Do it yourself or else....

[Mary Stetler]

We have car ramps rusting in the barn. I have needed to get my oil changed for a while and my old mechanic closed up shop and my new mechanic is doing very well so I thought I would leave him till he needs me.
I drove into an oil change place advertising 5 minute oil. Three guys running around inside with computer controlled stuff. They had all sorts of stuff to sell but when they pulled my air filter I told them to put in a new one. Mice as usual. They wanted to pull my cabin air filter but I pull that when I smell mice. I didn't want any more stuff. I got my card scanned and asked about the air filter and the kid said I got one. I apologized and said I didn't see it get put in (from behind the steering wheel) Another tech came up with the old air filter later and said I should get a new one and I said I did. He looked confused. He said he had to get one from the parts store cuz they were out. I said where is the parts store. He said across the street. He rummaged in their small change drawer and said he was taking $17 and took off across a crowded 4 lane street. Came running back and installed the filter. I looked at my bill and the installed filter was $34.
Now they did check a lot for free and topped off my tires. But I needed and already had wiper blades to replace but their 'check' said they were fine. One was ripped.
Women don't know anything about cars, still, I guess. I know I won't know new cars but.....

 

[Madge Bumstead]

Hubby does the simple things on our vehicles... oil and filter changes, tire changes, checking tire pressure, but anything involved we bring the vehicles in.

But boy, has service for vehicles ever gotten expensive. Over $100 an hour (shop rate) no matter where one goes for servicing, and as for the price of parts, yikes.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Women don't know anything about cars, still, I guess. I know I won't know new cars but.....

When I was buying my last vehicle, the salesman was pointing out features. He gestured at the rear and said, "it has dual exhaust." I said, "Actually, it has a single exhaust on one side and a fake exhaust tip on the other." He had to get down and look under the car, then he said "You know more about this thing than I do." Well, ... yeah.

 

[Bobby Cole]

In the past, fixes or repairs were done by me simply out of principle. I don’t know if it’s out of ego or just not wanting to pay someone else to do something I can figure out myself or a little bit of both but I did and do prefer to do as much as I can.
There has always been DIY projects that I didn’t like but none that I couldn’t do ergo nearly all repairs and such are DIM or rather, Do It Myself.

Nowadays, that principle still stands with the added idea that my brain and body need to be worked and exercised more now than ever before. I’d rather still have calluses on my hands than on my rear end and some jingle left in MY pocket than my jingle in someone else’s pocket.