how much dedication I have put in to learning all I can about my vehicles. I spend countless hours doing research, asking questions on forums and learning about similar issues that others have experienced. This has helped me from feeling unnecessary panic when something goes awry.

Before I purchased my Passat, I was aware that the ABS light was on. Now many people would go into absolute panic if that light was on in their vehicle. Because I had previously assisted a friend in repairing their vehicle that had a similar issue, I knew it was not a big deal. The forum had plenty of discussion on this issue and most would tell you it is NOT a big deal. In fact, many of them recommended a specific person who had rebuilt their ABS modules for a huge fraction of what a professional mechanic shop would charge to replace it with a new one that would in time fail just as the original one has!!! Why pay $600, $700, $800 or even $1,000 to have a new ABS module installed with the same issue as the original? What would it be like to pay someone who was fed up with the company who builds most of the ABS modules for  millions of automobiles to just rebuild and make your ABS module stronger for a mere $100??? Check out http://www.cheapabs.com/ if you are serious about saving money.

Recently my CEL (Check Engine Light) came on in my VW.  Thanks to spending time on the PassatWorld.com forum, I learned that as long as the CEL was not flashing it was not anything serious. And when I had the codes pulled at AutoZone, I learned they were very minor codes. In fact, they were extremely common, very minor ones.

 

Do your research and do not leave it up to others to do it for you. Know your vehicle so you are not the one taken advantage of. Be aware of what the parts cost and learn how long it truly takes to do a repair so you are not taken by others. Learning as much as you can will save you money, time and your sanity in the long run.