saving money DIY car repair

[greenskeeper]

I personally never take my vehicles to a garage except for the annual harassment of getting annual inspection stickers.

This weekend the master cylinder for the clutch on the 98 Jetta TDI quit (171k and a million gear changes). I was able to limp home and get it into the garage.

For the heck of it I got a quote from the local vw dealer for the repair - $720

I got the master cylinder for $62 plus an hour of my time to save $658

[bjl584]

A few years back I changed the fuel injector (spider valve) on an old GMC pickup I had. I have no idea what it would've cost at the dealership, but the part was $300 and took me about an hour to change. I can guarantee that I saved a small fortune.

[rennigade]

How many threads do we need about diy car repairs? Congrats...it saved you money. Most DIY things save you money unless you suck at DIY projects.

[hamchan]

I haven't paid for a car repair in over ten years. Because I got rid of my car.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I personally never take my vehicles to a garage except for the annual harassment of getting annual inspection stickers.

This weekend the master cylinder for the clutch on the 98 Jetta TDI quit (171k and a million gear changes). I was able to limp home and get it into the garage.

For the heck of it I got a quote from the local vw dealer for the repair - $720

I got the master cylinder for $62 plus an hour of my time to save $658

Repair is one thing, but most people could save some cash on DIY maintenance at the very least. Tool costs will eat into the money saved at first.

[cypher1]

Tool costs will eat into the money saved at first.

That reminds me of a friend's point of view with working on his own car when I first started on mine in my early 20s. Essentially he was already a mechanic but he'd get quotes from other shops on a repair. Whatever they quoted for labor (IE $400) was his justification for spending on any new tools to do the job. While I doubt he took the literal amount and splurged each time, but that concept stuck with me to this day for any DIY project. At the end of the day those tools pay for themselves over time.

[Gina23]

Love these stories

3 of my 4 power windows have broken on my 2001 vehicle. Cost per window regulator to fix at the dealership - $780. Buying the part refurbished and letting youtube guide my at home installation of said part - $35. I estimate once the 4th window breaks I will have saved almost $3000.

[ua_guy]

Good stuff there, Greenskeeper.

I don't think most DIY-ers would tackle a master cylinder replacement without some prior knowledge, but there's a good point to be made about DIY maintenance and easy DIY fixes in general.

Also, the fact that you've kept your VW's alive for so many miles gives me some hope. I have a MKV Jetta, 2.5 5-speed that I'm driving into the ground at the moment.

[JoeP]

Love these stories

3 of my 4 power windows have broken on my 2001 vehicle. Cost per window regulator to fix at the dealership - $780. Buying the part refurbished and letting youtube guide my at home installation of said part - $35. I estimate once the 4th window breaks I will have saved almost $3000.

Similar experiences! Actually, I am on my way to the junk yard to get a fuel pump and sender assembly for $75. The part is around $260 new and installation would run another $90 on top of that. People do not realize that a small amount of research, a small investment in tools, and the option of used parts can save them a lot of money.

Plus, you gain knowledge, and as Emil Faber, the founder of Faber College, is known to have said: "Knowledge is Good."

[greenskeeper]

Good stuff there, Greenskeeper.

I don't think most DIY-ers would tackle a master cylinder replacement without some prior knowledge, but there's a good point to be made about DIY maintenance and easy DIY fixes in general.

Also, the fact that you've kept your VW's alive for so many miles gives me some hope. I have a MKV Jetta, 2.5 5-speed that I'm driving into the ground at the moment.

What year? The 2.5 has a timing chain and the early ones had an issue with timing chain and guide failure. The guides wear down and the chain eats into the block. Basically ruins the engine.

I'd also keep an ear on the DMF and if it starts rattling to replace it with a single mass unit before it grenades.

[greenskeeper]

youtube is also a tremendous source of information for the DIY when it comes to just about anything.

[greenskeeper]

Plus, you gain knowledge, and as Emil Faber, the founder of Faber College, is known to have said: "Knowledge is Good."

[ua_guy]

What year? The 2.5 has a timing chain and the early ones had an issue with timing chain and guide failure. The guides wear down and the chain eats into the block. Basically ruins the engine.

I'd also keep an ear on the DMF and if it starts rattling to replace it with a single mass unit before it grenades.

LOL!!! Actually, more like FML.

The car does have a nasty rattle coming from the clutch/flywheel area when idling with the clutch out. F*antastic.

I'll read up on the timing chain issue, hopefully it was sorted (car is a 2010 model year).

The car has a few other nagging issues too. It's still under VW's certified used warranty.

I'm pretty certain owning and driving this car is miserable...It's everything I can do to keep myself from not getting rid of it.

[JoeP]

Hope you get your VW sorted out. People I know who drive them fall into two categories: those who buy just one and vow to never go back, and those who buy one and are very handy and keep buying them because they thought the first 4 were just flukes.

[greenskeeper]

LOL!!! Actually, more like FML.

The car does have a nasty rattle coming from the clutch/flywheel area when idling with the clutch out. F*antastic.

I'll read up on the timing chain issue, hopefully it was sorted (car is a 2010 model year).

The car has a few other nagging issues too. It's still under VW's certified used warranty.

I'm pretty certain owning and driving this car is miserable...It's everything I can do to keep myself from not getting rid of it.

The timing chain problem was from 05.5 through 07 models so you are ok there.

If it is still under warranty I would inquire about the DMF noise. If it's rattling then it is on borrowed time.