#Auto Repair

[gaystation4]

[bitchesgetriches]

NEW POST!!!

It shouldn’t cost $64 to change a lightbulb.

Yet that was the quote they gave me when I took my 10-year-old Volkswagen Golf to the dealership for service. Along with another $4,824.56 in repairs of varying urgency. I met this estimate with cool and queenly disdain, declined the repairs, and left with an oil change on the house. (They knew what they did)

Because I know I can get my car repaired for cheaper! Like… way cheaper! All it requires is a little time, elbow grease, and good sense.

What some dealerships and mechanics charge for car repairs is, frankly, obscene. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today I’m going to talk about my recent experience with the service department of a car dealership and explain, step by step, how I went on to pay significantly less for car repairs outside the dealership… and how you can too.

Gird you loins, people. It’s about to get reeeeeeal fuckin’ spiteful up in here.

How To Save Money With Affordable Car Repairs 

Video Version 🍋 Audio Version 🍋 Text Version

[facts-i-just-made-up]

I'm sure someone on tumblr can find a use for this Chilton Automotive repair diagram.

[m1autorepair]

Shopcat is taking a nap in the sun before we get rain.

[shopcontroller]

We stopped for a quick drink at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. Built between 1722 and 1732, it's the oldest structure used as a bar in the United States.

[spooky-fubuki]

Naomi's Auto Clinic #1: The importance of inspecting your automobile. And spark plug and wire replacement.

Hello my friends this is going to be the first in a series of posts about DIY auto repair and maintenance. Today we have two topics! Why you should regularly inspect your vehicle and replacing spark plugs and wires.

So.... Why should you inspect your vehicle regularly?

well, so you dont end up like this:

Last weekend I was driving home from my parents house when my Miata stopped idling and died at a traffic signal, I started her again and she immediately wanted to die unless I had my foot on the throttle, I went and quickly pulled off onto a side road and opened my hood. I looked around the engine bay until I found the culprit.

The bundle of wires for the Mass Airflow Meter (MAF) had abraded through and caused a short, I spliced and wrapped it in electrical tape and she runs fine once again.

But while I was looking for the problem I found a different unrelated one, which we will get too later!

Alright so what should you inspect?

First you should pop open you hood, the hood release is usually on the underside of the dashboard on the drivers side in most cars.

Now that you have it open I would just do cursory glace over everything. Does anything seem super out of place?

Open the radiator cap and check the fluid level and color, in my case I can see the fluid and it looks nice and green as it supposed too. Word of caution only check this with the vehicle is cold and hasn't been ran for ~30 min or so.

Check your engine oil. Most cars have a pretty obvious dipstick. In my case it has a yellow handle with a loop on it. With a paper towel pull out the dipstick and wipe off the oil, then put it back in all the way and pull it out again. it should be somewhere between full and empty. Take note of the color, if it is very dark you should change your oil!

Check your brake fluid reservoir. As you brake fluid gets older and used it absorbs more water from the humidity in the air. The fluid gets darker as it gets more water content in it. This reservoir is usually in a translucent container near the firewall at the drivers side of the car. As you can see mine is bit dark, so I should replace it soon. I have a future part in this series planned for this already so we will go over it then.

Outside the engine bay take a quick look at your tires. How deep is the tread depth? is there any cracks.

Look for this DOT code, this tells you the month and year that the tire was manufactured, I personally would not drive on any tire older than 10 years old. So if they are I would replace them. The first two digits are the month, and the second two are the year. So my tires were manufactured in the 28th week of 2023.

Back to the engine bay! Take a quick look at your belts to see if you see any cracks or fraying.

Take a look at the wires and rubber hoses. Do you see any cracks if so they need to be replaced, and UH OH. look at what we have here. The spark plug wires are falling apart! lets replace them.

So, I've decide to replace the spark plugs at the same time, simply because I do not know how old they are. And here are the new parts! Along with the tools needed to install them!

First off remove the wires from the plugs, I leave the rear hooked up to the coils so I know where they go.

using the wrench and socket is loosen all the of the spark plugs all the way, then retrieve them using my magnet.

Here are the new plugs! These are pre-gapped so I don't have to set it myself.

I put some anti-seize on the threads to the plugs so they wont corrode into the engine. That would be a pain to extract if they were.

Then I lower the new plugs into the hole with the magnet making sure not to drop them hard.

I always like to start them in the threads by hand so I can make sure the threads are not cross threaded before snugging them the rest of the way down with the wrench.

Alright lets move onto the wires! I like to replace these one at a time to make sure I put the right wire in the coil, its easy to find out what plug each wire is for as they all have different lengths

And they are all in!

Finally take it for a test drive to make sure everything is working properly!

I came back and she ran great! :)

I hope I was able to relay some good information for y'all! I plan on making more of these as I come across more things to do on this Miata. Up next is the brakes or replacing the AC compressor as it is bad.

Stay safe my friends!

[filmap]

Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da / Once Upon a Time In Anatolia Nuri Bilge Ceylan. 2011

Auto repair Yeni, Erol Çöke Sk., 71800 Keskin/Kırıkkale, Turkey See in map

See in imdb

[robuttsinyourthighs]

Friendly reminder that when you ask your mechanic to top off your fluids during an oil change (especially your coolant) they might not be.

I nearly had my car get fucked because I trusted my mechanics to top off my coolant or at least let me know if it was looking low, because I always SPECIFICALLY ASK THEM to do so.

As the cool season crept in I noticed my heat wasn't working. My car's heating system relies on coolant to move things along. I checked under the hood and sure enough it was almost bone dry.

That bitch was THORSTY!

My car takes a very specific type of coolant so I was able to buy it (prediluted) for $17 instead of the $70 to have the mechanic just LOOK.

LEARN THE BASICS OF YOUR CAR AND DON'T GET SCREWED OVER. Learning where your coolant reservoir is, your oil dipstick and what it should look like could save you from getting a cracked engine block from overheating.

NEVER PUT COOLANT IN YOUR CAR WHILE IT'S HOT. If you can't touch the top of your engine block, don't put coolant in yet. I just chilled in my car on my phone for 2 hours (thanks TikTok & Tumblr).

[happydazy82]

Coffee Hour

REPAIR, 05/31/2025

I'm back from vacation, so now I've got to service the car. My Stunt Double du Jour will show me how it's done.

[juhnkit]

Well ... I'd never recommend testing ignition coils with jumper cables and a car battery! That's a good way to turn yourself into a crispy critter. And using moonshine as electrical contact cleaner? Yep, high-proof alcohol can work as a solvent, but there are much safer (and legal) options at the parts store. 🔧 🛠️

[hollyweirdangeleno]

[dougielombax]

Okay but why is the Boiled One getting his car checked at the service station?!

He doesn’t even drive!

[knight-in-sour-armor]

[lovediesel]

As the July 4th roads grow busier, your fuel system shouldn’t work harder — it should work smarter. The difference lies not just in the engine you drive, but in the parts you trust.

[shopcontroller]

We passed by the the LaLaurie Mansion on Royal St., the most haunted house in the French Quarter.