[yogeshbala]

I had voted to go to a Mechanic.

No doubt on the fact that it is good to know, learn and be equipped to DIY. But getting the professionals to do the job would make the work look clean, good and also saves lot of valuable time.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

I have done immense DIYs in my work vehicles. But for my personal vehicles, its always Mechanics. I have done basic servicing on my own but Like GTO said, i prefer to drive rather than spend time working on them

[Turbohead]

I would definetly do DIY if it was a project car. But not on the only car in the house. That's risky when you really need it.

Voted for going with a mechanic.

[Bsimhan]

I've voted for the DIY method. Unless the repairs are complex involving electronics/electricals most other stuff would be fun doing by myself. Many times, I've seen simple things such as tightening of lug nuts being really messed up. Like the instance when I had a flat on my car last week. The guys at the tyre shop used the pneumatic torque wrench and over tightened the bolts. You literally have to stand on the wheel spanner to take out the bolt. Or take the instance when I was changing the engine oil.....the sump nut was so tight that it required an extension bar to open it. As for the oil filter, this was another story. Don't know why, but the mechanics seem to want to overtighten every bolt and nut and never mind the torque specs.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Bsimhan

I've voted for the DIY method. Unless the repairs are complex involving electronics/electricals most other stuff would be fun doing by myself. Many times, I've seen simple things such as tightening of lug nuts being really messed up. Like the instance when I had a flat on my car last week. The guys at the tyre shop used the pneumatic torque wrench and over tightened the bolts. You literally have to stand on the wheel spanner to take out the bolt. Or take the instance when I was changing the engine oil.....the sump nut was so tight that it required an extension bar to open it. As for the oil filter, this was another story. Don't know why, but the mechanics seem to want to overtighten every bolt and nut and never mind the torque specs.

No one wants to use a torque wrench. Most do not have one. Those who have are not bothered to use one.

Atleast the high end tyre showrooms should enforce tightening the lug nuts using the torque wrench and use the air impact wrench to loosen the nuts.

[speedmiester]

I fall into the third category
3. I love to DIY, but always make a mess of things which needs to be fixed by a mechanic.

[Stribog]

99% mechanic, 1% diy.

Even that DIY is only for cleaning and detailing which I never given to the daily cleaning guys and car washes only when the car is filthy, even then only under my supervision and using only MF stock.

Unfortunately I can't, like physically and mentally don't have the knack for any form of DIY. In fact the few threads on TBhp I don't read most the time are DIY times because I don't even understand what they are saying insert Iamstupid.jpg here.

Cars or bikes need anything? It is only the company showrooms, here though I invest a lot of time and effort in building relationships. Like my current KIA relationship head for the outlet was a brand new SA in Hyundai in 2004, and I have over 15 odd years grown to trust him and he sees me more than a walking moneybag sign to be fleeced. This helps me get reliable and good service.

[jomson13]

Voted for DIY because this is what I am inclined towards.
Due to parking and tool limitations my current DIY is limited to detailing, tyre and brake related jobs.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

No one wants to use a torque wrench. Most do not have one. Those who have are not bothered to use one.

Completely agree to this, I myself don't use one and have been planning to get one for a long time

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I fall into the third category
3. I love to DIY, but always make a mess of things which needs to be fixed by a mechanic.

I am relate to this, but I feel that I am slowly getting better!

[SKC-auto]

I voted for mechanic. I can think of below reasons why indians prefer to go to mechanic.

1) Most Indians do not have separate garages, even if separate garage exists the entire household use a single car the downtime cannot be more than 1 day.

2) Due to the first point we do not buy equipment required for DIY jobs.

3) And ofcourse due to 1 and 2 reasons and cheap labour cost we never touch the car and hence fear of breaking something.

I usually like to do some DIY and do some repairs and fixes at home like washing machines, water purifiers.

I even thought of changing the engine oil and oil filter of my car but the thought of accessing the car underbody and flushing the old oil without spilling everywhere made me to hold back on that idea. Its good that I did not go with that plan when I saw the struggle faced by the mechanic to open the filter.

Now I buy engine oil, oil filter, air filter go to the local mechanic and stand there and get all things done, gives me immense satisfaction.

[virgovencat]

Voted - Mechanic

All said & done, In my view its better to leave things to experts. If you love you car, then I am sure you will always look to find an expert mechanic whom you can trust with your car. Yes, you will have to do trail n error to find good mechanic, but it's worth as you will have a great support from him for next 5-7 years. Advantage with having a mechanic is that he can also provide you guidance for other jobs on car as well !!

[Amrik Singh]

Originally Posted by virgovencat

Voted - Mechanic
Yes, you will have to do trial n error to find good mechanic

I hope you do not mean to Sacrifice one or two Cars to finalize who is the best at sacrificial altar - I mean Garage.

[vijayshouree]

Voted for DIY. DIY is life. It gives you immense satisfaction after finishing the job on your own.
But for my car, I would rather see a mechanic as it is quite new and I am a little hesitant. I can do the cosmetic bits myself and for any mechanical and maintenance stuff, I would visit the service center.

When I had my Santro, things were quite different, I used to rip it apart and again put it all together.

Sorry for going off-topic . But love to share something below.

I have this bug for opening up anything and exploring since childhood. Thanks to my little uncles (dad's little brothers).

One of them taught me, anything can be fixed:
We built together so many things (I was his good assistant). To name a few, a dish antenna (which worked), a TV, a Speaker System using clay pots, amp, many speakers, combined parts from multiple Lunas, and made a working Luna, an Air Cooler etc.. etc.. We used to use the camera for only THE important occasions like marriages and I still feel bad that we didn't capture any of these.

The other one taught me anything can be cleaned and kept tidy. Err. It triggered my OCD
Sundays are the days to clean and maintain the stuff. We both used to clean the mopeds (including the exhaust pipe), clean the home, clean everything. He is one such guy who goes to any extent to set the things. I still remember we both spent the whole night cleaning off the extra paint bits from the tile ends of our house and the switchboards.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It is not just car DIY. The same is true for any DIY. Be it cars, on your home, your garden etc. Apart from the cost advantage, lots of people genuinely love getting their hands dirty.

Couldn't agree more. I can do all those simple plumbing, electrical jobs on my own and hey I am an expert cleaner.

[av8er]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

I fall into the third category
3. I love to DIY, but always make a mess of things which needs to be fixed by a mechanic.

You remind me of my neighbour, the guy tries to DIY and eventually ends up calling the mechanic with a sly and goofy smile which says he messed up.

He has called me a few times too just to help him with certain things, if its within my scope I do help but if not I tell him clearly that he should call a mechanic.

[TorqMaster]

I would prefer a mechanic but sit and watch what is being done and how and why.
I also don't mind working alongside a mechanic or becoming one myself and excelling in a niche skill.

[KGS]

Such a great thread Alikidwhy.

People like me will need third option where the person started in category 2 and then moved to Category 1 due to change in circumstances.

When I was in India, I was completely dependent on HASS or the known mechanics for handling the issues in my car. I was confined only to checking the oil and coolant levels and got them changed during service visits. Even for puncture repair, I used to pick the known guy near my house on bike. He used to take out the tyre, take to his shop and repair it and then fix it in my car. Even though I practiced changing tyre with my friends, I never had to do that on my own.

Once I moved to UK, life has became DIY. For all small bits , I have to try to do it on my own. Once a tyre got punctured and all hell broke loose. I had to remove the tyre on my own, take it to the Tyre shop and got it changed.

Here DIY is the mantra of life. I am also learning new things about car and it's maintenance. My vote goes for DIY.