good options for a car repair

[PhillyB]

1 hour ago, OneBadCat said:

$89? For an oil change? What the fug man. It can't be that special. Did you have to run a special oil? I can't imagine so.

you have to use synthetic oil but yeah it's a ripoff. i spent most of my life changing my own oil, but i've been in grad school and working 60+ hours a week the past few years so i've just been paying someone to do it. i justify the cost (which is actually 69 for me) because they wash and wax my car and refill the fluids for free when they're done.

[PhillyB]

1 hour ago, OneBadCat said:

O2 sensors are pretty easy to replace. Have you tried eBay for cheaper prices? 

If you go to autozone they will read the computer codes for you for free. Then you can figure out which one you need to replace if its before or after the cat, driver or passenger side. Do you have a jack? 

If its just those sensors you should be able to find a shop fairly easily. Any mechanic worth a damn will do it and not be scared off by the Mini emblem.

if i buy the sensors myself will i buy able to take them to a mechanic and ask him to just charge me labor to install them? or will they balk because i'm not letting them profit from parts markups?

has anyone installed 02 sensors before? could i do it myself?

[thefuzz]

5 minutes ago, PhillyB said:

i had bunch of stuff crap out on it all at the same time last year and when they presented me with the repair list i somehow missed it. then i looked at the itemized receipt afterwards and realized they charged like $20 for the bulb and $30 for the labor. so lame.

Haha, gotcha, yea that sucks.

You could probably replace those O2 sensors with a little time and an internet connection.  Youtube is fantastic for simple real world walkthroughs.

If you need tools, like jack stands, and jacks, harbor freight has some decent stuff for cheap for a shade tree guy.

[thefuzz]

4 minutes ago, PhillyB said:

if i buy the sensors myself will i buy able to take them to a mechanic and ask him to just charge me labor to install them? or will they balk because i'm not letting them profit from parts markups?

has anyone installed 02 sensors before? could i do it myself?

A good mechanic won't say a word...other than he can't warranty the work if they go bad again, as he didn't order them from "his" source.

[PhillyB]

3 minutes ago, thefuzz said:

Haha, gotcha, yea that sucks.

You could probably replace those O2 sensors with a little time and an internet connection.  Youtube is fantastic for simple real world walkthroughs.

If you need tools, like jack stands, and jacks, harbor freight has some decent stuff for cheap for a shade tree guy.

i've got everything but the jacks. i'll youtube it and see if it's doable. they're trying to charge be $600 for front brakes but i've done those before so if i have the time i'll just make it a day project

[thefuzz]

15 minutes ago, PhillyB said:

i've got everything but the jacks. i'll youtube it and see if it's doable. they're trying to charge be $600 for front brakes but i've done those before so if i have the time i'll just make it a day project

The front brakes should take you no longer than 1 hour and about $50.

[PhillyB]

the only thing that would stop me on either account is not having a garage. it's cold out

[Kramerica]

1 hour ago, PhillyB said:

i live 10 miles from kville, where i grew up. who you got?

Same here. Have we discussed this before? East or Glenn? East '06 here.

Anyway, the place is off W Mountain St and is called Triad Import Specialists. The fella who owns it, Derek, is a great guy and will not rip you off. He's also very honest and forthcoming, so no "well when we got in there we noticed your Johnson rod is out of whack..." kind of nonsense when you pick it up.

I used to take my Jeep there regularly when I lived there and was totally satisfied every time. The only catch is he pretty much stays busy, and the lot isn't all that big, so he might take a day or two longer than the dealership, who have more manpower, space, etc.

Anyway, just a suggestion, and hey, it's a good reason to visit the old stomping grounds. Stop by the new Dairi-O on 66 on your way out. Good luck!

[PhillyB]

4 hours ago, Lomez said:

Same here. Have we discussed this before? East or Glenn? East '06 here.

Anyway, the place is off W Mountain St and is called Triad Import Specialists. The fella who owns it, Derek, is a great guy and will not rip you off. He's also very honest and forthcoming, so no "well when we got in there we noticed your Johnson rod is out of whack..." kind of nonsense when you pick it up.

I used to take my Jeep there regularly when I lived there and was totally satisfied every time. The only catch is he pretty much stays busy, and the lot isn't all that big, so he might take a day or two longer than the dealership, who have more manpower, space, etc.

Anyway, just a suggestion, and hey, it's a good reason to visit the old stomping grounds. Stop by the new Dairi-O on 66 on your way out. Good luck!

nice. i'll look into it, thanks for the heads up.

i moved here right at the end of high school and home schooled to finish up the last year, so neither. i know a million people from that class at both schools though so chances are we know a bunch of the same people

[Davidson Deac II]

I do a lot of the maintenance on my Truck, but I have to admit that I never change my own oil.  I have flushed the radiator, changed the fuel filter, air filter, battery, changed all the bulbs, did some touch up painting on it, pretty much anything that can be done in the back yard.  But the dealership will do the oil change for about 35 bucks, they can do it in about 30 minutes and I get every 5th one free.  It just isn't cost effective for me to do it.  And I don't have to deal with getting rid of the oil.  

[Kevin Greene]

Just remember to take all your cars fluids to a recycle center if you change your own stuff.