Level of expertise doing auto repairs

[anndel]

Between High School Auto Shop in 1980 to 2014 - brake job, tune up, oil change, tune up, front diff, transfer, manual trans, rear diff oil change, automatic trans oil & filter change but overhauled my engine (timing chain, water pump, oil pump, oil pan, valves, rings, gaskets, decking, valve lapping, fuel injectors) last October 2014 in my 1993 Toyota Hilux 4x4. Thanks to Google and YouTube for the step by step instructions.

 

[dlcwent]

I voted super low. Only worked on oil change, brake pad, thermostat.
I am surprised there are so many professionals here


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

well it is the Garage Journal. A lot of mechanics have a interest in this forum. And I would like to add that your avatar has my interest. Very cute. Wife, daughter, GF, picture off the web?

 

[MikeF2316]

Hard to answer. I won't touch anything built after 1971 or so, but then practically everything I've ever had was 1969-1970.

Having some means anymore (more due to getting older, not being particularly rich), my theory for years has been to have at least one late model car for the wife that I don't touch. I really hate working on cars with any schedule pressure at all.

I'm not a particularly super good mechanic, but can muddle through. It isn't like you can drop off a car to have the 3310 Holley rebuilt or valve lash set. They'd probably just crack a Ford valve cover (if I had yet another Mustang) anyhow.

I have to qualify my vote. It is 'high' on vehicles older than 1974; 'medium' on newer stuff.

That's a couple of interesting answers - what's the cutoff before your brain explodes? Mine's well into the '90s, once the networking **** started happening you need more than just a manual, test light and some wiring diagrams. Of course there's the ECUs used from the '70s on that you couldn't really 100% diagnose without a "test unit", but the rest you could pretty much figure out.

 

[Certified Drunk]

The fun end's, the day you get paid.
I used to build killer car sound systems for good friends, One day I was offer a job..
30 days later, the owner of the company was an ******* and we parted ways..
27 years later, I still have not built any sound systems.
Told myself, I'll never work on cars to get paid again.
I enjoy the fun of wrenching...

 

[kn51]

Guess the real experts are how to beat flat-rate times to make decent money since they know the tricks. That takes time and knowledge.

I yanked out and R/R a CD4E ATX. They are/were absolute junk. I did it as a learning experience. Big difference is I did at my leisure as I collected necessary things to complete the project.

Does that make me a high level since I rebuilt a auto transmission? Nah, it gave me new respect for those that do this day in and day out.

 

[mopar01]

I work in a small shop. We mostly do heavy truck and medium duty once in awhile a car but almost never. Been the almost 5 years and worked at indot before that for about 6 months. Went to school, aleays did stuff on the side before and after school. Learned alot doing that on my own stuff.

 

[just a noob]

Somewhere between lightweight and professional since I get paid to work on agricultural equipment

 

[kn51]

I work in a small shop. We mostly do heavy truck and medium duty once in awhile a car but almost never. Been the almost 5 years and worked at indot before that for about 6 months. Went to school, aleays did stuff on the side before and after school. Learned alot doing that on my own stuff.

Just wanted to say, howdy neighbor. I'm in Fort Wayne.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I marked high as I'm not professional but I will tackle about anything. I'm too cheap to pay somebody else to do something. About the only thing I haven't had off or out of my Mustang is the windshield and the glass out of the doors.

 

[1949 caddyman]

Retired GM Master ASE tech. I still do most of it so far. But I do miss my lift.

 

[2oolhound]

I went for high because of the breakdown at the top of the post but I've always considered myself med-low compared to a pro with 20 years experience in the field. In the 70's to 80's I rebuilt british motorcycles and maintained a small fleet of winch/crane trucks. I once did a total rebuild of my ford V8 as well as top ends, cams etc. Was good at differential rebuilding and converted 2 X 4's into 4 X 4's so, relocating spring hangers for new suspension, cross members, and cutting new driveshafts etc. Was out of it for 20 years then came back 8 years ago and do all my own wrenching on my bikes and jimmy. My focus today is expanding my skills in welding and machining.

 

[Ilikeike]

As a kid I told my dad I wanted to be a mechanic, since I was wrenching on my own MX race bikes at 13.
He said you won't like working on someone else's greasy cars.
He was right.
I only worked on 9G fighter aircraft ,my hot rods/muscle cars,my personal daily driver truck purchased new 15 yrs ago and still spotless top and bottom.
I can do mostly all repairs,besides paint ,machine work or things that require specialty equipment, it just would not be cost effective for me to purchase some specialty tools since I will not work on someone else's greasy *************.

Just finished the parallel (.002")and concentric bell housing alignment (.006"TIR) on my 68 camaro build today.

I marked high.

 

[Outlawmws]

No category fits as while I've never done it as a full time job, I've built or rebuilt vehicles and virtually every part they entail from the ground up, including race cars, 4X4 rigs, street rods...

For DD rigs. I've done everything from the most primitive vehicles to OBDII... I've even repaired on board ECU's.

I also repaired farm equipment (to my Dad's surprise), since I'd never been near the stuff, but knew more than the "farm boys" that were trying to... "You need to look up that belt adjustment son! - Wait, you adjusted it right without looking it up? how did you know?" - (Like there is a real difference how much "slack" to leave in any V belt drive system... ) -This was a swather, drove like an old tracklayer with a pair of forward/back sticks...

You needed another category: "Not a Pro but could play one in real life"...

Never been through a certification but those that know my work rate me as an old school master mechanic.

 

[Outlawmws]

well it is the Garage Journal. A lot of mechanics have a interest in this forum. And I would like to add that your avatar has my interest. Very cute. Wife, daughter, GF, picture off the web?

Lena Söderberg

1972 ******* playmate and a standard test image widely used in the field of image processing since 1973e (thanks Google Image search!)

 

[ngk22r]

I put pro.. Wish I was out of the industry but still stuck in it. Work keeps me busy so sidework is a thing of the past as I do not dare want to touch a car when I clock out of work. The most I will do off the clock is give some pointers but never say what I am capable of doing as to keep people away.. (Those of you in the same boat know what I mean when people ask if you would be wanting to do sidework but you dont dare spend another minute fixing what you dont have too)

 

[JettaGetUpandGo]

I'm somewhere between Lightweight and medium. I change my own oil and brakes, suspension, but mainly focus on interior and electrical stuff (ie. replaced manual hvac with automatic system).

Motor/transmission work scares me. One of these days I will buy a spare junk motor to take apart and learn.

 

[Skin]

Other than basic repairs complete tear down and rebuilds of engines and transmissions don't happen in most regular shops so its really not a necessary skill. Its not worth it and ties up a bay for too long and because of the complexity there is too much risk for a come back. Automatic transmissions are best left to specialty shops as well due to the number of components, specialty tools/knowledge required, and the fact that everything really needs to be clean. Remans and junk yard pulls have pretty much put an end to the local mechanic messing with those 2 components in any meaningful way. Point being you can be a "pro" and never mess with those.

 

[jerseykat1]

It's what i do for a living. I am not too bad at it either. I voted professional

 

[jobo1004]

well it is the Garage Journal. A lot of mechanics have a interest in this forum. And I would like to add that your avatar has my interest. Very cute. Wife, daughter, GF, picture off the web?

Here's the background on volunteers' avatar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenna

 

[Hpozzuoli]

On classic muscle I am pretty dam good. On modern stuff that requires scopes and computers not so much. Chassis and body is consistent, but the confusion is in the computer driven engines and interiors.

 

[99LeCouch]

Medium. A brake job that needs the rotors cut off is on the border of my comfort zone. Although now that I have a garage and more/better tools, I'll try more stuff than before.