Poll: How much work do you do on your own vs a shop?

[Manhattan]

I'm fortunate to be near ACC. Those guys are amazing - gotta be one the top 5 Land Cruiser shops in the country. So, they do pretty much everything on the all of my Toyotas. Well, not detailing, light mods, e.g. stereo upgrades, roof rack, headlight conversions, etc. They to the difficult/technical (and big) stuff.

 

[jaewastooshort]

I can do everything, and generally will unless possible downtime is a consideration. I had a shop do the timing belt job because they were able to turn around that and CV axle installation all within a day (and I trust them), but it wasn't cheap. If I'd had a week I could have gone without my truck (just in case), I would have done it myself. Time was worth more than money to me that week.

 

[GTV]

Everything I can. The only things I haven’t done is alignment and tire mounting/balancing. I have trust issues.

 

[Mike NXP]

For me in translates to if the vehicles needs to be in the air or not. I don't go under my truck anymore but if it's an engine bay or tire off type of job might as well go for it. I work on a gravel driveway with no coverage but have a bunch of old cars that always need something.

That being said I'm not to manly man to just pay someone to do the work when it's necessary or I don't have the time / skills

 

[GerLC100]

For me one option in the poll is missing:
I do everything I can do beside engine transplant/ engine work and some electrical stuff. And I use a shop when I'm time constraint.

Suspension, driveline stuff, brakes... is what I do myself. Anything I can do with my lift jack and jack stands and I have time for.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I do basically everything except alignment and mount/balance tires.

I'm as competent as most of the shops in the area, with the added bonus that I actually give a dang about my vehicle. That's not tooting my own horn about my skills or abilities, that's denigrating the other shops in the area.

There's one shop in my area who I'd trust to do everything, but they're very rightly both expensive and booked out for months at a time. That's a good thing. A shop that isn't booked out is like a diner that's not busy at lunch time - there's a reason nobody is eating there, and you probably shouldn't either. I've had these guys do some work, but almost all the time I get a quote and a lead time from them and decide to pay myself to do the job instead.

 

[knuckle47]

I do it all. I have never taken my FJ40/45 to any shop. Back in 1974 my FJ40 was under the Toyota new vehicle warranty so it may have gone into the dealership for 1 or 2 interval services initially. Had the a/c installed at the dealership back in 1976 but after that, it’s always been me. If I don’t make the attempt, I’ll never be able to dig into it intelligently should something develop while I am out somewhere.

Decades of motorcycle restorations gives me a nice background…absolutely nothing, beyond tire mounting and these 31”+ tires are defeating.
In the last few years while I should really be winding down, I find myself doing some major lifting and rebuilding….loving all of it, but moving slower
Doing springs and differentials this winter

 

[Mike NXP]

I do it all. I have never taken my FJ40/45 to any shop. Back in 1974 my FJ40 was under the Toyota new vehicle warranty so it may have gone into the dealership for 1 or 2 interval services initially. Had the a/c installed at the dealership back in 1976 but after that, it’s always been me. If I don’t make the attempt, I’ll never be able to dig into it intelligently should something develop while I am out somewhere.

Decades of motorcycle restorations gives me a nice background…absolutely nothing, beyond tire mounting and these 31”+ tires are defeating.
In the last few years while I should really be winding down, I find myself doing some major lifting and rebuilding….loving all of it, but moving slower
Doing springs and differentials this winter

I'm too busy trying to imagine what it must be like to have owners the same cruiser for 50 years, very impressive

 

[knuckle47]

I'm too busy trying to imagine what it must be like to have owners the same cruiser for 50 years, very impressive

Oh …sorry, not he same 40…. Sold it back in the 1980’s due to Vermont road salt. I lived near the Canada border, the snows back then were substantial and by 1980…It looked like any other road weary car body 10 years old or more from the area. There have been several …. Got back to a 40 around 2 1/2 years ago. Working on it and several others that have since come and gone during that time

 

[Mike NXP]

Oh …sorry, not he same 40…. Sold it back in the 1980’s due to Vermont road salt. I lived near the Canada border, the snows back then were substantial and by 1980…I looked like any other road weary car body 10 years old or more from the area. There have been several …. Got back to a 40 around 2 1/2 years ago. Working on it and several others that have since come and gone during that time

Ah, that makes a bit more sense lol still very cool. I'm a bit ashamed but will admit publicly that I have never driven anything older than a 100 series. Come to think of it, I've never driven anything newer than a 100 series either lol. Suppose all I know in the LC world is the 100 =] Hope to experience more as time goes on.

 

[knuckle47]

I have done that… I never rode a motorcycle newer than my 1947 FL knucklehead and that was in 1995. Then I discovered fuel injection. WOW!, no more kick starting

 

[77mustard40]

My Hundy lives at a fishing cabin in ID. I drove it back during Covid and tackled a bunch of stuff at a comfortable pace to include timing belt, tube seals and plugs, all hoses - heater valve and radiator, suspension upgrade and diff drop, brakes and other odds and ends. I don't care for doing things under pressure, like I need my car tomorrow kinda pressure, but given time to accumulate parts and plan the work I'm not afraid to venture into something new.

 

[shtbrwn86]

I voted everything, but truth be told lately I'm drifting towards the opposite just because life is busy and I live nearby @2001LC .

I do pretty much everything myself, but one of these days I am going to drive my LX down from Washington State to get my coolant system dialed in. He claims that a well-tuned 2UZ in the 100 series runs 183-187 pretty much 100% of the time. Up and down mountain passes, big tires, 105 degrees at altitude. Not that I don't believe him, but I just can't get mine to do that and it drives me nuts!

 

[jerryb]

for years I would buy gas in Pensacola, New Orleans and south LA, and along I-10 MS and AL on the coast. Always ran 194F (vvti).
for 7 months now I'm almost exclusively buying middle (BFE) Alabama fuel. Non ethanol 87. This place has everything, non eth, red diesel etc.
I've been seeing high 18x F temps the whole time, even mild towing of lumber, lawn mowers etc. Fuel temp, unfortunately has remained the same.

the thread though.
I do all my own work minus windshield glass, tires/alignment. Ten years with this vehicle, that's an astounding record for me.

 

[cwmoser]

I never took any courses on auto repair other than a Carburetor Rebuild class back in the 1970s.
Also never worked as a mechanic so all I know about vehicles is what I learned though experimenting or watching videos on the Internet.
I do have a lot of hand tools but not a lift so I have spent a lot of time wallowing on the ground like a hog with a back itch
So I have to use my ability to discern what I can reasonably do and what I can't I have to hire it out.
That said I am very particular as to which shops I will allow to work on my cars and willing to pay more for competence.

 

[delz05]

I have been working on my own vehicles, friend's and family's since my father placed me in the engine bay of a 1955 Pontiac to learn how to do spark plugs! (Well over 50 years ago!) Now retired from a lengthly career in law enforcement, back at it again for the enjoyment and friendship. For the past 45 years, my wife never has to wonder where I am... either at home or in the garage! Everything from brake jobs to full restorations... welding, collision repair, paint, full mechanical. The only thing I DO NOT attempt is transmission rebuilds, rather just pull and replace them!

 

[100d ua]

I've had my 100 for about 4-5 years now and i've done nearly everything on it from cv axles, valve cover, brake booster, steering rack and more.

The only time a shop has touched my 100 is when I had the brakes bled, done an alignment or had new tires installed.

Although, I will admit, when it comes time for the timing belt I will most likely have a shop do it. Not because I can't.. but just because my local Toyota dealer only charges $1k for the service and it's not worth my time and energy spending a weekend on it.

 

[MongooseGA]

I am no tech, and I really just talk a lot professionally. I do what I can provided there's sufficient instruction available online. I'm also very good friends with a former Lexus tech/ Cruiser guy, and @cruiserpatch has been instrumental in helping me with a few bigger projects.

I have a bunch of tools in my garage that most Harry Homeowners don't. But a lot less knowledge than most mechanics.

 

[rexington14]

I've done a decent amount of DIY, but my primary hesitations around a job to be done whether it's automotive or around the house is almost always safety related. For example, I'm not excited about beating on suspension components while also laying down on my back completely underneath a vehicle on stands. I gots kids now! Accidents do happen. And there are sad stories out there, folks losing life and limb to try and save a couple thousand bucks.

A proper garage lift would be nice.

 

[cruisin4bruisins]

I have done some moderately hard things such as...
(In order from hardest to easiest)

1. Ironman 4x4 lift kit install (rear shocks were a bear and had me pulling my hair out lol) and front bumper (by myself)
2. both front CV axles, ball joints (also terrible experience lol)
3. U-joints
4. Front wheel bearings and brake rotors (surprisingly easy)
5. Tie rods
6. fluid changes
7. Greasing drive shafts and ujoints

I did go to a shop to have my timing belt done a couple years back because i didn't trust myself not to mess up the timing. I need a steering rack replacement eventually but I've seen videos of it and it looks like its a sucky job so will probably go to a shop for it. also anything tire/alignment related i just go to pepboys.