Problem with learning car repair...

[Jamesqf]

...is that these days, they don't break often enough for a person to get much experience.  Prior to - oh, say the mid-90s - I would do all sorts of things to the older cars I drove, everything from replacing spark plugs & points to rebuilding engines.  Nowadays, there aren't any points, recommended service interval on spark plugs is over 100K miles, and nothing else breaks or needs adjusting all that often.  Biggest job I've done in the last year or two was change a tire that had the tread separating.

[Spork]

solution: I've got an old British car to sell you!

[Jamesqf]

Humm...  Model & year?  I sure miss my Austin-Healey... and the Jaguar, and the Sunbeam Alpine.

All Hail Lucas, Lord of Darkness!

PS: The Sprite was a lot of fun to work on.  A previous owner had modified it so that I could pull two hinge pins and an electrical connector, and remove the hood, fenders, and grille as a unit.  Then I eventually got so I could pull the engine in about half an hour.

[Micheal]

As you've worked on cars before you should know that you don't really need a reason to tinker, it's just nice to have a direction before you start.  If you want a project or even just genreal knowledge youtube is your friend.  And learn a  bit of googleFu and all the stuff you could want or need to learn about your car will be at your fingertips.  I try to buy older cars just so i can fix it myself.  I currently have an 89 oldsmobile cutlass (paid $400 for it from an old neigbor) that i just revamped the fuel system in, and have a few more upgrades I will be making soon.

[Left]

you don't have to repair them if you want to just learn about them :S take it apart, clean part and put it back on :D

[Paul der Krake]

There is a game some Unix sysadmins play with each other, removing files in the filesystem at random and then try to figure out what broke.

Try on your car at your own risk.

[ketchup]

If it ain't broke, there aren't enough features yet.

http://99mpg.com/mima/buymima/

[Spork]

Humm...  Model & year?  I sure miss my Austin-Healey... and the Jaguar, and the Sunbeam Alpine.

All Hail Lucas, Lord of Darkness!

PS: The Sprite was a lot of fun to work on.  A previous owner had modified it so that I could pull two hinge pins and an electrical connector, and remove the hood, fenders, and grille as a unit.  Then I eventually got so I could pull the engine in about half an hour.

1975 TR6.  It always needs some tinker.  I've owned it since 1983 and credit pretty much everything I know about cars/engines/etc to having had to deal with it on the Triumph.

Current issue: The crappy summer version of even the highest octane gas I can buy locally has enough ethanol in it that I get vapor lock whenever temperatures are above about 90 degrees.  (Planning on doing some insulation on the fuel lines and possibly the exhaust.)

[prodarwin]

...is that these days, they don't break often enough for a person to get much experience.  Prior to - oh, say the mid-90s - I would do all sorts of things to the older cars I drove, everything from replacing spark plugs & points to rebuilding engines.  Nowadays, there aren't any points, recommended service interval on spark plugs is over 100K miles, and nothing else breaks or needs adjusting all that often.  Biggest job I've done in the last year or two was change a tire that had the tread separating.

You must drive some new(ish) cars.

[Forcus]

I am happy to not repack wheel bearings every 5-8k, change oil every 2.5k, adjust transmission bands every 10k, etc., like on older vehicles. But I am unhappy when my (computer controlled) HVAC system says I that I am quite cool enough, thank you very much, and there is no manual override to combat it. Or when the only fix for an engine issue is computer software at a dealer I hate, which is the only dealer for this brand within 200 miles. Or that automakers are now sophisticated enough to control options after a car is sold, for example, you cannot add cruise control to a 2012+ Focus unless that trim level had it from the factory, ruling out a large range of suitable used vehicles I would have been interested in now and in a few years. So it's a mixed bag.

[Jamesqf]

1975 TR6.  It always needs some tinker.  I've owned it since 1983 and credit pretty much everything I know about cars/engines/etc to having had to deal with it on the Triumph.

I know.  And if nothing else, I could always spend time balancing the SU carbs...

Honestly, if I had the time & ambition to tinker with something like that, I would transplant a modern Honda engine into it.

You must drive some new(ish) cars.

Not really.  Currently 2000 Honda Insight and '88 Toyota pickup.

[Forcus]

There is a game some Unix sysadmins play with each other, removing files in the filesystem at random and then try to figure out what broke.

Try on your car at your own risk.

That sounds like fun.

Going to pull a spark plug wire next time wife need to leave early for an important meeting.

Will report back!

[Spork]

1975 TR6.  It always needs some tinker.  I've owned it since 1983 and credit pretty much everything I know about cars/engines/etc to having had to deal with it on the Triumph.

I know.  And if nothing else, I could always spend time balancing the SU carbs...

Not SU...  TR6's are Zenith-Stromberg.  Functionally very similar, but probably not as nice as SU.  Honestly, though, I've never had much problem with balance.  I set them once every time I have one off and it pretty much sticks.

Honestly, if I had the time & ambition to tinker with something like that, I would transplant a modern Honda engine into it.

But then you'd have one of those irritating cars that don't break often enough (albeit, one with electrical issues.)

[prodarwin]

Not really.  Currently 2000 Honda Insight and '88 Toyota pickup.

Ooo.  I'm jealous, I love the 1st gen Insights. 

Still, both of those cars should require somewhat regular maintenance, especially the Toyota... service intervals in 1988 were nothing like they are on cars made in 2010+  Are they driven often?

[Jamesqf]

Ooo.  I'm jealous, I love the 1st gen Insights.

Me too.  I think it's really sad that in 13 years, nobody has even come close to matching it, let alone improving on it.  Well, bar the Tesla Roadster, and even if I was willing to spend that kind of money, I wouldn't be able to fit both dogs in one. 

Still, both of those cars should require somewhat regular maintenance, especially the Toyota... service intervals in 1988 were nothing like they are on cars made in 2010+  Are they driven often?

These days I don't drive as much as many people, since I telecommute to work.  Maybe 7-8K miles/yr on the Insight, 3-5K on the pickup.   The Toyota service intervals are quite long: 10K miles for oil changes, 30K for most other things.

[ToeInTheWater]

a '74 TR6 was the first car i bought when i graduated in '81

as fun as it was to drive, it was in the shop all the time.
i remember at least once writing a check that was as big as my paycheck to get it repaired

b

[Spork]

a '74 TR6 was the first car i bought when i graduated in '81

as fun as it was to drive, it was in the shop all the time.
i remember at least once writing a check that was as big as my paycheck to get it repaired

b

Me too, but bigger....   but that was to a body shop and I can't blame British Leyland for that.  But yeah, they have a reputation.  They deserve it.  If I weren't all emotionally attached to it, we'd divorce.

Bottom line: I'm pretty sure everyone on the planet has had a TR.  At least everyone I've met has had one.

[George_PA]

My car doesn't break much nowadays either.  Mine mostly sits in a garage, I put less than 1000 miles a year on it. 

I like to use my bike a lot so the parts don't wear out much.  I could never in good conscious repair something that wasn't broken.  Do you own a home with a wife and family?  I find that they is always something breaking even if its not the car;

the car will break at some point, you just have to be patient; I find that if it breaks infrequently you can still take pictures and save them on the computer with notes; this way you don't forget the experience you have gained; other things will break too just take them as they come.  Like YMYL says: when something breaks, get excited, because its an opportunity to learn a new skill.
   

[GuitarStv]

I've never been a car guy, or done much maintenance with my vehicle . . . it's always been a bit of a black box to me.  We've been taking our Corolla in to the dealership for oil changes/service about four times a year, pretty much since we got it.  There's a whole bunch of stuff that they tell me they're doing to the car each time we bring it in, and I've been intimidated by this list worried that if I started doing everything myself I'd forget to maintain something causing a problem.  (It's our only car, and we depend on it for a lot.)

I figure that I could learn to do my own oil changes / filter change.  What other stuff do I need to check regularly if I plan on maintaining my own car in reliable driving condition?

[Paul der Krake]

I figure that I could learn to do my own oil changes / filter change.  What other stuff do I need to check regularly if I plan on maintaining my own car in reliable driving condition?

I start by checking if all wheels are still there. Then I move on to all fluid levels, and tires for unusual wear. Do that every other week and start paying attention to how the engine sounds, ie be an alert driver and listen for noises when idling or shifting gears. I know my car engine's sound so well it always throw me off when driving someone else's car. Catching problems early or even being aware of them goes a long way.

[Forcus]

I'd also try to find a forum for your car. For instance, I know that on my Focus, wheel bearings are a weak point, a bad sensor on the firewall (can't remember what its called) can cause a poor idle / dying at stop lights, and I can completely renew my suspension to SVT Focus specs for under $300, among many other things. For my diesel truck, I know that a "bad transmission" can be nothing more than dirty connections on the battery, the transmission bands need tightened frequently but not overtightened, and the cheap lift pump, if it goes out, can kill your expensive injection pump, so it pays to monitor the fuel pressure with gauges. Etc etc. No (ok, most) mechanics would ever tell you that kind of stuff.

But some people are just not car maintenance people. Like I use computers every day of my life but if I get a black / blue start up screen or freeze up, it goes to a repair shop I trust. Even if its as simple as doing something with the harddrive and reloading software. Not something I care to learn.

[prodarwin]

Me too.  I think it's really sad that in 13 years, nobody has even come close to matching it, let alone improving on it.  Well, bar the Tesla Roadster, and even if I was willing to spend that kind of money, I wouldn't be able to fit both dogs in one. 

Depends on how you look at it... look at the 3rd gen Prius.  Its rated at 50mpg (51city/48hwy) combined, while the older Insight is at 53 (49city/61hwy) combined under the new ratings.  Add in the fact that the Prius has a ton more storage capacity and seats 5 people, and I'd say its pretty close :)  Wouldn't surprise me to see a 4th gen exceed the Insight's numbers.

But the sad part is we probably won't see another Insight like car.  They are just too impractical for most drivers, unless its a second vehicle... which is impractical in a whole different way.  I really really want one, but I need more room to carry stuff. 

This is why the Prius is probably my next daily driver, but I want to wait for prices to drop some more as right now my car is still cheaper to own/operate.

[Jamesqf]

Depends on how you look at it... look at the 3rd gen Prius.  Its rated at 50mpg (51city/48hwy) combined, while the older Insight is at 53 (49city/61hwy) combined under the new ratings.  Add in the fact that the Prius has a ton more storage capacity and seats 5 people, and I'd say its pretty close :)  Wouldn't surprise me to see a 4th gen exceed the Insight's numbers.

Would me, since those EPA numbers are far below what I get in the real world.  (71.4 mpg average, over about 120K mile of mostly mountain driving.)

Then again, some of that "better" is highly subjective.  Why the heck would I ever want a car that seats 5 people?  Then add in all the built-in defects of the Prius, like automatic transmission, the stupid start button instead of a key that actually turns the engine off when you need it to stop, and more...

[prodarwin]

Depends on how you look at it... look at the 3rd gen Prius.  Its rated at 50mpg (51city/48hwy) combined, while the older Insight is at 53 (49city/61hwy) combined under the new ratings.  Add in the fact that the Prius has a ton more storage capacity and seats 5 people, and I'd say its pretty close :)  Wouldn't surprise me to see a 4th gen exceed the Insight's numbers.

Would me, since those EPA numbers are far below what I get in the real world.  (71.4 mpg average, over about 120K mile of mostly mountain driving.)

Then again, some of that "better" is highly subjective.  Why the heck would I ever want a car that seats 5 people?  Then add in all the built-in defects of the Prius, like automatic transmission, the stupid start button instead of a key that actually turns the engine off when you need it to stop, and more...

Well, you could argue that the Honda battery tech is a "built-in defect" as well.  They require attention a whole lot more often than Prius batteries do (and the Prius transmission as well).  Also, the start button on the Prius makes a fantastic amount of sense, as it is a parallel hybrid and does not require the ICE engine to be running to move the car, unlike the Honda.  Plus, 5 people in a Prius is much more efficent that 2 people in an Insight :)

They both have their pros and cons and are both great vehicles.  I wish I could combine the two though.  Ok, really I just want the manual from the Insight.

[Jamesqf]

Well, you could argue that the Honda battery tech is a "built-in defect" as well.  They require attention a whole lot more often than Prius batteries do (and the Prius transmission as well).

Says who?  Not my experience that they require much attention - though being the sort of person I am, I've added a MIMA system (electronics stuff that allows manual control of assist/regen), but that's just me.  And since I am not physically handicapped, an automatic transmission - in any car - makes it unacceptable.

Also, the start button on the Prius makes a fantastic amount of sense, as it is a parallel hybrid and does not require the ICE engine to be running to move the car, unlike the Honda.

No, it makes no sense at all.  Maybe for starting, but the real problem is that there's no fail-safe way to shut the engine off if e.g. the throttle sticks.  Press the stupid button, and maybe the computer shuts it off, maybe it doesn't. 

(Nor is the start button a "cool" new idea.  I remember old 1940-50 era cars that had them, as did my mid-60s Piper.)

And (absent a plug-in recharge capability) the electric-only mode is actually less efficient than using the limited battery capacity for assist.

Plus, 5 people in a Prius is much more efficent that 2 people in an Insight :)

Yes, IF you have frequent occasion to carry 5 people, or 4 or 3.  If you don't, you are - like most Prius drivers I see - just hauling around a bunch of dead weight.