# Where can I work on my car

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** jeep, engines\
**Created:** [May 25, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449 "2025-05-25T23:36:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jessiet957\_193737](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@Jessiet957\_193737](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jessiet957_193737)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/1 "2025-05-25T23:36:18Z")

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I’m looking for a place to work on my car but can’t find anything I have all my own tools, and I know I need to take apart my engine i looked in storages and self-service auto places I don’t have any family or friends to ask for a spot to work in does anyone have any ideas.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/2 "2025-05-25T23:39:54Z")

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I’ve known people who’ve rented a storage unit to work on their car.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/4/9435292bb5758d71fd5c1d63d6518686c964176c.jpeg)

Tester

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**Author:** ![Jessiet957\_193737](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ebca7d/32.png) [@Jessiet957\_193737](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jessiet957_193737)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/3 "2025-05-25T23:41:40Z")

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I live in Colorado and have not found any unit I can work in

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**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/4 "2025-05-26T02:01:11Z")

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See if you can rent a garage from someone’s home or workshop. Look to Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist (is that still a thing?) or local bulletin boards.

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/5 "2025-05-26T02:15:11Z")

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> [@Tester](#):
>
> I’ve known people who’ve rented a storage unit to work on their car.

Storage units around here won’t allow that.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/6 "2025-05-26T02:19:22Z")

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Well, if I know people who have done it, It must have been allowed.

Tester

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**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/7 "2025-05-26T02:24:55Z")

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A self-storage facility won’t give customers permission to perform auto repairs or to live in garage units, but these things happen.

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**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 4:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/8 "2025-05-26T04:19:02Z")

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> [@Nevada\_545](#):
>
> A self-storage facility won’t give customers permission to perform auto repairs or to live in garage units, but these things happen.

That’s what I was thinking! Rent a storage unit for the car. Get some lighting (cordless if necessary) and work on it only with the door closed. If needed, also get a car cover for when you’re not there working on it.

> [@Mustangman](#):
>
> See if you can rent a garage from someone’s home or workshop.

Or this.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/9 "2025-05-26T06:07:15Z")

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I am assuming that you rent correct??

I know a guy that rents an old farm house and bought a 12x20 storage shed to work on his race truck (S10) and whatever is needed, pulls the engine or whatever in it, you can have them built to your specs… And if you move, they can be moved also… Obviously that won’t work everywhere, like in an apartment building, but then again you didn’t tell us your living arrangement either…

Something similar to this…

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/d/c/dc803c656f50b2d78792cb22115bb666400ffab0.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 10:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/10 "2025-05-26T10:46:21Z")

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> [@Tester](#):
>
> Well, if I know people who have done it, It must have been allowed.

Probably allowed in your area. I don’t know of any around here that allows it.

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**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/11 "2025-05-26T12:01:42Z")

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Exactly what work do you need to do?

Sometimes it’s better to let a garage handle tasks, for reasons just like this. You may have the tools, but not the space.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/12 "2025-05-26T13:54:44Z")

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> [@ledhed75](#):
>
> Exactly what work do you need to do?

1st post… lol

> [@Jessiet957\_193737](#):
>
> I need to take apart my engine

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**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/13 "2025-05-26T16:12:18Z")

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Living in storage units isn’t allowed where I’m at

Working on vehicles in storage units is similarly forbidden

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/14 "2025-05-26T16:35:57Z")

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> **[Can You Work on a Car in a Storage Unit? (Storage Unit Laws)](https://yardblogger.com/can-you-work-on-a-car-in-a-storage-unit/)**
>
> Finding a safe space to work on your car can be tough. If you're trying to find one, you may wonder, can you work on a car in a storage unit?

Tester

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/15 "2025-05-26T19:13:46Z")

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Would a junk yard allow this? It’d fit right in. A fellow in town rents lots for $10/month (last I looked).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/16 "2025-05-26T20:15:40Z")

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> [@RandomTroll](#):
>
> Would a junk yard allow this? It’d fit right in. A fellow in town rents lots for $10/month (last I looked).

That would be about the worst place to work on a car in my area

You’ll get robbed blind in the yard. People blink an eye and all their stuff is gone

And even the customer’s cars in the parking lot get parts stolen off them while the customers are in the yard

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**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/17 "2025-05-26T22:27:11Z")

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Is the vehicle currently registered and insured? When I lived in apartments, the lease agreement always forbid doing any vehicle repairs or maintenance in the parking lot, but I always did it anyways…I simply waited until the office was closed, and the property manager had left.

In fact, when I did the head gasket on my 1995 Dodge Caravan, I did it in the apartment complex parking lot. I pulled the van into a corner space, so that no one from management would notice that the vehicle was being worked on, and each day that I worked on it, I waited for management to leave, and when finished working (for the day) I put it back together enough so that it looked like any other parked vehicle. Of course, having tint on the windows helped a lot, because I stored the parts, floor jack, and jack stands inside the vehicle.

I also (on a different occasion) changed the fuel pump in this vehicle, in the apartment complex parking lot.

And I performed numerous oil changes, coolant changes, and transmission fluid and filter changes in apartment parking lots where I lived, and never had any problems because I was discreet about it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/18 "2025-05-26T23:04:26Z")

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What about all the oil, atf and coolant spots?😜

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**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 12:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/19 "2025-05-27T00:23:07Z")

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Right, got that.

But “take apart my engine” may mean different things to different people. And may require different amounts of “work area” for some than others.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449/20 "2025-05-27T01:00:48Z")

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My son at the end of last year or beginning of this year put a reman transmission in the parking lot of an apartment complex in a Pacifica… Cardboard and oil dry for mess and the clean up… lol

And yes management knew about it…

[Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/where-can-i-work-on-my-car/200449.md?page=2)
