|
literally a fish posted:You do understand that you're the exception, rather than the rule, right? We love mechanics like you. A good mechanic is like a girl at school who always puts out: everyone is looking for one, but you're far more likely to end up with tight nuts.
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 15:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 21:58 |
|
|
I worked at a quicklube in highschool and early college. My answer? 95+% of the time you will be fine, probably more like 99.99%, at least at the one I was at. I can only think of maybe a dozen or two cars that got hosed up, most of them by one guy who got fired a few weeks later, out of the tens of thousands we worked on during my stint there. If you have an "ordinary" car (aka one that isn't a brand new engine/chassis design, so the techs are used to it and know what the pitfalls are, where the filter is, where the drainplug is, etc) you have more chance of getting your oil changed perfectly every single time at a quicklube. If you have a first-model-year car (examples - the BMW X5 when it first came out, the Mazdas that had the plastic oil filter cartridge, etc) either you might want to take it to the dealer for a few years till everyone's used to those cars, or double check poo poo. We almost blew up a brand new BMW X5, like, it had 1500 miles on the clock, and if I hadn't ignored the assistant manager's demands and gone over it with a fine tooth comb it would have left with an empty front diff (or something else, not entirely sure, this was in the early 2000s and my memory of it is fuzzy) and a double-filled oil sump. It wasn't my responsibility to dig in that deep to find out why the oil level was way high, and everyone wanted me to just kick it out the door, but something seemed fishy. After that one everyone knew how to do an X5 properly and to not give me poo poo if I was doing my final checkup on a vehicle and taking too long  A couple people broke a lot of Mazda plastic oil filter cartridges at first. We never killed someone's car, but we had to run to the dealer for a new one a few times and ended up just keeping a few in the stockroom in case another one got hosed up until everyone got a handle on it and they weren't being broken anymore. No owner was ever charged for a part we broke, FYI. New guys usually break the oil pressure sensor on 90s 4.0L powered jeeps because it's located real close to the oil filter and easy to snap off with a filter wrench. We kept those in stock too, and again never charged people for a broken one. I heard some horror stories about other chains from guys who had worked at both multiple times, but I'm not sure how much stock to put in them. That being said, I do all my own work myself and always will. Hell, I bought that tire machine just so I won't have to schedule my life around getting tires done by someone else, and because I have enough cars to take care of that it should pay for itself within a year or two. The only automotive stuff I've never rebuilt or modified heavily? AC compressors and automatic transmissions. I'd have a quicklube do my oil changes on my beater DD, but the oil I run isn't one they stock so I'd actually end up paying more, and it's an easy car to change the oil on anyways.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 16:24
|
|
|
I'll do all the work I can myself, mostly because I find it interesting and I want to learn, but also because why spend money on simple poo poo when I can do it myself? Like when the front electric window stopped working on my old car. Took me an hour or so and cost me like $25 to buy one from a junkyard. Worked perfectly. I love the feeling of doing things myself. The next reason is that I want it done properly (or rather, if I do it, at least I know what's been done). It doesn't help that a pretty recent episode of consumer rights program we have did, that found that only one of the tested shops did the actual work they charged for / didn't try to replace items that are good. The one shop that did pass the test is rumored to have been tipped off before, so yeah. I do however trust my neighbor mechanic. He's always come back to me with cheaper prices than I expected, and been great. I'd rather do it myself though, because I enjoy it (a bit too much). Next step up is getting a welder and a license that allows me to actually tow cars, so that I can get into classic cars in the future. 
MrOnBicycle fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Apr 22, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 17:03
|
|
|
Preoptopus posted:Dont you guys who do your own oil changes buy the 5 quart bottles? Why dont you just dump the oil back into those. Im confused Cat Hatter posted:changing your oil gives you a reason to go under your car and see if anything has obviously gone wrong since last time.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 19:40
|
|
|
Swash-plate AC compressors are pretty fun to disassemble, they're like weird alien spaceship engines. Kastein, how do you handle alignments? Not calling you out, legit curious; it's the one thing I can't do at home and that makes me put off suspension work for way too long.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 20:55
|
|
|
Completely forgot to put that on the list of poo poo I haven't technically done, sorry I've done string/tape measure alignments but usually gently caress it up and bring it to a real alignment shop a mile from my house right after. As long as it keeps me from thrashing the tires or losing control on the way there it's good enough. I've torn AC compressors apart but never actually tried to put one back together. They sure do look cool inside though with the giant ball bearing, crazy little crown gears, giant thrust bearing, and passel of tiny pistons.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 22:35
|
|
|
Bought my first set of Wera screwdrivers today (900 series), can't wait for them to show up 
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 22:38
|
|
|
OSU_Matthew posted:
And rotating tires gives me a good look at suspension joints, bushings, links, brake pads and hoses.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 22:39
|
|
|
kastein posted:I worked at a quicklube in highschool and early college. Not to mention if the quicklube does gently caress your car up that's what they have insurance for to pay for all the repairs and get the car back in exactly the condition it was when it came in. OSU_Matthew posted:I'm confused too, I thought everyone did this? Cheap funnel and you're all set with an easy to carry, sturdy, threaded cap oil jug. For Mobile 1 I actually find the best price is at Costco for a case of 6x 1qt bottles--when they do a rebate it's around $20 or so for 6 qts. It's also annoying in that Walmart is the only place that sells exactly 5qt jugs, everyone else has 5.1qt. I think it's a deal Walmart struck with the oil companies that they will exclusively sell 5qt size jugs. That extra .1 qt won't hurt anything but it's annoying to not get things exact.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2016 23:48
|
|
|
Mobil 1 has a $12-15 rebate through May. Amazon has 5QT jugs for $22.88 and with a $12 rebate, it's $12.88. Limit 2. https://mobiloil.com/en/promotion/mobil-promotions/up-to-15-dollars-off-with-mobil-1-and-mobil-super
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 00:44
|
|
|
So I'm moving out of my parents house into my own apartment. There is no garage at the new place and I have a garage full of tool's n' poo poo at my parent's place. It can't stay there. I don't want to list literally everything out, but the main bit is a 5 piece Dewalt power tool set, floor jack and stands, a small stick welder, and a completely full 26" Harbor Freight tool box. Does anyone have experience downsizing? What the heck should I do?
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 01:18
|
|
|
the spyder posted:Mobil 1 has a $12-15 rebate through May. Amazon has 5QT jugs for $22.88 and with a $12 rebate, it's $12.88. Limit 2. Amazon isn't on the participating retailer list, have you actually gotten a rebate from this?
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 01:30
|
|
|
thebigcow posted:Amazon isn't on the participating retailer list, have you actually gotten a rebate from this? Garage Journal members are reporting Amazon working just fine.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 01:31
|
|
|
Walmart isn't on the list but I still got my check.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 02:05
|
|
|
um excuse me posted:So I'm moving out of my parents house into my own apartment. There is no garage at the new place and I have a garage full of tool's n' poo poo at my parent's place. It can't stay there. I don't want to list literally everything out, but the main bit is a 5 piece Dewalt power tool set, floor jack and stands, a small stick welder, and a completely full 26" Harbor Freight tool box. Craigslist, you can probably unload a lot of it easily. Just be careful if you're in a sketchy area that you aren't inviting weird people in to scope out and snoop around your garage (then later come back when you're gone). edit: And if you're super desperate and it has to go immediately a pawn shop would probably buy most of it. You'll get an absolute crap price and be lowballed to hell, but that's the way they work.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 02:59
|
|
|
um excuse me posted:Does anyone have experience downsizing? What the heck should I do? ^^ Exactly what mod sass said, hop on craigslist and you should be able to get a few bucks for whatever you want to get rid of. Most tools sell pretty quick on there. Only caveat is I'd be meeting people in public places instead of having them over to your place.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 03:20
|
|
|
um excuse me posted:So I'm moving out of my parents house into my own apartment. There is no garage at the new place and I have a garage full of tool's n' poo poo at my parent's place. It can't stay there. I don't want to list literally everything out, but the main bit is a 5 piece Dewalt power tool set, floor jack and stands, a small stick welder, and a completely full 26" Harbor Freight tool box. How long will you be at the apartment? Can you rent storage space? Do you know anyone you trust you can store them with? Personally I'd avoid downsizing tools because you'll lose money, but if storage for x years costs more than replacing the tools I suppose it makes sense.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 13:51
|
|
|
The lease is for a year. The work I moved there for is a 2 year contract position and could become permanent. I'd like to keep as much as I can but I'm having trouble prioritizing what to keep, what to sell. Luckily I don't have anything crazy like an engine hoist or stand. The welder is going to have to go. The floor jack I have is great and I use it all the time, but it's also the HF 2.5 ton steel jack so it doesn't get much larger or heavier. I'll probably get a smaller aluminum one.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2016 16:07
|
|
|
Preoptopus posted:Whos more likely to gently caress your car up : A tech that does it every day for a living with the right tools at hand and has his job and reputation along with the shops reputation at stake, or you on your back in a parking lot? Counterpoint: barely trained oil change monkeys at many quick lubes. The only training they were given is cross-threading 101 and upselling cabin air filters 201. kastein posted:If you have an "ordinary" car (aka one that isn't a brand new engine/chassis design, so the techs are used to it and know what the pitfalls are, where the filter is, where the drainplug is, etc) you have more chance of getting your oil changed perfectly every single time at a quicklube. When I was living in an apartment and had an at-the-time-brand-new '97 F150 the JL in town had several fits when I bought it in (different times depending on who hadn't seen it yet) because the oil filter was in a location made for making it easy to change in a driveway......which was way outside of where the drain pan was in the pit (extreme driver's side behind the bumper). Smarter lube jockies just grabbed a piece of cardboard to direct it to the pan. Most couldn't figure it out. This is the general quality of employee we're talking about here. They ARE NOT MECHANICS. To call them that is offensive to the people here who know what the gently caress they are doing that work on cars for a living.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 01:01
|
|
|
um excuse me posted:The lease is for a year. The work I moved there for is a 2 year contract position and could become permanent. If all you have is a loaded box and a drill driver set, find some cabinets or an attic to put them in. Ditch the box and live a happy life full of nice tools. Get smaller boxes to store the stuff in out of the way. Hell, put in french cleats on a wall in an unoccupied room and hang all your stuff! Just plaster over the screw holes for the backing board for your cleats and give it a slap with the paint brush, lol.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 06:28
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:I've got a couple projects coming up where I need to use and oscillating tool. I have a Harbor Freight one that's lasted a long time, but for a real job I want to use a non-piece-of-poo poo tool. Just got done using the Fein cordless multitool for the first time. Removed some caulk in the kid's bathroom. Just the cordless nature of it made it worth the investment. The tool itself is nicely balanced and works like any other. The case the kit came in is really nice and I'll be keeping the drill/impact just because it looks so nice in the case. I don't know if I'll use it, I have 18V Bosch pieces for that stuff, but we'll see.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 19:15
|
|
EVERYWHERE 
|
meatpimp posted:Just got done using the Fein cordless multitool for the first time. Removed some caulk in the kid's bathroom. Just the cordless nature of it made it worth the investment. The tool itself is nicely balanced and works like any other. The case the kit came in is really nice and I'll be keeping the drill/impact just because it looks so nice in the case. I don't know if I'll use it, I have 18V Bosch pieces for that stuff, but we'll see. Is there a difference between the multimate and the multimaster other than name? That could be the cause for the discrepancy in pricing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 21:48
|
|
|
El Jebus posted:Is there a difference between the multimate and the multimaster other than name? That could be the cause for the discrepancy in pricing. I haven't seen the Multimate name. The tool I got was an AFMM14 Multimaster. The drill is an ASB 14C, which is listed as a "hammer" drill. I haven't used it yet, but I'm assuming that it's just a normal impact drill. The nice thing is that it's switchable between drill and impact, my Bosch stuff has a drill and an impact driver, but they are separate tools.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 22:04
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:I haven't seen the Multimate name. The tool I got was an AFMM14 Multimaster. The drill is an ASB 14C, which is listed as a "hammer" drill. I haven't used it yet, but I'm assuming that it's just a normal impact drill. The nice thing is that it's switchable between drill and impact, my Bosch stuff has a drill and an impact driver, but they are separate tools. It could just be a description error but this is what I see on that link.  If it is the same as the expensive one, I think I need to get that!
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 22:12
|
|
|
El Jebus posted:It could just be a description error but this is what I see on that link. I see that now, I think it's a typo, here's the exact same kit, calling it a MultiMaster (like I said, I haven't seen MultiMate anywhere else): http://www.toolfetch.com/fein-asb-14-afmm-14-14-4v-4ah-cordless-fmm-hammerdrill.html Also, here's a review of the MM on its own: http://www.toolfetch.com/fein-asb-14-afmm-14-14-4v-4ah-cordless-fmm-hammerdrill.html the only difference I've seen since the 2013 review is that they went to a 4.0ah battery instead of the 3.0ah. The other nice surprise was that the tools (and batteries) have a 3 year warranty if you register them within a month of receipt. That's a baller bonus.
|
|
#
?
Apr 24, 2016 23:03
|
|
|
I thought it was a bit ridiculous when my dad got me a Bostitch wrecking bar for Christmas 5 years ago. What am I going to do with this thing in my condo? I don't even have the space to store it. I'm glad I did find a place for it, as it owns hard now that I have a house. I'm wrecking all kinds of poo poo. Bent 16d nails? I'll just use the wrecking bar. It straightens as it pulls it right on through.
FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Apr 25, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 03:01
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:I haven't seen the Multimate name. The tool I got was an AFMM14 Multimaster. The drill is an ASB 14C, which is listed as a "hammer" drill. I haven't used it yet, but I'm assuming that it's just a normal impact drill. The nice thing is that it's switchable between drill and impact, my Bosch stuff has a drill and an impact driver, but they are separate tools. It's worth noting that a hammer drill hammers forwards and backwards for drilling masonry*, while an impact driver impacts around the axis of rotation for turning things better. * I didn't know that masonry drilling was different from normal wood and metal drilling until very recently. The tip of the masonry bit, when used in a hammer drill, hammers into the workpiece which breaks off small amounts of material. The flutes on the drill bit are there simply to clear chips. Safety Dance fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Apr 25, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 03:03
|
|
|
And it's amazing how well they work, I figured putting my whole body weight onto a sharp new bit in a regular drill would get me through some lovely old concrete but nope. Bought a cheapo electric hammer drill and went through the same concrete like butter.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:10
|
|
|
A hammer drill has been on my wishlist for a long time, but I don't truly need one, so I've been ignoring the temptation to buy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 15:45
|
|
|
kastein posted:A hammer drill has been on my wishlist for a long time, but I don't truly need one, so I've been ignoring the temptation to buy. Safety Dance posted:It's worth noting that a hammer drill hammers forwards and backwards for drilling masonry*, while an impact driver impacts around the axis of rotation for turning things better. Holy gently caress. I hadn't even tried the drill, but the above posts made me take it out and stick a bit in it. The motherfucker is a switchable drill / clutched screwdriver / hammer drill. Not another impact like I thought, but an honest-to-poo poo hammer drill. I'm loving geeked. That kit could be one of the best $200 I've ever spent on tools.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 16:25
|
|
|
There's a fairly big difference between a hammer drill and a rotary hammer. The former aren't really much good for drilling masonary but will work at a push. The latter is where it's at. SDS Plus is usually the giveaway. Roto stop for chiselling is also really handy. I'm generally a fan of the bosch blue stuff and am considering the 18v rotary hammer to compliment the corded one I have.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 17:01
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Holy gently caress. I hadn't even tried the drill, but the above posts made me take it out and stick a bit in it. The motherfucker is a switchable drill / clutched screwdriver / hammer drill. Not another impact like I thought, but an honest-to-poo poo hammer drill. I'm loving geeked. Cool! I wish I had one, but quite honestly, my foundation is fieldstone. Which means there are bits of granite in it randomly. Which means... yeah I was drilling along just fine in this schist, and then suddenly a piece of granite is like "haha no gently caress you" and that's the end of that hole, time to try another spot! Since my foundation is in sorry shape anyways it's usually best to just knock a hole in it and then rebuild the foundation around whatever I was drilling a hole for.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 17:18
|
|
|
Colonel K posted:There's a fairly big difference between a hammer drill and a rotary hammer. The former aren't really much good for drilling masonary but will work at a push. The latter is where it's at. SDS Plus is usually the giveaway. Roto stop for chiselling is also really handy. This. A hammer drill is fine if you only have a few holes to drill in brick/concrete, at least until you hit a piece of aggregate. Then you're leaning all your weight into a vibrating drill (probably giving yourself carpal tunnel) while whacking it with a hammer just to try to get through a stupid pebble. Ask me how I know this.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 19:02
|
|
|
Rotary hammer drills are amazing and I'll never use a non rotary one again. I bought a makita hr2475 and I cannot believe how easily it goes through concrete. 2" deep 1/2" hole takes like 5 seconds max. I actually need to use the depth guide because of how quick it goes. It also makes a pretty convincing jack hammer with a chisel bit and the hammer only setting. There are also normal 3 jaw chucks with a sds shank if you need/want the option of using it as a regular (huge) drill
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 19:57
|
|
|
It's probably VWF (vibration whitefinger syndrome) rather than carpal tunnel syndrome, but you really don't want either. VWF is arguably worse than CTS.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 21:00
|
|
|
StormDrain posted:And rotating tires gives me a good look at suspension joints, bushings, links, brake pads and hoses. Outside of pad wear and obvious leaking hoses or CV boots, I'm clueless as to looking at suspension poo poo and going 'ah yeah, that tie rod end is shot'. Where can I pick up knowledge on that stuff from? My 16 year old Grand Marquis still shows 5 digits on the odometer but it feels and sounds like poo poo over bumps, but I'm more or less clueless what to actually look for to see what needs replaced (everything, probably)
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 21:46
|
|
|
metallicaeg posted:Outside of pad wear and obvious leaking hoses or CV boots, I'm clueless as to looking at suspension poo poo and going 'ah yeah, that tie rod end is shot'.
|
|
#
?
Apr 25, 2016 22:03
|
|
|
Had a pretty awesome couple of weeks around my birthday. 72" Montezuma workbench/toolbox, plus ended up burning gift cards to end up with an SK 3/8ths set, Wera Zyklop ratchet, another little gearless ratchet, and some other stuff. Then at a swap meet yesterday, picked up a 1/2 drive Blackhawk socket set for all of $80, plus a pile of taps and some other stuff from one of my wife's uncles. Box next to my nice new (to me) steel workbench. Last seen holding up a Lotus 7 clone, now holding a couple Briggs engines that will turn into one working one.  The SK set and ratchets. So nice to have actual nice tools.  Blackhawk set; still need metric ones but oh well, couldn't beat the price. Yeaaaah, I'm pretty pleased.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 00:56
|
|
|
A hammer drill is usually just fine if you're drilling into cinder block, most of the time. It's the poured concrete that the rotary hammer really makes the difference.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 01:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 21:58 |
|
|
Yeah, I recently picked up a rotary hammer drill for some home reno work, and I'm blown away by how well they just melt through stuff my impact drill can't even touch. I find myself coming up with reasons why I need to drill a bunch more holes into the brick walls to hang stuff. I can't wait to use the chisel attachment to bust up the old lovely tile around the house and maybe retrofit some j-boxes into the brick, instead of just going lazy and using surface mount boxes.
JBark fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Apr 26, 2016 |
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2016 08:20
|
|