Who does work on their car themselves?

Here in Europe people rarely puts their car in the shop for custom mods. Suspension mods, fender mods, body mods ++++

It seems like it`s a different thing in the US.

So my question is, who has done the work on their cars all by themselves? (exept paint)

I do all of my own work ([U][B]including paint[/B][/U]) it's fun and I do better work than most shops anyway

I've done suspension work, motor work, that's about it really. body wise, i haven't done anything before, besides put a lip on.

I do my own work when i get a chance or have a garage. Living in a apt sucks.

But when it comes to big time consuming stuff, i rather pay the extra bucks and have a shop do it cause the Q is my daily.

i do my own oil change...? =o(

[quote=TLontheDL;113627]i do my own oil change...? =o([/quote]
 
oddly enough....I dont :smiley-rofl: 
 
im hella lazy and its so much easier/cheaper when mobile 1 is always having those $19 oil change specials  :biggthumpup:

Ive done a lot of things but body work (fiberglass and metal work) and paint are the only two ive never done.

i have done a lot of stuff in the past, but these days i'm paying someone else. people used to laugh at me when i would be gutting my car or changing out suspension or body panels in the apartment parking lot one deep. right now i'm doing my tail lights, building an engine, and i might do my wiring/sound deadening myself.

I do it myself, suspension, engine, but especially body/paint.

I take it to the shop for major maintenance/mechanical because my car is a daily driver and needs to be tip-top. But mods are done by me, and the 240SX probably won't see a shop until it's time to pass inspection. 

If I can't do it, I like to learn how.

I have done some work on my rides...not to mutch though as I am not a big time mechanic...I just have done custom interior work..rolled and pulled fenders(not to bad for my first attempt but nothing that bondo cant fix.hahahaha) I have managed to do my own allignment..HID instalation..and a few other odds and ends..anything else I would just have to take it in. I wish I new more about nbody work and engine work..

I worked in a few shops so I can do most anything to it, but lately, since I have access to a Senior Infiniti Tech who'll work on it from his house to make extra racing cash for himself, I have him do most of it. He works at the Infinit dealer where I got my Q and where it was originally sold new, so he worked on it most of it's life anyhow.  I did everything the first few years I had it though, suspension (springs / shocks, all bushings, links, etc), alternator, O2's, fuel filter, etc.  Honestly though, the car hasn't needed much in the ~4 years I've had it.

i do all the work on my car myself. i help other people out. only thing i dont do is put tires on my own rims as i dont want to buy a tire machine. i would attempt my own electrical work, but i would prefer somone who knows how to do it, do it.

huy.. thinking about it sucks.. my car is starting to show its age now.. shocks going out, bushings going bad, exhaust sounds like a honda fart can that is hooked to a 1" exhaust pipe.

as for body work. if i had the material i would to it (im broke :) ) body work is easy stuff.

its better to get your hands on your own car....... theres a lot more pride of what you have. like the difference between the people that wonder, does this look cool? and the people that love what they do.

i'm still learning.  So far this year i changed my coilovers, lower ball joints, outer tie rods, and about to change my wheel bearings and starter soon.  I've never done anything big like an engine swap...and I wish I had the time/resources to do one.

i do all my own stuff except body work which wasnt really needed on my f'd up s13 and ae86 which ran perfectly. but with the q i want to learn.

I do lots of minor mods and most mechanical, but I do not do paint.  I definitely did my share of minor body work on my old s14.5.....dam fitment.  I must have taken the front end off once a month....

I do my own electrical work, i find that interesting. A few months ago i completely gutted the interior to repair a leaking heater core and get all the carpets cleaned. Minor mechanical stuff, until i come across something that i dont have tools for
 
I love doing DIY stuff, but only because its an older car. If i had a car less than 3yrs old, i would just leave it to the professionals.

[quote=firelizard;113668]If I can't do it, I like to learn how.[/quote]
 
my kind of guy :biggthumpup:

[QUOTE=VIP-UCF;114206]my kind of guy :biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]
Werd...I take the same approach.  The only thing I haven't done is spray the car...everything till that point..I guess I'm scared to hurdle that project.  I know I can learn, just scared to screw up to bad..haha.  I've sprayed mold release and gel coat...haha, but not paint.

on this car I did little to nothing.  I repaired and primed my fender when a taxi did a hit and run a few years back (no way your going to catch a yellow cab in the city when there are 30 on every block and they all drive like dix and dont signal)
 
 
I plan to do my own maintance indoors once I move in a few months and have a garage :biggthumpup:

WOW, it`s really great to see so many people do their own work. In my book it earns ALOT more respect when someone has done all the work themselves instead of doing it "celebrity/rapper" style and just cashing out for all the mods. 
I`ve always loved doing the work myself, I feel it gives my car alot more personality and my own flavour. And you end up with a TRULY unique car that way :)

Props to the DIY`ers:biggthumpup:

[QUOTE=Liquorice;115897]

Props to the DIY`ers:biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]


word.


comon, if i can spray a car, you guys shouldent be scared too. if you screw up, all you did was waste paint and just have to put a little more work into it. it feels really reallly good seeing a project that was maybe 4 different colors, turn into one color, then into its final stage.


DIY for life.

Quote above, for the win.

Besides, paint is way more forgiving than other kinds of mods, you literally just erase and restart.

One time I rushed installing a strut and didn't bolt it correctly to the steering knuckle. Could have been serious if I hadn't noticed on my way out of the back lane! Mechanical work makes me way more nervous than bodywork

I do My own work, tried body, failed miserably. Want to try paint one of these days but no access to a booth.

I dont ever do any of my own stuff I just take it to a shop and have them do it :thumbsup: LOL!!!!  

On a serious note Not just talking from a shop owners perspective but if you take it to a shop that takes pride in what they are doing I dont see why not.  Ive seen alot of shop bashing in my times and I dont see why.  Its kewl that some people can do some stuff but leave it to the experienced ones to help you out... there isnt nothing wrong with help especially when you spending alot of money on it.  I use to do alot of my work in my Garage and its no different when people came to my home to get there car fixed up or here at the shop.  I think either way it will come out good if you know what your doing or taking it to a shop that knows what they are doing =)  I use to take my car to Dynamic Autosports in 93 and they helped me get my integra to a 10 second car(full interior with system) and i installed a few things but it wouldnt have gotten as far as it did without the help of knowledgeable people in the industry.

Erase and restart?...you gotta be kidding me...you wish it was that easy...I can tell you're not a painter

I do most of my electrical, mechanical, suspension, and steering work. I have tried paint and body work, but I don't have the patience for it.  I would take my car to a shop for major engine and trans work.

[QUOTE=VIP-UCF;116127]Erase and restart?...you gotta be kidding me...you wish it was that easy...I can tell you're not a painter[/QUOTE]

You'd be wrong then.

The only case I can think of where you can't just remove and re-apply, is metalwork and fabrication.

[QUOTE=firelizard;116167]You'd be wrong then.

The only case I can think of where you can't just remove and re-apply, is metalwork and fabrication.[/QUOTE]

So you are a painter?  You paint 8-9 hours a day 5 days a week?

What would you do if your base coat bites?  What if the clear dies back?  What if you make a run on your first coat?  What if you shoot clear too heavy and don't let if flash good between coats because you used a slow reducer and a hi temp activator?  What if you shoot primer too dry?  Get zebra stripes on your metallic?  What if your clear starts to peel?  What if you get islands around your final finish?  

There are many many ways things can go wrong?  And what?  Just erase and restart?  Yeah right...what are you gonna do, wipe it down with thinner or reducer and resprat?  Let the paint dry and prep it again?  Don't steer people in the wrong direction...for the people that want to learn, more power to them...just practice...you definitely don't wanna be shooting your own car as practice...start on your friends beat up honda accord or civic...

Anyone can spray...that's the easiest part...try fuck up a few hundred times...a good painter knows how to fix his/her mistakes...I'm still learning every day...it takes years to get good...and that's doing it everyday

And besides, at least with metal fabrication (as long as you get whatever it is close) you can grind, file, bondo and weld to fill small gaps...

If the body work is no good, once the paint is on there, pau...no good already...back to the body shop...

[QUOTE=VIP-UCF;116457]So you are a painter?  You paint 8-9 hours a day 5 days a week?

What would you do if your base coat bites?  What if the clear dies back?  What if you make a run on your first coat?  What if you shoot clear too heavy and don't let if flash good between coats because you used a slow reducer and a hi temp activator?  What if you shoot primer too dry?  Get zebra stripes on your metallic?  What if your clear starts to peel?  What if you get islands around your final finish?  

There are many many ways things can go wrong?  And what?  Just erase and restart?  Yeah right...what are you gonna do, wipe it down with thinner or reducer and resprat?  Let the paint dry and prep it again? [/QUOTE]

By erase and restart I mean sand it down and start all over.
In all the situations you cited, that's what I would have done. Or have done. I think you thought I meant something else... 

No, I'm not a pro-painter, but I have painted. And I've screwed up. Once my pressure was too low and my primer pretty much speckled the entire quarter. So I sanded and restarted.

I'm not pretending it's easy or a quick fix or anything, but it's not something people need to shit bricks about if they screw up.

[QUOTE=firelizard;116469]By erase and restart I mean sand it down and start all over.
In all the situations you cited, that's what I would have done. Or have done. I think you thought I meant something else... 

No, I'm not a pro-painter, but I have painted. And I've screwed up. Once my pressure was too low and my primer pretty much speckled the entire quarter. So I sanded and restarted.

I'm not pretending it's easy or a quick fix or anything, but it's not something people need to shit bricks about if they screw up.[/QUOTE]

I guess a majority of the time it will cost them a lot of money and even more man hours to fix their mistakes...you made it sound like just erase and restart like you made a mistake on a chalk board or something...

For the beginners that don't know any better...they should shit bricks if they see the base coat bite and they clear over that, then the clear bits...their in for big trouble...might be worth buying a whole brand new part rather than taking aircraft paint stripper and remvoing everything down to bare metal...then you gotta put self etching primer, primer, block it down, wet sand, repaint...
All I'm saying is if you want a good job on your own personal car and you don't have the skills, leave it to a professional...

I'm not sure what you mean by "bites". Do you mean it bites as in it just sucks, or is it a painting term?


I can't think of a screw up that would make me take all the paint right off, unless something molested it all the way through.

Its a painting term...the base will bite or wrinkle for a few reasons...most commonly because the product that is being applied is reacting to the paint already on the car (common problem when spraying dupont over ppg)...doesn't happen often but when it does, its ugly...clear will bite if the car was repainted before and you didn't feather all the edges good (especially plastic and/ or abs bumpers) or if you didn't fix your base when it reacted...it can also bubble and eventually become bigger and bigger until it peels...

Another reason to take it down to metal is poor prepping...if you didn't scuff/sand good and you apply your bc/cc...after a few months it starts to peel, that's it...game over...

Oh, I see. I guess I got lucky - I spot primed the car only, and didn't seal, but the base coat and my factory paint got along fine.
A couple guys I know had some problems with paint peeling off in sheets... it was a job with prismatic flakes in it too, so it was a bit of a pain for them to redo the panels that it happened to, but I still see the truck around town, so it's still holding up, after a redo with more careful prepping :)

paint is a pain in the ass, i have tried it and they came out pretty good. (lets just say luck was on my side) i can say im decent at metal work. and yes.. your prep work determines the quality of the paint.


havent tried spraying water base yet....dammit. reminds i have to finish up work on the car... huy.....

I've always worked on all my cars myself since the day I had my first car (felt sorry for that car haha, it was pretty much my guinea pig). Only thing I cant do (yet) is body work... But I was into the whole Honda and Nissan scene for a while so I've done all kinds of suspension and engine work. Now i'm a manager and lead mechanic at a shop =)  But i guess I was lucky because all of my brothers, their friends, and my friends were gear heads, so all the stuff I've learned from them is what got me where I am now, and a lot of those things are things you cant learn at a machanic school
 
You don't get like this twiddling your thumbs all day :shrug: 
 
[IMG]http://a326.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/12/l_f27a96710fae609ca2aec18bb397166d.jpg[/IMG]

i do all m own work...except paint

i like to work on my car, but when its too time consuming, or i dont have the proper tools, or if i think ill mess something up, ill just take it to a shop.

i do everything myself, from engine repairs/modifications/performance, interior work, electrical, suspension/brakes, custom/bodywork/paint, metal fabrication, weld, a/c, etc... didnt go to school, and work in the field for nothing... only thing i can say, ive tried and cant do myself, is tint.... lol

Been a Mechanic/ Fabricator for over 20 years.  Sometimes just too tired to do it!! But them again NOBODY works on my cars accept for me:biggthumpup:  Only thing I  don't do is paint!! Being in the industry has it's perks though!!!!

the only things i don't do is mount and balance tires and alignments everything other than that i cover