Car Talk

[JHDK]

Changed my headlights yesterday. It was incredibly simple. No tools needed or anything. I noticed one was out and went and bought $40 bulbs. Figured I may as well change them both out at once. They were more expensive than the ones I had but I think they cast a wider light. Whatever, I know very little about car stuff...I can change a tire and that's about it, so I felt like a man changing out my lights.

 

[Madison]

I went to the car wash yesterday. Got rid of all that salt. Now it looks nice and clean. At least on the outside

 

[scotchandcigar]

Changed my headlights yesterday. It was incredibly simple. No tools needed or anything. I noticed one was out and went and bought $40 bulbs. Figured I may as well change them both out at once. They were more expensive than the ones I had but I think they cast a wider light. Whatever, I know very little about car stuff...I can change a tire and that's about it, so I felt like a man changing out my lights.

I had to change a bulb a few weeks ago. Before I went, I did a search for the model replacement bulb I needed. I came across a how-to video for changing the bulb, which I skimmed through.

When I got to the auto parts store, they had 4 grades of bulbs, 2 were yellow-ish, 2 more white-ish. I didn't want to replace both, as the other one is impossible to get at. So I decided I needed to remove the bad one in the parking lot. I couldn't figure out all the release clamps and twisting and pulling, so I rewatched the video while sitting in my car. But it worked.

 

[Aaron]

I change the headlights in my car as needed, but it's never easy because it's such a tight squeeze and never very much room for hands to operate.

 

[memebag]

The passenger side low beam is pretty easy to change on an NC Miata. You don't have to remove the front fascia or a wheel to change it, and if you have big hands you only get 10 or 20 scratches.

The driver side low beam is a different story. You have to remove the front fascia or wheel and fender liner. It is a horrible design.

 

[JHDK]

it's never easy because it's such a tight squeeze and never very much room for hands to operate.

The passenger side low beam is pretty easy to change on an NC Miata.

In a 05 Rav4 the passenger side is significantly more difficult to change due to there being far less space to get your hands in to more around.

 

[HecticArt]

Any car repairs these days will result in blood-loss.
Changing your own oil will cost you at least a pint of blood.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Any car repairs these days will result in blood-loss.
Changing your own oil will cost you at least a pint of blood.

I invite Hyson to chime-in, as to why us grown adults should have to deal with that shit, just to save $30.

As for me, all the BMWs I've had (since '94) have an oil filter housing that's part of the engine block. The filter drops into the housing cylinder at the top of the engine, and is covered by a lid. Then there's a long bolt to secure the lid, that goes through a hole in the filter and into the engine block. There's a bunch of gaskets and o-rings that seal it all up, and it has to be precisely torqued; or it will either leak, or the bolt will break-off into the block.

The engine takes 7 quarts of full synthetic oil (about $7/qt), and the filter plus gaskets is about $20. So if I can have someone do it for $79, that's worth it.

It looks something like this


Fortunately, I can go 12-15K miles between changes.

 

[HecticArt]

I used to like working on my car.
There was a bit of a sense of accomplishment, a bit of tinkering to see how stuff works, and saving some cash was great.

These days, I don't have the time, tools, or expertise to do very much to a car.
They have made everything too complicated and computerized.
I look under the hood now, and other than the basics, I can't tell what anything is in there. It's all just one big blob.

 

[memebag]

I invite Hyson to chime-in, as to why us grown adults should have to deal with that shit, just to save $30.

To trust the person that torqued your drain plug. (That's not a euphemism. Get your mind out of the gutter.) If a drain plug is too loose it can fall out while the engine is running. That's usually a new engine. If it's too tight it has to be drilled out, which is a pain.

 

[hyson]

I know what brand oil is being used, I know what kind (conventional vs synth and correct weight), I can see the condition of my oil and hopefully prevent potential issues, I know what filter is being installed and the quality of said filter, and I know the job is being done correctly.

Who else lets their oil drip for 30-45 minutes? The quick-change place doesn't.....

Even if the cost is the same, the quality is about 3-fold better. This gives me peace of mind and probably is why I'm driving a 12 year old vehicle that's still in remarkably good shape.

To trust the person that torqued your drain plug. (That's not a euphemism. Get your mind out of the gutter.) If a drain plug is too loose it can fall out while the engine is running. That's usually a new engine. If it's too tight it has to be drilled out, which is a pain.

 

[scotchandcigar]

To trust the person that torqued your drain plug. (That's not a euphemism. Get your mind out of the gutter.) If a drain plug is too loose it can fall out while the engine is running. That's usually a new engine. If it's too tight it has to be drilled out, which is a pain.

I know what brand oil is being used, I know what kind (conventional vs synth and correct weight), I can see the condition of my oil and hopefully prevent potential issues, I know what filter is being installed and the quality of said filter, and I know the job is being done correctly.

Who else lets their oil drip for 30-45 minutes? The quick-change place doesn't.....

Even if the cost is the same, the quality is about 3-fold better. This gives me peace of mind and probably is why I'm driving a 12 year old vehicle that's still in remarkably good shape.

To be honest, nearly all of the oil changes I've had for the past 20 years have either been
A) Done at my dealership under the covered maintenance warranty,
B) Done by my certified-mechanic nephew.
In both cases, they do a more proper and professional job than I would. And the cost is either nothing, or parts-only.

So my situation is not representative of the choices most people face.

 

[hyson]

Picked up 2017 GMC Terrain with the SLE 2 trim on Tuesday.

Drives like a dream.

Now currently looking for new tools to change the oil - apparently, I need a 32mm socket to unscrew the top-down oil filter housing. Can't wait!!

 

[HecticArt]

Buy band-aids too.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Picked up 2017 GMC Terrain with the SLE 2 trim on Tuesday.

Drives like a dream.

Now currently looking for new tools to change the oil - apparently, I need a 32mm socket to unscrew the top-down oil filter housing. Can't wait!!

Sounds like you've got the same deal as me.

 

[HecticArt]

What color?

 

[hyson]

blue 2017 gmc terrain - Bing images

What color?

 

[HecticArt]

Nice.

Good looking whip.

 

[hyson]

Thanks, man. I worked hard for it.

Nice.

Good looking whip.

 

[JHDK]

Sold the old man's car yesterday. He had been asking me to do it for awhile now. With only 53k miles it still has a lot of life in it for a 03 van but the lack of a/c really drove down the price. KBB says in perfect condition it was worth max 1.4k, however the serious quality of life issues it has meant we let it go for $600.