I'd like to know if that young lady who replaced the frame is having any excessive tire wear. Also, replacing a frame on a full frame pick up usually requires lifting the cab and removing and reinstalling the engine and transmission, as well as swapping over all front and read suspension components.
In the hourly rate manuals used by professionals this job often clocks in at 45-55 hours labor. And that is for a professional with all the proper tools.
Hmmm.
3
Paul.... my thoughts exactly
The replaced exhaust pipe that "is a little more free flowing" is not so cute nor not so benign as it is a part of a large trend of ever more loud vehicles on the road that is raising noise pollution everywhere. Sadly rising noise pollution is a widely ignored quality of life issue, in the US and around the world.
8
I know how to remove and replace my gas cap.
7
Loling at the professional mechanics in these comments and their scary stories. I love that people want to learn to do repairs themselves and save some cash, why not? I started wrenching on my car as a teenager when I legitimately couldn't afford to have a shop change the alternator in my $285 1974 Caddy (mind you this is around 1992 so there was no internet). I found an old Chilton's manual, bought a cheap rebuilt alternator, and installed it for under $75 total. I also felt enormous pride and a sense of accomplishment that emboldened me to try and continue with DIY repairs.
There's no reason to try and scare people from doing their own repairs, and there's DEFINITELY no reason to suggest professional mechanics don't drag their feet, pad the bill, and try to perform unnecessary repairs often.
9
A proper alignment is not a "simple" task, lots of "mechanics" struggle with getting an alignment properly done. I wonder how many cars leave this shop worse off than when they came in?, putting the driver and his passengers, and other motorists at risk... Hopefully most people stick to routine maintenance tasks, and leave the critical repairs to the trained mechanics.
2
Mr. Rabout is full of it... been in the industry 20yrs, no one sits on a car for a week just for the heck of it. You’re not getting paid until it’s finished. Why have another vehicle taking up space that you don’t need there?
The PhD candidate model who changed frames on her truck, is not typical in any way. I admire that level of tenacity and stubbornness, but reality is more commonly :
“So I didn’t want to pay you $80 for an oil change, so I bought $60 worth of supplies and tools, did it myself, forgot to tighten the plug, lost all the oil, blew the engine, and now I have to pay you $2000 to replace the engine. And after you finish it, I’m going to ghost you for a month while I come up with the money!”
-Name of this former customer withheld for obvious reasons.
4
@Robert to claim that "no one sits on a car for a week" is not true. Maybe not "just for the heck of it", but in the feast-or-famine world of a small town mechanic there is incentive to overbook and accept all cars because you never know when the work will hit a dry spell.
*There are also lazy, fearmongering mechanics in every county of the US as well; to deny it outright sounds false
8
I don't have a garage but my elderly parents 2 hours away do. I plan weekend visits with plenty of car washing and maintenance that also earns face time. Was never a hard core wrencher, but I am proud of myself for saving about $800 doing some strut and suspension work recently on my lowly but reliable and paid-for Ford. YouTube and patience.
10
Motorcyclists are also doing this - for anyone in central Colorado, check out Moto Works Denver!
2
There was one in Oak Park, IL in 1975. It's good to see it coming back.
4
I think I feel about this the same way I feel as a doctor when patients Google their symptoms— good for small problems, but woe to the reader who thinks Googling their way to a treatment of something like Autism Spectrum Disorder is the way to go.
2
@BK MD
There's a big difference between what doctors do and what mechanics do, both in complexity and in the potential to kill you.
5
@Todd
I don't know. Somebody fixed my break lines one time and then my brakes failed as I was coming to a red light; luckily no one was coming. (Tongue-in-cheek, but true story).
4
Definitely not a new concept. I recall a place called Hackers' Haven in early 1970s Cambridge, Massachusetts.
(I worked at an auto parts store nearby that supplied the parts for the do-it-yourselfers.)
Hackers' Haven was run by brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, who later became famous as “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers” on "Car Talk," a popular radio show that ran for many years on NPR.
31
US Military bases have had these for years, in the Air Force they are called Auto Hobby Shops. However, the military is mostly insulated from lawsuits, so it is little wonder these have survived when lots of the ones that existed in the past died out. I suspect the current crop of shops will die out the same way.
4
@Ken. Spent many an hour at the auto hobby shop at Hunter Army Airfield doing repairs on not only my VW bug but other cars as well.
2
Awesome...I just wish I had the patience to this. I can build a house, but autos can move me to insanity...just no patience...I want it fixed when I'm done with work, not when I can figure it out...
Kudos, to the owners, and especially to the women. Nothing more attractive then a self-sufficient woman, not afraid to get her hands dirty. As Im sure its the same in the reverse for many women towards men...
5
my car, sole owner, will be 25 february 10 if we live that long. while i would not be able to do this work, and would walk through fire for her mechanic, i am delighted that so many are becoming hands on.
6
Wow! A lift for working on your own car! I've been doing this the hard way for the past 50+ years. However, I had at least an enclosed garage to work in and keep the pesky neighbors at bay. But, I have done small transmission swaps and engine heads without more than a floor jack; but, I wouldn't recommend it.
5
I am not surprised this failed in the '70s when major oil companies tried. Unless you are were already a car mechanic it probably wasn't worth your time to read car repair books and learn how to fix your car.
However, thanks to the internet average people can quickly learn how to fix cars from sites like youtube. Allowing them to avoid having to pay high prices for mechanics. Instead of buying all the tools you need to fix your car I think most people would prefer to rent them for however long you need them.
Finally, I think people are incentivized by the cost savings of fixing their cars but are more interested in the learning experience and the independence they gain. Recently maker spaces have become increasingly popular. They operate on a similar model where members pay a monthly fee to use the tools and machines. I think DIY car mechanics will also become popular among thrifty Millenials and makers. This is contingents on car companies like Tesla allowing customers to service their vehicles.
8
Garage floors can get slippery (oil or transmission fluid...). If you slip with a screwdriver in your mouth you might have to come back the next day to finish installing those new rocker arms.
4
@Cliff
I had to gawk at that too. The fact that she not only has a screwdriver in her mouth, but she has the dirty end in her mouth. Never seen that before.
13
The concept existed decades back. Then cars became too complex DIY for service and immensely safer and more reliable than the car you are trying to restore. I would not want trust my life the older cars I had. Even the least expensive new cars are not just safer but better handling.
3
I recall rebuilding engines of two cars with my dad growing up. He was an officer in the US Army, and we had access to a 'shared' garage with lifts/hoists at the army bases where we were stationed as a family. Those experiences live as a vibrant memories in my mind. They also served to foster my own interest in how things work, and put me into a posture of continuously learning, not to mention making me self sustaining on basic car engine maintenance.
7
It seems like these types of business models do not work. I remember that in the sixties or seventies there was a franchise that provided this concept. Locally there was a chain called TechShops or something closed to this, but for the high tech world. The chain went of business last year or so. I remember attending a talk by the founder of TechShop, and he said how well the local shop was doing, and then three months later or so it went out of business. Either he was full of it, or did not know how the business was doing.
Good article and business idea but that screwdriver pointed end in the mouth is just stupid dangerous.
12
@Florida Native. And not just for the schmutz on the working end. Slapping oneself in the face with a slipped tool or just bumping into something is not infrequent. Broken teeth or much worse. I bought a lift, and very soon after, a bump cap!
3
It is right and proper that several other communicants have cited Tom and Ray Magliozzi as early progenitors if the DIY auto repair shop. However, according to my recollection, and confirmed by the dispositive authority Wikipedia, the DIY shop was called Hacker’s Haven, and the name was changed to Good News Garage when they kicked out the hopeless and helpless hackers and converted the enterprise to a standard repair shop. Thus is it written and thus shall it be known: Hacker’s Haven.
3
I might offer a woodworking place like this in HollywoodBandB.
Everything old is new again.
They used to have one of these joints with about 4 lifts next to the cable bridge in Kennewick Washington.I think it started in the 60's. It closed in the 80's. I don't know why but the rumor was insurance costs even though they had customers sign a waiver.
Pretty sure you meant “jack stands”, not “gas cans”.
12
C'mon, get the screwdriver out of your mouth! Yuck!
11
@Go Everyone's a critic.
6
Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the Car Talk guys, pioneered this idea a million years ago, on the Simplex property adjacent to MIT. Good News!!
14
One can learn to like gasoline powered vehicles, but Diesel will bring you to a new “blackness“— ,
Clothing , under fingernails etc rags & clothes in general
5
hello Click and Clack at Good News Garage ...
been there, done that ...
was a good idea then ... still is
8
A screwdriver in the mouth with no gloves and in a t-shirt? What a hipster poser. Nobody in his/her right mind (or a trained mechanic) would do that. All liquids and lubricants that go into cars with internal combustion are poisonous, let alone the dirt/dust.
5
@zumzar
I personally would pass on the screwdriver in the mouth, but how is she a poser if she got it done? What other measure is there?
Made my living in the business for 40 odd years and counting and worn a t-shirt every single day. My hat is off to the woman (hear her roar).
4
@zumzar: And yet there she is, still alive despite your critique! The existence of smart, highly-educated women who also have mechanical ability seems to really annoy men.
BTW, do you think YOU'RE not breathing the poisonous output of the internal combustion engine every minute you're on the streets of NYC? It's in the air we breathe and the soot on our windowsills. And somehow there are still millions of us in NYC.
3
With state inspections ,you almost need a computerized diagnostic program to pass annually. Most old autos that need amateur help may not pass. New autos need diagnostics to fix most things except maybe brakes or radiator. AC fixes need special system flushes and pressurized refilling. Anyway ,having rebuilt cars and engines many years ago the idea is swell but the liability contract ain't worth the paper it's printed on in court.
1
One of the (few) things I missed about the Military were these same DIY garages on base. I think I paid someone else to do an oil change or tire rotation once when I was in.
1
I'm amazed that the author could write this article without a single mention of Hacker's Haven, aka "Good News Garage" founded and run by Tom and Ray Magliozzi - Click and Clack of NPR fame. Those guys started out accommodating the DIYers in the inner city area who lacked space for such things, let alone the tools. I'm sure there were many others during the days of communal ideals who opened similar ventures.
17
This is not new however. In the '60s there were also "rent-a-bay" shops ... often in a closed service center that had no other use but this.
Same basic thing. Tools, lots of them, but especially the ones that you weren't likely to have in your own garage. "Specialists" or Technician's as we'd call them today but they were Mechanics back then. They wouldn't put a hand on your car for the most part, but they'd stand there and guide you step by step on what to do.
Then they all seemed to disappear. The primary reason, as I heard it, was liability. If a user got his or her hand caught somewhere, the shop held no responsibility for it. If the brakes failed on the way of the bay, no responsibility. If the car fell off the lift ... you guessed it.
Shame. I liked it when I could save 90% on my oil changes and about 95% on my brake jobs.
3
Shades of Click and Clack and the "Good News Garage". Good things persevere.
10
I receive a call every so often from folks who wants to mill their own wood in our shop. Although we specialize in making wood cutting tools (metal) for the professional woodworker , we do have a laboratory of wood cutting machines,
It occurred to me that folks could bring their wood and walk out with mill work utilizing our molders, sanders, dust collection, etc they could even grind their own knives to mill the wood in the machine shop if they desire, how bout that?
Perhaps a fantasy of mine, I did teach elementary school before I started this business, love teaching. What do the NY Times readers think?
25
@Oella Saw and Tool
been looking for something like this in Boston.
2
@Oella Saw and Tool
Those kinds of places are just starting to pop up in CA. We have one in our town (chico() -- the idea fab lab. Has a wood shop, though not great, laser cutters, laser printers, seeing machines, recording studio, electronics lab... Great place. Our local community college got a grant to build a similar one.
3
@dl
Leave it California, always the state to show the rest of us what is possible, I am grateful your states progressive ideology...
Per your Chico idea fab lab, that reminds me of makers spaces, we do ship many tools to these outfits where you subscribe or pay a monthly membership agreement, you are allowed use of the space....some are nonprofit , I know this cause they are claiming (sales) tax exempt ...anyway its great to share resources, we are a country with abundance. Lets share more!
8
I remember a place on Long Island during the 1970's called U-Do-It. My friend's brother would go there. He had a bumper sticker that said, "I did it at U-Do-It". Catchy and kind of cool. (All of us young folks had old cars then. Who could afford car payments in high school or even college!) I think they went out of business because they were exposed to the possibility of (or actual) liability issues related to injuries on-site. Well, that's what I heard anyway.
raveling through Germany in 1970, I saw many of these DIY garages. In fact, I used one to make minor repairs to my Land Rover. It was such a great experience that I thought about getting into the business myself when I got home, but as so often happens, life got in the way. I'm glad to see we've caught up, though it took nearly 40 years. I'm 76 and I now drive a 2002 Subaru Forester with a manual transmission, and I love making what repairs I can myself. I'll keep an eye out for a DIY garage coming to my area soon.
11
Traveling through Germany in 1970, I saw many of these DIY garages. In fact, I used one to make minor repairs to my Land Rover. It was such a great experience that I thought about getting into the business myself when I got home, but as so often happens, life got in the way. I'm glad to see we've caught up, though it took nearly 40 years. I'm 76 and I now drive a 2002 Subaru Forester with a mahual tarnsim
2
1973, Wood Heat Garage, Brattleboro VT. I learned to fix my car with the help of other members. We heated with wood in the winter. It only lasted about a year then it moved to Putney, VT.
1
Heavens, I hope my eldest daughter doesn't see this article. As a former mechanic (including transmissions and engine replacements), I have the tools and most of the skills, but not the space, nor the time. Her ideal project, a mid-80s Jeep Grand Wagonneer restoration. Unfortunately, I never did bodywork.
3
There used to be (and perhaps still is) a woodworking/hobby shop in Norwalk CT based on the same idea: Expensive and basic tools and equipment, along with appropriate workshop space, is at your disposal for a rental fee. These provide great opportunities to advance one's skills without the risk of investing lots of money into tools you may not need but once or twice a year. It also gives us apartment dwellers the right, safe space to do this work. I wonder what other concepts lend themselves to this idea: restaurant space with a full kit of specialized equipment? (Happening, but in a different way: space rental of existing kitchens in off-hours.) What else? This seems very eco-friendly!
3
Beyond the good lead of a truck-owning physics grad student who is also a model, there should have been mention of Tom and Ray Magliozzi’s first venture in Cambridge, Hacker’s Haven, the DIY garage near, and philosophically connected to Tom’s alma mater MIT, that later became the Good News Garage, immortalized over decades on NPR as the Click and Clack show. I also graduated The Institute, and in physics, and have been dis- and re-membering cars ever since. It may not fit the public image, but quite a few physics Ph.D.s live on the instrumental side of things, and enjoy this kind of thing.
Anyhow, Hacker’s Haven failed early on as a business enterprise, partly because cars became way too complex and specialized for amateur hands, but despite that, with the internet as a teaching resource, millions of folks, male, female and undisclosed, with or without advanced degrees, continue to enjoy the rewards of fixing things. True, there’s more replacement than component repairing going on, and a laptop is just another toolbox item, and rust is a more powerful foe these days, but we’re still wrenching!
36
I work on my own cars because it's sort of a hobby mixed with therapy.
I think "My Mechanics Place" is a great idea!
Folks would be much better off doing this sort of stuff and less time online.
18
This idea has been around for a while now. This is how the "Car Talk" brothers got into the repair Know How business. They had a shop in Cambridge (almost 50 yrs ago) where people could bring in their cars and ask them questions. There are lots of pitfalls with this model: autos are increasingly more computerized, engine compartments are very small and closed and the number specialized tools required has increased. As a former Navy diesel mechanic and kid who started working on cars at age 13, my advice to all who take this on would be to use common sense, particularly if you have a family.
20
I commend your advice but… There are people of less means that Either enjoy figuring out things and fixing them themselves — or just crazy (like me) and by necessity, must wrench the flepher themselves
3
In the 1980s, I went to San Francisco Auto Repair, where self-service was kind of a political act. They had a cheap text (title forgotten) and rented garage time that included tools. If you needed a hand, you paid a mechanic for the relevant time. I did a number of fixes on my 1980 Honda Civic. Most memorable was when I replaced the clutch, but put it in backwards the first time. Seems to me the modern, computerized auto would be tough to service on one's own. Luckily, my electric Chevy Bolt doesn't need tune-ups.
4
This sounds like a really dangerous and bad idea. Some things are worth paying for, and an expert, experienced and licensed auto mechanic strikes me as being on the top of that list.
@DLM Some things are worth paying for and some aren't. As the article mentions, the average age of a car on the road today is higher than ever. That means there's a good chance that a large repair on many cars can easier reach a substantial portion of the car's value. It may be worth it to try to tinker with the car a bit to see if the problem can be easily and cheaply fixed before undertaking a major repair or buying a new car. What's the worst that can happen? You are out a bit of money and you need to replace a car that will cost just as much to repair like before?
13
@DLM
What's dangerous is trying to work on a car's suspension on the ground. Paying a bit more to put it up on a lift is worth the increase in safety.
29
@DLM
some things yes, and for a lot - no.
4