Most good owner’s manuals have an extensive “things you can do yourself” section. My Toyota manual tells you how to do these simple things, including changing out the cabin air filter.
My wifes Lexus manual has the same thing…About the only thing they think you should try yourself is adding washer fluid or checking your oil…The manual says to take to nearest dealer to service the cabin air filter…which is a 2 minute job. I fully understand a dealer (or even and independent) can’t charge you for 2 minutes of work…and after they drive the car in…do all the paper work…it’s well over 2 minutes of their time. Because it’s such a simple job…people should learn how to do it themselves…My 86yo father-in-law can change the cabin filter in his Avalon…and trust me…even when he was in his prime…he had a hard time with anything mechanical.
I try to do as much as possible myself because I enjoy it. Most importantly I try to know enough to diagnose any problem in order to keep my cars perfectly reliable no matter what age. Also, that way I know exactly what type of task will be involved and I do not question the tech’s fees. Often I end up not doing the work myself ( example: I know how to change spark plugs but I know I will go nuts doing it on my Ford Windstar). I deal only with people I trust and the piece of mind is priceless (glad I did not sign my name…;-). Plus I like for a pro to look at my car once a year.
But I have to say that for nagging trouble shooting issues (particularly those that occur occasionally) my intuition will usually win against the shop.
So , for many reasons, it is worth “getting to know” your car, even if you do not end up doing the work yourself.
I can round off a bolt head just by looking at it. Threads strip when I get my wrench out even if I haven’t touched the bolt. Sometimes when I try the simplest of tasks, I find I need another tool. For example, I had to go purchase a special torx driver to replace a tail light bulb on the Chevrolet Uplander I used to own. I spent half an hour getting to a front turning signal bulb and replacing it in the Uplander, only to have the new bulb burn out 2 days later. The second time, however, I was able to accomplish the task in 10 minutes. A skilled mechanic who has done a job before doesn’t have to spend as much time nor turn the air blue as I do because they’ve done the job before. I used to do a lot of jobs myself and would break out in a sweat because if I messed up I wouldn’t have transportation. However, I do repair my own lawnmower. If I mess up, I won’t have to mow the yard.
Triedaq:
If you mess up the car can always go to the shop then… on a tow truck, with the pieces in a bag, altough I have been told it can be more expensive to proceed in that order
My wife and I were laughing about an experience I had in graduate school. I needed new shock absorbers on my 1965 Rambler. I had ordered shock absorbers from J.C. Whitney, but received a notice that my order would be delayed because of a truck strike. Two days later, the rear shock absorbers arrived. I did manage to install these shock absorbers. A couple of days later I was at Ayr-way–a discount store with an auto parts department similar to Wal-Mart. I found a pair of front shock absorbers for the Rambler. The clerk at the checkout in the auto parts section asked if I would like to have them installed. I said I didn’t think so because I was on a tight budget. He said, “It’s only a $1 a shock absorber”. I decided to part with $2 on the spot. I then cancelled my order with J. C. Whitney for the front shocks.
