Piecing out a baseline to different mechanics? (1 Viewer)

[7toy9]

I'm working through a staged baseline for my 1999 Land Cruiser. It's generally in great shape, and with 175k miles seems to only have minor leaks at a few spots that can be dealt with in time. I'm also not planning any urgent or big trips for the next few months and so bomber reliability isn't immediately urgent.

One nuance is that I live in California, and labor + taxes are really high. But I travel a good bit with my family to Oregon and so have an easy opportunity to drop the truck off at a local mechanic in Bend or Portland to do some work (no sales tax, more reasonable labor).

I am focused on developing a relationship with my local mechanic here in the Bay Area. The shop seems fantastic, has great reviews, and absolutely is my go-to for urgent issues. But given the cost considerations, are there projects that you'd be comfortable passing off to a lesser known mechanic where the risk of improper install/poor work is minimal - but the labor/cost is intensive?

I won't list out all the work I'm considering as part of the baseline, but consider it everything from coolant hoses/heater Ts to rebuilt front CV axels.

 

[planomateo]

Do it yourself.

 

[7toy9]

Do it yourself.

Man, I'd love to - and I'm getting there slowly. My first car was a '79 FJ-40 and we still drive it like we stole it throughout Colorado. And with my recent '99 Series 100 purchase I'm getting into more of the maintenance myself: oil filter change, rust management, etc. But if I take my wife and kids on an adventure and something major breaks and we get stranded...I'll never live it down and we'll resort back to road trips in our Ford Expedition. Not as much fun!