Learning; so few of us actually do it. I know I am a repeating-patterned tapestry of mistakes. But when it comes to cars, I’ve learned my lessons well through pain and True Grit.
And I’m not alone. I asked you what car lesson you had to learn the hard way, and you delivered with tales of routine maintenance to shaky knowledge of how cars legally stay on the road. Go ahead and take a click through, you might learn something, the easy way this time.
Your time has more value than you realize, and it’s not always worth it spending days or multiple weekends attempting to fix/repair/replace something that a shop could do in an afternoon. I consider myself pretty handy, but I’ve come to realize when I’m in over my head or when a task requires more than I’m willing to put into it. Your time is a hard-earned currency and you should enjoy it. Letting someone fix something for you is not an admission of defeat or a measure of your ability.
and
Every 1 hour job is a snapped bolt away from becoming a 3 hour job. Had to do an alternator on my Dakota, easy peazy right on top, take of belt and a few bolts and you are done. Snap a large bolt in an inconvenient place and spend quite a long time drilling and tapping a new hole plus a trip to the parts store for an automotive grade 8 bolt. Always double the time allotted for a job and then when you do it in half the time take the rest to have a shower a beer and relax.
From Hankel_Wankel and klone121, others
What didn’t I learn the hard way??
- Change oil on a regular schedule
- Check tire pressure
- Oh, and IF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, PAY F((!@@!!! ATTENTION (thirty-five years later, I still hear about this one from Dad)
From Tannhauser, , others
You only need to replace a transmission once to learn that there’s no such thing as a “lifetime” fluid.
That the opinions of enthusiasts do not matter even a little.
Enthusiasts will tell you that Camrys are awful. That Prii are an affront to the very concept of driving. That CVT transmissions ruin the driving experience, that in fact the only way to truly have a good driving experience is with a manual transmission. Enthusiasts will go on and on about how the magnificent station wagon (excuse me, Estate) is far superior to any SUV/Crossover/CUV/whatever, despite having never owned one.
Enthusiasts will wax poetic about bench seats and single cab pick ups having never experienced either for more than a glance at a car show.
Enthusiasts will all parrot that every driver should own an Alfa Romeo, despite (or probably because) this advice being given by a fat, elderly english fuckwit who got fired from his own show for being a dick.
Fuck them. Buy the car that makes you happy. Not the one that brings you enthusiast cred because those enthusiasts aren’t you and they’re never going to drive your car. Buy the car that’s right for you. Buy the car that lets you enjoy other aspects of your life. Buy the car that doesn’t become your whole personality. Buy the car that works for your actual life. Be happy. Be free from worrying what some group of random dudes on the internet thinks.
From Buckfiddiousagain
Sitting here thinking... Grateful for a father who reminded me about oil changes, tire rotation... Huh. Nothing?
OH! Don’t buy a VW.
From sybann
Never start a car project after 4:00 PM.
and
i call bs on that one - i do my best work 3 hours after The Wife opens the garage door and yells “dinner’s cold, i’m leaving it out, eat it if you want to, i’m going to bed, you’re an asshole.”
From Kerberos824, dumpus and others
That sales guy in the dealer-branded polo shirt and khakis with a crease so sharp you could slice bread with it?
That man is NOT your friend, no matter what comes out of his mouth.
He will forget you exist the moment the ink is dry on the sales contract. Maybe sooner.
From Earthbound Misfit I
I published this list elsewhere, but this one is expanded
- Make sure it’s firing on all cylinders, literally. If your VR6 is more like a VR3, or feels like one, look into that.
- If it’s not written down, it’s not true. Whether it’s a dealership advertising a car as CPO or someone claiming they are the official owner of a car, make sure it’s in writing. Otherwise, it’s your word against someone else’s
- Even brand-new cars can have accident damage. Transport damage and even damage on the lot happens to new cars. All. The. Time. If it’s important to you, look for signs of non-factory fasteners, body shop paint, misaligned trim, et-cetera. Who knows; your brand new car could already have a storied past
- If there’s tape on a part of a used car, there’s probably a reason. Think carefully before you pull it.
- Don’t listen to “It just needs a…” claims from anyone. If someone is selling a car and claims it just needs something minor to fix a functional problem—an A/C recharge, a fastener, a key fob battery—insist that the seller demonstrates that before you buy it
- If a car is causing you more grief than you can handle, get rid of it. Even if you’ve put a ton of money into a car, it’s not worth throwing more good money after bad. At some point, you have to stem the bleeding.
- It pays to look at the forums. Look for buyers guides. See where owners of whatever you’re buying have had problems. Ask people if there’s anything you should watch out for before buying. Why pay for knowledge someone else already bought?
- Have realistic expectations. A car with 250,000 hard-worn miles can’t be a Concours showpiece…not without a ton of money and time. So enjoy it for what it is and let it go when it’s time.
- There’s nothing so expensive as an esoteric, seldomly purchased BEV or HEV. Seriously, don’t buy one. That early Cayenne Hybrid or (in my case) LS 600h L? Don’t do it
- Never underestimate the joy of a worry-free car. I still haven’t yet followed this one, but the next luxury car of mine that has something ridiculous break is getting replaced with a new Camry. Or maybe an ES 350/300h.
From Kyree
Financing. It’s expensive, especially when you consider that you’re doing it for a depreciating asset. My first new car I leased. Worse than financing. I have a way-above-average income now, yet I buy used cars and finance them for no more than 36 months.
From lapsrus
True story: I learned that you have to renew your registration from time to time... from a police officer.
When I was in graduate school.
In my defense, I’d never actually owned a car before. The look on the officer’s face when I told him that was almost worth the price of the ticket.
Bargain basement brakes do not last as long as top shelf. I spent years doing my brakes once a year because I just assumed I used my brakes that much. Then I finally switched gears and bought the “gold” variety and was shocked to discover they lasted waaaaaay longer.
From Midlife Miata Driver
Be patient, understand what you are doing, or take the time to learn what you need to do.
Pick up a couple of cheap tackle boxes at Walmart for your nuts and bolts. I start at the top left and work my way across dropping in the nuts, bolts, etc. as I go, when I’m done I work my way back up and to the right replacing everything.
And when you hit your local Pick-n-Pull, snag a handful of the common nuts and bolts as you disassemble things. It doesn’t hurt to have a factory spec spare or 20...
From Go Padge
How building a kit car is an absolute money pit that will burn a giant hole in your bank account. My idiot choice to build? A ‘34 Ford Coupe.
The cost doesn’t seem that bad up-front, but then you realize as the quicksand starts to pull you under that you’re paying retail for everything you need to make it a complete car. Just buying the A/C apparatus, let alone getting it installed correctly by a pro, was a genuine eye-opener. And that was just the beginning to losing thousands of dollars when I dumped the pain-in-the-ass.
Feel like building a kit car? Don’t.
Torque wrenches exist for a reason. I spent the first few years of my wrenching life using the German “gudentite” torque spec. I got religion after replacing the struts on the wife’s car only to under-torque the brake caliper. No disaster ensued, but there was an awful clunk that developed from the loose caliper that I had under torqued. I’ve never been so embarrassed as when I talked to the mechanic that diagnosed the problem.
I now own 4 different torque wrenches and use them on anything of consequence.
From golfball