The financial benefits of maintaining our own cars

[swathdiver]

I sure hope he parks it outside!

More Kia Vehicles Recalled for Fire Risk - Consumer Reports

More Kia vehicles are recalled for fire risk, Consumer Reports says. The Kia Cadenza and Sportage sedans are included in the latest in a series of fire-related recalls due to a potential short circuit in the vehicle’s hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU).

www.consumerreports.org

My sister has a Sportage and she is afraid it is going to spontaneously combust!

 

[Geotrash]

I’m in an apartment atm hard wrenching in the parking lot. I still smile while I’m doin it though!!

That's dedication. A friend and I changed the clutch in a Ford EXP once in an apartment parking lot. We used a tree limb with a come-a-long as the hoist to get the engine out. Literally shade tree mechanics.

 

[Geotrash]

Have been thinking about this a lot recently Dave. Wanted to make sure I wasn't being penny wise and or pound foolish. Paid cash for the truck 5 years ago and have spent the same amount in repairs and maintenance. I keep track of every penny spent on excel and it averages out to $12.45 a day since purchase which also includes tools and accessories for the truck. Shocks, spark plugs, car washes, new floor mats, new wrenches, seal drivers, it's all in there.

Sounds about right but when you put it that way, it's pretty dang expensive. If my numbers are right, the $40K in depreciation the previous owner on my 2012 took works out to about $18.26 a day over 6 years, not including any repairs and maintenance they had done. It was probably worse than that because I'm sure they didn't trade it in for the same price I paid for it.

Truck runs great but how old is too old for when we are old? Will we be able to get parts for the 900s when the youngest ones approach 20 years old? Can we keep these in top condition for a thirty year service life?

We're at 15 years for the 2007's and 9 years for the 2013's. Hopefully we'll have decent parts availability for the next decade anyway. It raises a good point though: are there some parts that we should stockpile if we want to keep them for years to come? As for how long I'll want (or be able to) wrench on my cars, that's a good question. No idea. I should probably set aside some money for when I can't though.

 

[swathdiver]

Sounds about right but when you put it that way, it's pretty dang expensive. If my numbers are right, the $40K in depreciation the previous owner on my 2012 took works out to about $18.26 a day over 6 years, not including any repairs and maintenance they had done. It was probably worse than that because I'm sure they didn't trade it in for the same price I paid for it.


We're at 15 years for the 2007's and 9 years for the 2013's. Hopefully we'll have decent parts availability for the next decade anyway. It raises a good point though: are there some parts that we should stockpile if we want to keep them for years to come? As for how long I'll want (or be able to) wrench on my cars, that's a good question. No idea. I should probably set aside some money for when I can't though.

Well, on the other hand, had I bought a newer K2 with less mileage, there would still have been money spent on maintenance, accessories and some tools, and maybe a condenser and transmission by now! I would probably only about now have to spend more on repairs.

I saved the old lower control arms to be rebushed and the old brake calipers and hoses. Back in the day when I had 5 Buicks, I used a large file box with 27 drawers to store parts in, interior parts, O2 sensors, etc. A couple of years ago I came across another one of those drawers and snatched it up and am doing the same thing again. Julia has the Sierra and Jaime will soon have one as well, all 900s. Plus, my wife may add one to the fleet. Either way, we'll start accumulating parts. I saved the old door handles and am going to pick up complete new regular and tow mirrors and new exterior door handles.

In the coming months I'll get that 14-Bolt axle refurbished and stuffed underneath and then save the old control arms to be rebushed as well. Guess I'll hang onto the 8.6 axle for barter or parts if we have room to store it.

Haven't had to replace the serpentine belt, tensioner or any of the accessories yet. Am going to put an alternator and fuel pump assembly on the shelf, along with new tank straps and such for that eventuality. Will try and be proactive.

They took asbestos out of the brakes and now they are removing copper too. The part numbers that I used for my brake jobs have been superseded it seems. Have to do more research on that end.

Have to find my Mitchell crash book and order up any remaining interior parts too. Kids keep breaking the finish panel on the right passenger 2nd row seat, been through 5 of them at $30 a pop! Covers for the seat tracks in the back were missing when I bought it, want those too.

Well, you get the idea, ramblings over for now!

 

[Geotrash]

Well, on the other hand, had I bought a newer K2 with less mileage, there would still have been money spent on maintenance, accessories and some tools, and maybe a condenser and transmission by now! I would probably only about now have to spend more on repairs.

I saved the old lower control arms to be rebushed and the old brake calipers and hoses. Back in the day when I had 5 Buicks, I used a large file box with 27 drawers to store parts in, interior parts, O2 sensors, etc. A couple of years ago I came across another one of those drawers and snatched it up and am doing the same thing again. Julia has the Sierra and Jaime will soon have one as well, all 900s. Plus, my wife may add one to the fleet. Either way, we'll start accumulating parts. I saved the old door handles and am going to pick up complete new regular and tow mirrors and new exterior door handles.

In the coming months I'll get that 14-Bolt axle refurbished and stuffed underneath and then save the old control arms to be rebushed as well. Guess I'll hang onto the 8.6 axle for barter or parts if we have room to store it.

Haven't had to replace the serpentine belt, tensioner or any of the accessories yet. Am going to put an alternator and fuel pump assembly on the shelf, along with new tank straps and such for that eventuality. Will try and be proactive.

They took asbestos out of the brakes and now they are removing copper too. The part numbers that I used for my brake jobs have been superseded it seems. Have to do more research on that end.

Have to find my Mitchell crash book and order up any remaining interior parts too. Kids keep breaking the finish panel on the right passenger 2nd row seat, been through 5 of them at $30 a pop! Covers for the seat tracks in the back were missing when I bought it, want those too.

Well, you get the idea, ramblings over for now!

Yup. I think 5-6 years old for one of these is the sweet spot for getting the maximum value for the least money - provided it's from a dry climate and has been well-maintained. For the rust belt, the calculus shifts it to about 4 years. Almost all of the used 2015 and newer trucks for sale around here are shipped in from rust belt states. If I ever buy a new rig, it will be from AZ, NM, TX, or another southern state as long as I can verify the history.

My kids and the dog keep knocking the knobs off the rear HVAC controls. Lol.

Alternators and fuel pumps for these I think will always be available. What I worry about are things like the various control modules, sensors like the steering position sensor, etc, so I've been slowly stockpiling a few things as I run across them. I agree with you on the interior bits, too. I keep spares for the things we seem to consume, including the exterior door handles for the rear doors. The kids brutalize those. Lol.

 

[swathdiver]

One last rant!

One of the reasons for getting this truck was to make memories and to teach basic mechanics to my children. The Lord blessed me with all girls and having them help me with repairs has given them confidence to take on tasks others recoil at. They now drive forklifts, operate and drive tractors and know more about "cars" than most of the young men in our community. They get a kick out of pulling the "boys" out of the mud and sand with the Sierra. Mission Accomplished!

 

[Geotrash]

One last rant!

One of the reasons for getting this truck was to make memories and to teach basic mechanics to my children. The Lord blessed me with all girls and having them help me with repairs has given them confidence to take on tasks others recoil at. They now drive forklifts, operate and drive tractors and know more about "cars" than most of the young men in our community. They get a kick out of pulling the "boys" out of the mud and sand with the Sierra. Mission Accomplished!

Love it! That's our job as dads - to give our kids the skills and experiences they'll need to feel efficacious and live long, happy lives.

 

[swathdiver]

Love it! That's our job as dads - to give our kids the skills and experiences they'll need to feel efficacious and live long, happy lives.

Thought I was learned but had to look that one up! LOL Reminds me of the movie McLintock! where some of the older characters were always trying to figure out the new words the youngsters were using.

 

[CaptainAmerica1]

I tell my 12yr old my job is to teach her the stuff she won’t learn in school.

 

[Fubar0715]

@Fless
Yahoo, BBQ!!!!!!!!!!!! The next convo with dad will be "I went to get a cold pop and thought, someone is barbequeing - wait, dear lord, its a FIRE!!!!!!!

 

[TollKeeper]

I have been wrenching on cars since I was 5 years old. Helped my dad do brakes, head gaskets, transmissions, water pumps, etc.

It has taught me to be hands on with everything I do, the downside of that is that it also means that I am a tactile person. Reading a description about a something online (furniture, appliances, stereo equipment) does not work for me. I have to experience it.

Has it saved me money? Absolutely! My recent head gasket on my Saab would have run me close to 2000 bucks. I was able to do it, with mostly GM OEM parts, for 350.

The downside is, everyone calls me, I got a check engine light, my car is grinding, is this a good car, etc.

I might have -been- a GM ASE Certified Tech, but I no longer do it cause my back can no longer do it, day after day, hour after hour. I dont like working on my own cars, it HURTS! But I am broke, so I cant afford a shop either!

 

[CaptainAmerica1]

I might have -been- a ASE Certified Master Tech, but I no longer do it cause my back can no longer do it, day after day, hour after hour. I dont like working on my own cars, it HURTS! But I am broke, so I cant afford a shop either!

I can neither confirm nor deny this may be true…

 

[pwtr02ss]

Same here, I wasted the rest…

Pills and wh*res. Amiright

 

[CaptainAmerica1]

Lol

 

[doc5339]

I find I can hoist beer better if I have my son do the wrenchin' nowadays; easier on the back too!

 

[tom3]

Have to consider that right now a 5 or 6 year old truck with 200K miles on it is going for $25k and up. People are actually paying that.

 

[Just Fishing]

Oh I have saved a ton of money by doing my own work over the years.
This also comes from it being difficult to find a decent mechanic.

Lots of places they might have one or two good techs, but those guys are really busy and you're not likely to have them work on your stuff.

Just oil changes, how often do you hear about horror stories?
Leaks after changing the oil because the oil change tech was an idiot/lazy, forgot to put oil in the car, not enough oil.
Yet the dumb ****** still drove the car around front for you to pick up and didn't notice the valve train noise.

[rant]
then the "why the fk did you pull my ******** air filter out, let along asking me if i want to replace a perfectly good filter that now has greasy fingerprints all over??!"
Then knowing they will probably strip the plastic threads reinstalling the damn thing.
Or like discount tire did with my lug nut covers on the tahoe this last time.
dumb pos put the cover on in the wrong orientation, and decided he was going to force it on there.
Luckly, it didn't break the tabs, but it did bend them.
I had to use heat to straighten them out.

Yup, before I went in there, I thought about taking the covers off first, but I figured this is a common enough vehicle it should be fine right?

[/Rant]

I consider myself to be decent at troubleshooting issues most of the time.
+ I find it entertaining.

The money I save, I can then justify having "toys" or even an old sports car to play around with.


It's also great IMO to know exactly what was done, and what parts were used.

I can then justify buying tools to help me along my way, heck most of the time for jobs that require special tools is still cheaper after all is said and done than paying someone else to do it.

My transmission for instance, that job saved me thousands of dollars vs having someone else do the work or buying a remanufactured unit.
+ there is absolutely no question about what parts and upgrades I used.

Bad part, it took me some decent amount of time to research and detail everything out.
if this was a daily driver, it could have been an issue.

 

[Matt1t]

For me, I'd rather do the work myself as I just don't like going to the dealer or shop, having to schedule an appointment and then waiting around. By the time I've done all that. I could have had the part delivered to the house and do the job on my time. This is for a job that I'm willing to do of course. As one member said he wanted to save his back on the spark plug job.... Holy crap that last plug was a bear. I was contorted in all sorts of ways, so I don't blame him there! What also comes into play is if the vehicle is your daily driver. If you are 100% reliant on it for day to day activities then you take it in to get fixed quick, but you pay the premium price. For those fortunate enough to have a spare vehicle to use, that certainly helps. Working remote is also an added benefit. Great discussion!

 

[BG1988]

I have been wrenching on cars since I was 5 years old. Helped my dad do brakes, head gaskets, transmissions, water pumps, etc.

It has taught me to be hands on with everything I do, the downside of that is that it also means that I am a tactile person. Reading a description about a something online (furniture, appliances, stereo equipment) does not work for me. I have to experience it.

Has it saved me money? Absolutely! My recent head gasket on my Saab would have run me close to 2000 bucks. I was able to do it, with mostly GM OEM parts, for 350.

The downside is, everyone calls me, I got a check engine light, my car is grinding, is this a good car, etc.

I might have -been- a GM ASE Certified Tech, but I no longer do it cause my back can no longer do it, day after day, hour after hour. I dont like working on my own cars, it HURTS! But I am broke, so I cant afford a shop either!

but GM ASE techs aren't that great though they claimed the battery was bad in my dads car 2018 sonic but I put the battery in my tahoe and it worked just fine and charged to 12.9volts and tested at 600CCA out of 630 rated

I quickly diagnosed as a parasitic draw the relay were malfunctioning as i had also tested that pressing the start button (sometimes the relays were not clicking off or on i.e stuck on when should be off) ...

 

[TollKeeper]

but GM ASE techs aren't that great though they claimed the battery was bad in my dads car 2018 sonic but I put the battery in my tahoe and it worked just fine and charged to 12.9volts and tested at 600CCA out of 630 rated

I quickly diagnosed as a parasitic draw the relay were malfunctioning as i had also tested that pressing the start button (sometimes the relays were not clicking off or on i.e stuck on when should be off) ...

No arguments there... There are a lot of bad, line item, mechanics. More lines, more pay.