POLL: What skill level mechanic are you?

Post by **matthew1** » 23 Jan 2012, 14:19

I'm a poor mechanic. Things take me forever, partly because I work without going over all the DIY tutorials and videos we have here first, believe it or not. I consider myself "Good Enough". I'd never be able to make a living at fixing cars, but when I have time, I can do what I need to.

Sometimes I need to go back in to fix my fix.

There are many areas I don't know much about, like wiring.

Post by **billofdurham** » 23 Jan 2012, 15:07

I have picked up a good knowledge in the 61 years that I have been playing with cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles and coaches. The newer vehicles can make me stop and scratch my head but I can usually work things out.

Bill.

Billc1015 · Post by **Billc1015** » 23 Jan 2012, 17:36

I'm a professional technician. I currently work at a Subaru dealer but I did work at a Volvo dealer for about 3 years up until the XC90 came out. I have been working on cars for 20 years of so.

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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.304936,-75.171249

D_V_ENT850R · Post by **D_V_ENT850R** » 23 Jan 2012, 18:16

I am a professional technician, for 13 years! ASE master certified. Worked for FORD for 10 years and now I'm at a Honda dealer. I can look at anything and take it apart! I've always enjoyed cars, owned every kind known!

Here's my car in my shop (when I did the oil cooler line!)

Post by **jblackburn** » 23 Jan 2012, 18:26

I can take something apart, remember it and try to understand how it works, and then put it back together. That's how I learn. Could I replicate something on another car that's slightly different? Probably. Could I completely rebuild an engine or something? Probably not.

I think my main problem and why I don't enjoy working on other cars is because I have a very low tolerance for things that could have easily been made less stupid or difficult to get to. I hate the practice of taking the biggest engine possible and cramming it into as small of an engine compartment as possible. Modern V6's are the worst, but the turbo Volvo's are on up there with accessing some things. There were lots of places in the hood of my old 900 that you could almost stand in - and everything was SO EASY to get to!

Post by **matthew1** » 23 Jan 2012, 20:39

I hade a '71 Dodge Dart 318. Talk about space in the engine bay! I replaced the water pump and engine mounts. That was 18 years ago when I knew zilch about cars. I think I owned and did the repairs with an adjustable wrench and two screwdrivers.

s70glt novice[Will] · Post by **s70glt novice[Will]** » 23 Jan 2012, 22:29

I can usually figure things out for myself. I've looked at a couple tutorials when i was just starting out on my car, but now i dont even look at the haynes manual. Granted, I've broken things, but i've always fixed them.
However, without the experience (This is my first car i've worked on (used to have an 850 glt...for about 6 months >.>. i hate myself for ruining such an awesome car)) so i dont have any training. My step dad, a hobby mechanic on his mercedes turbo diesel, taught me how to do an oil change. After that, im on my own. Hell, i just put in a new turbo without a glance at any tutorials. (i did empty my coolant tank because of that). So I'd say given enough time, and with all the tools my step dad has, I'd be able to do anything from an oil change to a manual swap. But alas, not highly experienced.

*EDIT* I'm crap at wiring though. I can probably pull apart the entire engine block and put it back together, but ask me to wire a simple switch, and i give up. (right now, my open door noise (beep....beep....beep) goes off when someone opens the sunvisor mirrors or glovebox. and my interior lights dont work. its all cause of the damned boost gauge, i nipped (completely severed) a cuple wires when the drill decided it wanted to be a rocket ship. oops.

, ill figure it out though....eventually)

SimLyons · Post by **SimLyons** » 23 Jan 2012, 22:52

On the mechanical things, like rebuilding an engine or manual transmission I'm fairly competent. I caan always get or find the critical tolerances and I like measuring the parts to be in spec., or replace them when out of spec. I take my time though, now that I'm retired and in no hurry.

I really have a hard time with the newer generations of cars. I really need more than an OBD / CAN scanner to find the problems (usually). And then getting to the stuff through the maze in getting horrible!. The latest for me was having to take off the front of my '06 V70R to replace the passenger side bulbs, especially the turn signal. (Tried it first following directions but my hand is too big to get in the space!) And I never ever heard of a healight assembly costing between $975-1400, new! Now I have. The BULB was $100! (low beam) The ballast to get the dang bulb firing up was $400! So I am getting less competent. And you can't repair the ballast. UGH! (Loved my old MGB, Lotus, Volvo 740, 940....EASY!)

Post by **fazool** » 24 Jan 2012, 06:37

I'll get some really intimidating repair done and be amazed that I succeeded and my wife is like "well Duh....of course you fixed it!" She has more confidence in my mechanical skill than I do.

I started out about 30 years ago and remember sitting on my fenders, feet on the wheel well, wrenching around on small block chevy's. My first front wheel drive compact turbo was a rats nest design - I would just shake my head and close the hood. My first Volvo reminded me what a serviceable car is like and I was right back into shade-tree-repairs.

The most complex work I've done is changing the cylinder heads on my 350, welding and finishing a new quarter panel, changing (rwd) transmissions and replacing the rear bearing housing on my S60.

Post by **precopster** » 24 Jan 2012, 07:29

I can pretty much take anything apart and understand it and then place it back together again. When I was younger I rebuilt 2 Mitsubishi engines fully, one a 1.6 litre 4G32 fitted to a Chrysler Galant (your Dodge Colt) pillarless hardtop, and then again fully rebuilt a 4G54 2.6 litre with the balance shaft system and swapped that engine into 3 different cars (Dodge Colt, then a Dodge Sapporo/Challenger, then a Dodge wagon) because it refused to burn oil and had never broken down (well just that one time when a thermostat jammed close)

From that time I only did oil changes and brakes and other simple maintenance and left other repairs to mechanics because I simply didn't have the great resources I now have.

I now have engines on stands and benches awaiting rebuilds and am so into these Volvos I feel I'm reliving 20 lost years. I must have been born with grease under my fingernails!! Can't wait to have my first turbo but it must be a classic like a early C70 or R series.