c/diy-car-maintenance

Rant: That alternator replacement that took 6 hours instead of 90 minutes

So I swapped out my alternator last Saturday on my 2010 Honda Accord. Every video and forum post said it was a straight 60 to 90 minute job. But they didn't mention the top bolt that's hidden behind the power steering pump bracket. I spent over 3 hours just trying to get a ratchet in there at the right angle. Then I stripped one of the bolts because I couldn't see what I was doing. Ended up having to run to AutoZone for a bolt extractor set that cost me 22 bucks. By the time I finished it was dark out and my back was killing me. Has anyone else found a trick to get that top bolt out without pulling the whole pump bracket off?

Watched a video where a guy changed his oil every 10,000 miles and his engine had 300,000 miles on it, so I stopped doing 3,000 mile changes and saved like 60 bucks a year

I found it on a YouTube channel called Car Wizard and his tear-down of an old Toyota showed basically zero sludge even after years of 10k intervals, so now I just follow my owner's manual instead of the quick lube shop's upsell - anyone else ditch the 3,000 mile myth and feel dumb for how much money they wasted?

That YouTube tutorial had me torching my own brake lines

Last Tuesday I was following a popular video on changing brake lines. The guy said to use a torch on the fittings to loosen them up. I figured he knew his stuff since he had 2 million views. After 10 minutes of heating and twisting I snapped the fitting clean off. Turns out my car uses different metal that doesn't react well to heat. Had to call a tow truck and pay a shop $180 to fix my mess. Anyone else had a tutorial lead you down a bad path?

I swore ATF fluid was a waste until my friend in Denver proved me wrong

I always thought automatic transmission fluid in the power steering was an old wives tale (you know, just internet rumors). But my buddy Jake in Denver had a leaky pump that was whining like crazy and he topped it up with ATF+4. After two weeks of driving his 2001 Subaru around the city, the whine was gone and the leak actually slowed down. He showed me a YouTube video from a shop in Colorado Springs explaining the seal conditioners in ATF work better than standard PS fluid. So I tried a half quart in my own 2005 Honda last Saturday and the steering felt smoother within 5 miles. Has anyone else seen seal conditioners actually revive old seals like that?

Tried to replace my own CV axle. 20 minutes in I realized I rented the wrong puller from Autozone.

Had to drive 40 minutes back to the store while my car was on jack stands in the driveway. Anybody know if the puller for a 2006 Civic fits a 2005 Accord or was that guy at the counter just messing with me?

Changed my mind after visiting that auto parts store on 5th

Honestly, I always thought buying brake pads at the dealer was worth it for quality. But I stopped by AutoZone on 5th last week and talked to the counter guy for like 10 minutes. He showed me a set of ceramic pads for $45 that had the same specs as the $120 ones from the dealership. I figured I'd try them and they stopped my Civic just as good after bed-in. Has anyone else had luck with store brand parts over OEM?

Heads up about a shady oil change place I found on 14th street

I stopped by that quick lube spot near the old gas station on 14th street last week because I was in a hurry and didn't have time to do my own oil change. While I was waiting, I watched one of the guys grab a random jug of oil off the shelf, not the one my car called for. He didn't even check the cap or write down what my engine needed. I asked him about it and he just shrugged and said 'it's all the same stuff.' That's a problem because using the wrong viscosity can mess up your engine over time. I ended up just driving off and doing it myself in my driveway for $25 with the correct 5W-30. Has anyone else caught a shop doing something careless like that, or am I being too picky?

Wasted $80 on a 'special' oil filter wrench that didn't work at all

Bought one of those adjustable strap wrenches from AutoZone for $80 because the guy swore it would handle my stuck filter. Got it home, tried it on my 2015 Honda Civic, and the strap just slipped off every time. Ended up using a screwdriver through the filter to get it off like I should have done in the first place. Anyone else fall for a tool that just collects dust now?

Took me 3 hours to change a simple battery because of a hidden bolt

I went to swap the battery on my 2012 Honda Civic last Saturday. Thought it would be a 20 minute job but there was a hidden 10mm bolt under the air intake box holding the battery tray down. Ended up spending nearly 3 hours hunting for it with my phone flashlight and cussing in my driveway in Phoenix. Has anyone else dealt with a manufacturer hiding bolts in dumb places like that?

PSA: My buddy convinced me to stop using WD40 on my brake calipers

My neighbor Dave said it was a bad idea to spray WD40 on my sticky brake calipers last month but I did it anyway. After the pads glazed over and I nearly rear-ended someone at a stoplight I finally get why he was yelling at me. Anyone got a good trick for freeing up seized caliper pins without ruining everything?

TIL you can clean MAF sensors with isopropyl alcohol instead of buying the $15 sprays

The CRC spray costs $15 but I used 91% isopropyl for $2 and my rough idle smoothed right out after 3 tries. Has anyone else tried this or am I gonna mess up my sensor long term?

Spent 6 hours replacing a serpentine belt that should have taken 20 minutes

Got my 2005 Honda Civic and thought I'd save $80 by doing the belt myself. Watched a 10 minute video, seemed easy. But I couldn't get the tensioner to budge. Tried a breaker bar, then a bigger one, then another YouTube video where the guy said to use a 15mm ratcheting wrench at a weird angle. Three trips to AutoZone for different tools later, I finally got it. Had to unbolt the tensioner completely and reset it on the bench. What's the dumbest thing that's turned a simple job into an all day thing for you?

Switched from conventional oil to synthetic and saw a huge difference at 5,000 miles

I ran conventional 5W30 in my old Honda Civic for about 60,000 miles and always changed it every 3,000 miles. Decided to try a full synthetic on a whim from Walmart for $28 a jug. After 5,000 miles the drained oil still looked golden instead of that black sludge I was used to. My valve train noise got noticeably quieter too over the next 2 weeks after the switch. I figured it was just marketing hype but now I'm sold on the longer intervals alone. Has anyone else seen a real change in engine cleanliness after switching?

My buddy told me I was wasting money on synthetic oil for my old truck

He said conventional oil changed every 3,000 miles is better for high-mileage engines than expensive synthetic that sits in there for 5,000. I switched to conventional last oil change and now I'm hearing more engine noise at startup - has anyone else gone back to conventional and noticed a difference?

TIL a $15 coolant pressure tester saved my engine in Denver last week

My truck was running hot and I couldn't find the leak. Borrowed a tester from Autozone, found a pinhole in the radiator hose I'd have never spotted otherwise. Has anyone else caught a small leak this way or am I just unlucky with hoses?

Found a cheap fix for a stuck brake caliper slide pin

My 2012 Honda Civic had a dragging rear brake last month and the shop wanted $300 for a new caliper. I pulled the slide pin, cleaned off the crusty old grease with a wire brush, and put on some $5 silicone lube. Has anyone else saved a caliper by just cleaning the pins instead of buying a whole new assembly?

My alternator died on I-95 at midnight last Tuesday

I finally caught someone putting oil in the wrong hole on their engine

Was helping a neighbor with his 2008 Civic last weekend and saw him pour 5W30 into the power steering reservoir instead of the oil cap. He swore it was the same thing because both say 'fluid' on the bottle. I had to stop him before he started the engine and turned the steering pump into a foam machine. The crazy part is he's been doing this for 2 years on his own car and never noticed the leak or the whining noise. How do people mix up a cap that says 'engine oil' with a random plastic reservoir? Has anyone else caught a buddy doing something this backwards?

Got 3 inches of rust off my Harbor Freight jack stand with vinegar last Saturday

I found a old jack stand in my dad's garage near Nashville that was coated in rust from sitting outside for 2 years. Soaked it for 24 hours in white vinegar and scrubbed with a wire brush, now it looks almost new. Has anyone else tried this method for restoring rusty tools or is there a faster way to do it?

Took my mechanic's advice on brake bleeding, kind of regret it now

He told me to gravity bleed instead of my usual pump and hold method on my 2012 Civic, and now my pedal feels softer than ever after 2 hours of dripping fluid. Has anyone else had worse results going against their standard routine?

Pro tip: A mechanic told me I was ruining my oil pan drain plug

I was changing my oil in the driveway last fall and a neighbor who used to work at a shop walked over. He said I was tightening the drain plug way too hard and could crack the pan or strip the threads. Since then I just snug it up by hand with a torque wrench set to 25 foot pounds - has anyone else been overtightening their drain plugs without realizing it?

Changed my own brake pads for the first time and saved $180

My front brakes started squealing bad last month. Got a quote from a shop for $220 just for pads and labor. Watched a couple YouTube videos, bought the pads for $40 at AutoZone, and did it in my driveway in about 2 hours. The difference is night and day - no more squealing and the pedal feels way firmer. My neighbor came over and watched, said he paid a shop $300 last year for the same job. Has anyone else here switched from paying shops to doing brakes yourself? What was the first job that made you realize you could handle it?

My mechanic cousin told me I was using way too much oil on my air filter

I used to soak my K&N filter heavy with that red oil from the recharge kit. My cousin who works at a shop in Austin saw me doing it and said I was choking the engine with excess oil. He told me to only do 3 light passes and let it sit for 20 minutes before reinstalling. Has anyone else been overoiling their filters for years without realizing it?

I finally tried synthetic oil in my old Civic... not sure I'm sold yet

Been running conventional 5W-30 in my 2002 Honda Civic for years, but my buddy at AutoZone convinced me to switch to Mobil 1 after 150,000 miles. The engine does seem a little quieter now on cold starts, but I'm wondering if the extra $25 per oil change is really worth it for a car that's already got 175k on it. Anyone else switch over to synthetic on a high-mileage beater and notice a real difference, or is it just hype?

Warning: I almost ruined my engine by skipping the torque specs on a water pump swap last Sunday

Over-tightened two bolts until they snapped, which cost me $40 for a helicoil kit and an extra 4 hours of cussing in my driveway. That one mistake convinced me to never wing it on torque values again, even for 'simple' jobs. Anybody else learned this lesson the hard way or got tips for extracting broken bolts?