Do you do all your own build labor?

[codemancer]

So I recently purchased my 05 Xterra and while I'd like to use it as a platform to learn how to do all my own maintenance, I'm more eager to get out and see some trails. It seems like pretty much everyone online does their own work and I'm wondering if that's just my perception or if it is actually true? I always imagined I would do my own simple maintenance and mods (some lights, some electrical, accessories, etc) but leave the big stuff like bumpers, lifts, etc. to professionals. Is my approach unrealistic? Is it just going to cause me headaches when/if things break down on the trail?

 

[Road]

I think you're worrying too much about whether or not you're doing it right. You may see a lot of folks online doing their own work, but it is far from everyone. Some folks have extensive experience in wrenching and fab-bing up creative solutions, others do not.

Do what you're comfortable with yourself and hire out what you're not comfortable with, while pushing your own limits a bit like you would in anything you want to learn more about. That way you'll learn more about what's being done to your vehicle and will be that much ahead of the game should something need repair on the trail.

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[M Rose]

Bumpers do myself, lifts I used to do myself when I worked/owned a shop now I let someone else do the dirty work, engine rebuild/swap shop unless I can score a shop... everything else I do myself in m driveway... watch for my Bronco to get a 5speed swap, new transfer case with doubler, and cooling system upgraded in the next month or so all done in my drive.

But like @Road said, I wouldn’t have ever had a shop or worked in a shop if everyone could do their own work.

 

[Big G]

So I recently purchased my 05 Xterra and while I'd like to use it as a platform to learn how to do all my own maintenance, I'm more eager to get out and see some trails. It seems like pretty much everyone online does their own work and I'm wondering if that's just my perception or if it is actually true? I always imagined I would do my own simple maintenance and mods (some lights, some electrical, accessories, etc) but leave the big stuff like bumpers, lifts, etc. to professionals. Is my approach unrealistic? Is it just going to cause me headaches when/if things break down on the trail?

Braden where as it does seem that a great many do their own mods no matter what it may be, there are many who are like you, and me as well. I do what I can do and hire out what I can't. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

[M Rose]

@Lanlubber started out doing all his own work, and now he hires it all out due to physical demands.
There is no law book that says we have to do our own work. Some of enjoy it, while others despise it.

 

[stoney126]

I do the majority of my work, but farm out work like gears. Nothing wrong with sending it out. However you should know how to fix it in a pinch.
To be honest unless your talking about fabricating you own parts most of the kits are bolt in from Bumpers to suspension. And the internet and youtube is packed with how to vids. You could always do the work yourself and then have it checked by a professional .

One aspect of doing yourself is that you have seen the parts and know how they work . When weird little chunks and Noises pop up you have a mental picture of what could be causing it. Of course you could go underneath look at what's been replaced and make metal note of then.

And sooner or later doing our own work just isnt an option anymore. Lack of time or being physically unable to do the work. Hellnif I wasn't such a cheap sob I'd have a shop do all my work

 

[Itacal]

I HATE working on vehicles. That being said, I like doing the simple things on my Xterra, but I will always leave the headaches for someone else ... doing my part to make the economy work for everyone

 

[Lindenwood]

I use my own labor costs as a general guide, but do most custom work myself. For example, we had a shop install the simple spacer lift on my wife's 4Runner while we went out for a long lunch. Conversely, I did all the work installing the custom lift gear on my Rav4. I built all the armor on my previous 4Runner.

I rarely change my own oil, though. The $30 I save is usually offset by the time I spend under the vehicle and at the oil dump bin.

So, time is one of my major guides. That said, there is a whole lot of value in having a job done professionally in a few hours that might take you a couple days to sort out if you arent intimately familuar with the process (been there, done that).

 

[Boostpowered]

I dont trust other mechanics for good reason. I do all my own stuff usually. Welding is my weak spot

 

[472HemiGTX]

So I recently purchased my 05 Xterra and while I'd like to use it as a platform to learn how to do all my own maintenance, I'm more eager to get out and see some trails. It seems like pretty much everyone online does their own work and I'm wondering if that's just my perception or if it is actually true? I always imagined I would do my own simple maintenance and mods (some lights, some electrical, accessories, etc) but leave the big stuff like bumpers, lifts, etc. to professionals. Is my approach unrealistic? Is it just going to cause me headaches when/if things break down on the trail?

I do pretty much all of my own work. Since I quit wrenching full time, it has been one of my relaxation hobbies. But I like to do it, many of my friends do not have the mechanical experience, tools, place to do it and/or do not enjoy it. They have a lot of their work done by others. IMO Nothing wrong with that, do what you are comfortable tackling and have the rest done at reputable shop as you can afford. On definite advantage to doing your own work is when something does break on the trail, you will have some familiarity with your vehicle and what it will take to make the repair. I would buy a vehicle specific repair manual and keep it in your rig for reference. The internet is a wonderful thing, but a lot times, where we venture, it's not an option. Enjoy your new rig.

 

[shadow images]

I do most of my own wrenching and fab work, I will usually outsource the alignment, tire mounting and oil changes( time saver). Have for years but that is me, not everyone has the equipment or skills. Do what you can or can have someone help you with and have fun doing it, thats what its all about.

 

[smritte]

I enjoy designing and building. For me it's the pride of being able to say I did it. Even simple things are rewarding. The flip side is, I hate doing maintenance and consider it just a necessary evil. An advantage I have here is I went to school for all this and worked in the field most of my life. An advantage and disadvantage people have now is the internet. The advantage is taking online classes and learning properly. The disadvantage is getting wrong info from people and developing bad habits.

You commonly hear people say they do their own work because they dont trust mechanics or I finally found a good shop. 30 years of working for dealers and I have to wholeheartedly agree with them. Just because you can use tools doesn't mean you understand what your doing. I've seen some scary things in my years.

I can teach a raccoon to fix cars. They have thumbs and can micro focus on a problem until they achieve their goal (Monkees have ADD real bad and will wander off after just beating it with a stick). The point here is, most people working on cars, professional and nonprofessional, shouldn't be. All kinds of bad habits because, they were trained improperly by people who were never trained, by people who were never trained.

I "semi" retired about 15 years ago, finished my degree and started teaching. The biggest obstacle I have is breaking the bad habits some of my students have. Here's one of the things I say, "you need to go to school and be certified to cut hair". "You don't need to go to school or be certified to do brakes". "Bad hair pisses people off, bad brakes kill people".
Learn how to do things properly, try not to shortcut. Theres free online training for everything. Don't be lazy, learn it properly. If you know how it's supposed to be done you can also tell if the guy who you paid to do something did it right.

 

[Road]

I enjoy designing and building. For me it's the pride of being able to say I did it. Even simple things are rewarding. The flip side is, I hate doing maintenance and consider it just a necessary evil. An advantage I have here is I went to school for all this and worked in the field most of my life. An advantage and disadvantage people have now is the internet. The advantage is taking online classes and learning properly. The disadvantage is getting wrong info from people and developing bad habits.

You commonly hear people say they do their own work because they dont trust mechanics or I finally found a good shop. 30 years of working for dealers and I have to wholeheartedly agree with them. Just because you can use tools doesn't mean you understand what your doing. I've seen some scary things in my years.

I can teach a raccoon to fix cars. They have thumbs and can micro focus on a problem until they achieve their goal (Monkees have ADD real bad and will wander off after just beating it with a stick). The point here is, most people working on cars, professional and nonprofessional, shouldn't be. All kinds of bad habits because, they were trained improperly by people who were never trained, by people who were never trained.

I "semi" retired about 15 years ago, finished my degree and started teaching. The biggest obstacle I have is breaking the bad habits some of my students have. Here's one of the things I say, "you need to go to school and be certified to cut hair". "You don't need to go to school or be certified to do brakes". "Bad hair pisses people off, bad brakes kill people".
Learn how to do things properly, try not to shortcut. Theres free online training for everything. Don't be lazy, learn it properly. If you know how it's supposed to be done you can also tell if the guy who you paid to do something did it right.

.

How much to teach Rocky, my raccoon, to wrench on my van?

.

 

[smritte]

How much to teach Rocky, my raccoon, to wrench on my van?

That depends on what you want the end result to be and we have to be honest about his capabilities. Maintenance is easy but fabrication is a whole different problem. They cant hold the TIG torch properly, hate wearing the mask and tend to just stare at the bright light.
OH... I forgot, they will also try to "fix" anything that contains snack's first.

 

[USStrongman]

Due to my past life as a professional athlete, my body is toast. I can not get on the ground often. Just had surgery on my right arm to fix a nerve injury. I had maybe 40% of my strength in my right hand before surgery.... as my wife says, I'm a broken old man.

With that said I enjoy designing a lot of stuff in CAD and having it made. But, I don't install much any more. Reason 1, I'm broken, reason 2, we ahve a loft in a downtown. No garage. I miss having one.

I have stuff installed for me, but after we agree on certain things I want done my way, not the manufacturer's way. That just comes from doing research.

When I am on the trail, if I have to fix it I will.

 

[tjZ06]

Oh man, so many thoughts on this I don't even know where to start. Give my saga on my WJ a skim: 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Build I've done lots myself, and sometimes had it drag projects out and cost nearly as much by the time I buy tools etc. (but I always like adding tools to the collection). My recent motor work ended in needing a new long block. Initially I was blaming myself, but all of the info from the post-mortem seem to show we (I) did nothing wrong... but probably shouldn't have poked this particular bear (lots of good intentioned "while I'm in here" maintenance may, or may not have actually been worse for the old motor). Most of the rest I've done, but some stuff I've had done on it when I was too busy with work, or out of town for extended periods of time - and a lot of that I've had to re-do.

So, on the one hand if you look at the total labor I've put in my WJ myself with my friends over the last few months it'd be thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. On the other hand, it's still not out of the question that "we" caused the engine failure (which has cost me thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars) and we've given up lots of weekends and it's still not running yet - in fact I'm about to go back to work on it. Obviously internal engine work and an actual engine swap are the most extreme version of being a "home mechanic", but the same could apply to lesser projects. Honestly, I consider myself a good wrench (and a couple of my buddies that helped are professional ASE mater mechanics with decades of experience) so it's pretty humbling to say, "maybe I should have just left this one to the pros..."

-TJ

 

[diabetiktaco]

With the amount of aftermarket crap on my truck, if I had to pay someone to do it I'd be in a lot of trouble. Check youtube and forums for advice. Just give it a go..

 

[codemancer]

Oh man, so many thoughts on this I don't even know where to start. Give my saga on my WJ a skim: 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Build I've done lots myself, and sometimes had it drag projects out and cost nearly as much by the time I buy tools etc. (but I always like adding tools to the collection). My recent motor work ended in needing a new long block. Initially I was blaming myself, but all of the info from the post-mortem seem to show we (I) did nothing wrong... but probably shouldn't have poked this particular bear (lots of good intentioned "while I'm in here" maintenance may, or may not have actually been worse for the old motor). Most of the rest I've done, but some stuff I've had done on it when I was too busy with work, or out of town for extended periods of time - and a lot of that I've had to re-do.

So, on the one hand if you look at the total labor I've put in my WJ myself with my friends over the last few months it'd be thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. On the other hand, it's still not out of the question that "we" caused the engine failure (which has cost me thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars) and we've given up lots of weekends and it's still not running yet - in fact I'm about to go back to work on it. Obviously internal engine work and an actual engine swap are the most extreme version of being a "home mechanic", but the same could apply to lesser projects. Honestly, I consider myself a good wrench (and a couple of my buddies that helped are professional ASE mater mechanics with decades of experience) so it's pretty humbling to say, "maybe I should have just left this one to the pros..."

-TJ

Oh man I just started reading (from the end) and that is rough. It's also exactly why I decided to go cheap (I was _this_ close to purchasing a brand new Tacoma); I thought if I can pay cash for something cheap and it blows up on me then at least it will only sting for a little bit. At the same time, looking at the rest of your post really makes me feel that bug to dive in and learn and do.

I've spent a lot of the afternoon watching some videos on how to replace suspension and lift 2nd gen Xterras. It actually looks pretty fun and doable, even for a newbie like myself. Parts plus a couple tools I don't have (like jack stands... yup, I'm THAT green...) and I could probably actually do it!

I think the lesson I'm going to take away from your experience is that I shouldn't touch any component that I'm not willing to pay to have a pro replace for me if I screw it up. Even if it seems totally unlikely and even if all is done correctly (as was your case), if it's too critical or more than a simple lift-and-bolt job then I'll probably stay away and leave it to the pros.

 

[Anak]

There is very little I don't do myself, but that is me.

BillieBob is somewhere around here, and there is very little he does himself. That is him.

Both approaches are potentially viable. Your own skill level, finances and comfort level will dictate your decision.

 

[ryanorr280]

I do pretty much all of mine myself (unless it’s under warranty somewhere else). However, I am an ASE/Nissan master tech with 17 years experience. Not that it means I don’t get stumped, or make mistakes. just that i have WAY too much money in tools to get things done that make it easier. Plus, I have access to a full shop to do my work at so that makes it easy too.

If you don’t have the time/tools things can be harder than just letting someone take care of it for you. If I didn’t have the stuff already, I wouldn’t be nearly as inclined to do it myself.

Plus, I’m really picky about my stuff and how it’s done.