How would you rate your mechanical ability?

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Just wondering what level people would rate their skills regarding working on cars.

Myself, personally, I know I've still got a lot to learn, but I also know I've learnt a hell of a lot since I got my first car.

[EA2BA]

I would say mine is pretty high, still lots to learn, well attempt and learn that way, but mostly everything is straight forward with a manual and correct tools.

Not alot I wont attempt pending the possible outcome if I stuff it of course.

[Twisted]

Ive got alot to learn but love getting stuck in and messing around with my car. I like the learn everything I can.

[DivHunter]

I can do sone stuff and have a bit of an idea but still a lot more to learn and practice before I can be real handy with the car.

[TheSneakiness]

Pretty basic for me. I can do basic maintenance and basic repairs.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by AUII_XLS_Ute

Pretty basic for me. I can do basic maintenance and basic repairs.

Same. More importantly, I have no intention of getting further involved in the car than that. There are proffesionals better skilled and equiped than me for that. I'll stick to what I know and leave them to do what they know. :

[MITCHAY]

i could probably do more than i do now but i prefer to trust it to a mechanic. that way anything gets stuffed its on them particularly with an old car you dont want to go wrong because the car didnt cost much in the first place and i wouldnt want to pay someone more to fix something i stuffed when it would of been cheaper to get someone to do it in the first place.

[Kryton]

i could pretty much do most things (except for engine/trans rebuilds), but if i havent done it before i lack confidence and think ill **** it up. ill do it anyway and when its finished and works, theres no better feeling.

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

I have learnt a lot over the years , and last time i found myself uemployed , i Spent some time with a mate at his panel shop and learnt how to do body work and spray paint ! Ok so im not qualified but I have done a few panel and spray jobs for mates since and as well as them being very happy with the outcomes, I have found its a great way to make a bit of money on the side as well as good practice for when I get some of my projects to paint stage !


I want to learn auto apholstry too! I can feel a period of unemployment coming on ! hahahahahahaha

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Originally Posted by Casper

Same. More importantly, I have no intention of getting further involved in the car than that. There are proffesionals better skilled and equiped than me for that. I'll stick to what I know and leave them to do what they know. :

Fair enough, if you've found a good mechanic that you can trust, personally, after what happened with LuvinmyEBs Falcon, I find it very hard to trust mechanics, and I prefer to do whatever work I can possibly do myself, because at least that way I know it has been done properly, and I know where the parts came from and what condition they were in when I installed them.

We put a lot of faith and trust into mechanics, and if one stuffs you around, or even worse, screws up and you are left with a car that doesn't go as a direct result, well, it's hard to get that trust back, and it's hard to find a mechanic that you trust.

Besides, I doubt JMM would be interested in working on my Escort, lol :evil_laug

[12]

I can do some repairs/modifications, but my skills are very limited.

[stockstandard]

I didnt know anything really until about 2 years ago when I started buying tools and working on the car. I had to because I didnt have the money at the time to pay someone else to do the work. I just read workshop manuals cover to cover, then went out and did what needed to be done. Now I love working on cars. You can get good outcomes as well because when you are working on your own engine you pay attention to the little details.

I can tackle almost anything on the falcons now (except machining parts). I still cant get over how simple things really are. All you need to know is how to keep everything clean (REALLY CLEAN), and know how to use a torque wrench properly. I built the engine I am running and did a 5 speed conversion. Although I have made a few mistakes along the way they have all been fixable and I have learnt from them.

I am also have a 40 series landcruiser project going. It is getting an unleaded 250 crossflow (from an 86 XF) in the rebuild so I am now doing new stuff like making custom engine mounts.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by The MaDDeSTMaN

We put a lot of faith and trust into mechanics, and if one stuffs you around, or even worse, screws up and you are left with a car that doesn't go as a direct result, well, it's hard to get that trust back, and it's hard to find a mechanic that you trust.

Besides, I doubt JMM would be interested in working on my Escort, lol :evil_laug

I trust very few people with my car. The majority of mechanics are so dodgy its not funny. Thats why when I find someone who I trust and are knowledgable I will stick with them. In this case, yes, JMM.
I know not everyone has the same opinion but thats how the world works, we all do what we believe is the best for ourselves. In my case I do not have a single complaint.
If I had an escort or laser or whatever it would probably be completely different.

[AUII_Forte]

I do basically everything to my car. I don't trust mechanics as far as I could throw em, I'm sure some are ok, but I've had a few bad experiences.

I'm not scared to hook in and have a go, I've done many engine/trans swaps, rebuilt a 4.0L and helped a mate build a 351, done the head on my EF.....the list goes on. The only time I'll take the car to a mechanic is if I don't have time to do it myself.

[MITCHAY]

on the subject of mechanics ive really only had one that was bad. i had to get shifter bushes done and it turned out good. the same night i went cruising with the new feel and all of sudden my gearbox is ****ed. couldnt shift into 1st, 3rd or 5th. anyways i took it back and they said it wasnt their fault something must of broke in the gearbox (bit of coincidence that it happens the same day as i got something fixed) yeah i got them to fit another gearbox which cost $1300 as it was bairly driveable and didnt want to cause more damage. never gone back to them since i changed to Ultratune (these guys are very good in my opinion) always get my car serviced by them now and its always ready before im due to pick it up. plus it dont have the time to do anything by myself and dont really trust myself either. i work 6 days a week and go to tech school also so usually too buggered and on my day off im usually too hungover to even wake up let alone do anything else lol. i did auto class in college and that cant be beat if anyone has kids here and they are bout to go through college you should recommend they join one. very valuable for basic stuff.

[NRG 290]

I can do the basic engine stuff like changing an alternator and such. Probably couldn't do much more than change the oil on mordern cars. Just don't trust myself to fiddle with things.
I've been looking for a GT Capri to fix up with my brother for a while. When we find one I'd like to do a lot of work myself. Anyone have any ideas on how to improve your mechanic skils, courses etc?

[mcflux]

I'm orright, but I'm no pro! If my intake manifold didn't need a hole tapping (I don't know the exact location/position along the #5 runner), I'd say I'd be able to replace anything up to an intake manifold in difficulty. Heads would be a bit hard for me though!

The BA auto changeover was a bitch, but it wasn't "hard", it was just more frustrating than anything else (getting stuff wrong for example).

I'm hoping to dodgy up a shift kit soon. I know it's only two resistors & a switch, but since my auto is now hydrid EB/BA, I'm awaiting information about what spec resistors I should use (and if any extra wires, such as the tiptronic wires, need modifying with resistors)

-Dave-

[Sundeep]

I chose "I can do some repairs/modifications, but my skills are very limited", because I'd say my skills are only limited to E-Series Falcon's atm.

Sundeep

[darkfang888]

I can do most things, there are only a few things I couldn't do myself.
Gearboxes are what really mess me up - just can't seem to get my head round 'em. Getting there though.

[Kev_BLNXR8_Ute]

I can do most things.
Depends how involved you get I guess.
I can pull an egine apart and replace any thing but I wouldn't strip down an auto or a manual to fix my self. I would pull it out and put it back in if I could be bothered.
Im at the point where im sick of crawling under a car to fix sumthing or replace it and I would rather pay G&D to do it....

[rodderz]

I did more mechanical work when I was younger, we used to have an old corolla that was in pieces and we put it together for a paddock bomb. Over the 6 years we thrashed it all that needed replacing was the clutch, brakes, welsch plugs and rebuilding the carby. Actually got offered a job as a mecho in year 10 but decided to finish school off

Used to service my 1st few cars myself, now that i've got a new one the dealer does the servicing, although i did take the diff out of my current ute and replace it when the gears were getting fixed. Like most things it's a lot of common sense really

At work we have to be a jack of all trades, replacing alternators, fuel pumps etc in the truck and machines, although 1 day got a fright when i droppped the screwdriver onto the truck alternator and starter motor and it welded it to the side from the fusing....lol (it's 24v)

[bindi]

I chose "I can do some repairs/modifications, but my skills are very limited" because I am good at a fair few things on different cars, but not all cars and not all things!

I love installing cd players and amps etc on a regular basis. Also once I take a piece of mechanical equipment apart and put it back together (or replace it) then I will remember how it works and what it does and why it's there.

I can do basic maintenance on most cars pre 1990 or so (oil, radiator flush, brake pads, brake shoes, all fluids, sparkies etc). All the little things that niggle such as door alignments, trim, dash bits, wipers/washers, etc I will attempt and mostly do.

The biggest job I ever did was take out the gearbox of my XF and I can honestly say NEVER AGAIN!!!

I would never touch a newer/new car!

[Psycho Chicken]

I'll do anything pretty much. Haven't done and panel of paint work, but I'm gonna give it a shot soon. I've stripped engines and gearboxes, only mechanical thing I wouldn't touch is an auto or a diff that was going into something decent.

I find trying stuff yourself is the best way to learn, assuming you have a basic idea of what's going on.

But then again I'm gonna be a mechanic some day, so I should know this crap!

[jonbays]

I started at 13 pulled my mums cortina apart honed it replaced the rings did a valve grind by hand and a head polish by hand stuck it all back together with a single sidedraft 45DCOE weber and it actually all went really well. It was dumb luck 90% but it gave me the confidence to do more and now there's nothing I won't touch.

Now though I just like to keep my hand in and really only do occasional work mostly just maintenace.

[Racecraft]

I'm lazy these days, I like to have a go at things once or twice to see if I can do it but after the novelty has worn off my time is worth more than $30/hr to pay someone else to do it

[AUIII XR8 MAN]

I got basic skill but always willing to learn.

[RspecAU]

I can do most repairs could do more with more tools. Machine work i cant do.

[FordFan86]

I can do a few things for myself, and doing mechanical course now and work experience for 120 hours i'm learning new things.

[Captain Stubing]

I've alway done things myself. Apart from roadworthies, I've paid for a mechanic twice in my life... one time to rebuild a diesel head, and once to rebuild a gearbox that I blew up. I've rewired gauges, stripped down cars to a shell for re-painting, and fixed the innertia belts in the old XF when they wouldn't release. If someone builds it, someone can pull it apart.
This is probably why, when I had first left home, I was watching TV at home with a car battery providing power to some of the TV's circuits...dodgy!

[Pieoter]

I can do only the basic things but would like to learn more. Mechanics has always fasinated me but after work experience I won't be doing it as a job.