c/diy-car-maintenance

Changed my own brake pads for the first time in my garage.

I used a basic socket set versus renting the special caliper tool from the auto parts store. The socket set worked fine and saved me the $45 rental fee plus the trip back. What's the next brake job step a beginner should tackle after pads?

I was overfilling my oil for years because I trusted the dipstick too much.

My old Civic started running rough and smoking a bit. A mechanic friend in Tampa asked how much oil I put in last change, and I realized I'd been adding the whole 5-quart jug every time. The dipstick reading was wrong because I kept checking it wrong. Anyone else have a simple check they were messing up for way too long?

Changing my own oil for the first time and the drain plug got stuck

I was under my car in the driveway last month, trying to do my first oil change. The drain plug on my old Civic would not budge, even with a breaker bar. I ended up rounding off the head a bit and had to drive to my friend's house to use his vice grips. We got it off, but I learned to always tap the plug with a hammer first to break any seal. Has anyone else had a stuck plug and found a better way to get it loose without wrecking it?

I tried cleaning my throttle body with the wrong spray and my truck ran worse for a day lol

My car's check engine light came on and I fixed it with a potato.

The code said it was an oxygen sensor, but I was broke so I shoved a raw potato into the tailpipe to block the leak as a joke, and it actually passed the smog check in Sacramento. Has anyone else tried a truly weird fix that somehow worked?

Tried cleaning my throttle body with a toothbrush and it actually worked

I was getting a rough idle on my old Civic and didn't want to buy the special spray cleaner. I used an old toothbrush and some rubbing alcohol I had, scrubbing the plate for about 10 minutes. The idle smoothed right out, so I guess you don't always need the fancy branded stuff. Has anyone else had luck with cheap substitutes for engine cleaning?

Showerthought: people keep putting their floor jack under the plastic rocker panel and then act shocked when it punches through.

I saw my buddy in Toledo do this last weekend, and after we spent $150 on a new panel, I realized the pinch weld is literally two inches further in and marked with little arrows.

Heard a guy at the auto parts store telling his buddy to just top off the coolant without a flush

He was saying his truck had been running hot for months and he just kept adding the green stuff. The clerk tried to warn him about mixing old and new coolant causing sludge, but he didn't listen. Has anyone in Phoenix dealt with a clogged radiator from doing this? I'm worried my neighbor is about to kill his engine.

PSA: I was overfilling my oil for years until a mechanic friend called me out.

He saw me pour the whole 5-quart jug into my Civic and said 'You're gonna blow a seal, check the dipstick after 4 quarts.' I started doing that and my engine runs quieter now. How many of you actually check the dipstick every single oil change?

Just hit 500 miles on a set of cheap brake pads and the rotors are already shot

I put these budget pads on my Civic last fall thinking I'd save maybe 60 bucks. The car stopped fine at first, but I just checked them and the front rotors are deeply grooved. The shop manual says rotors should last through at least two pad changes, not half of one. I guess the pad material was way too hard or had metal in it. Now I'm looking at a full rotor and pad job, which costs way more. Has anyone found a good mid-price pad brand that's easy on rotors?

Changing a cabin air filter turned into a three hour fight with a plastic clip.

My car's manual said it was a 10 minute job behind the glove box. I got the old filter out easy, but the new one wouldn't slide in. The problem was a tiny white plastic clip on the air box door that had bent. I spent over two hours trying to gently bend it back with needle nose pliers without breaking it. Finally got it seated right on the third try. Anyone have a trick for dealing with those stupid little clips?

I used to think oil changes were a waste of money to do early

For years, I'd wait until my car's oil life monitor hit 5% or less, thinking I was getting my money's worth. Last month, my 2012 Civic started making a faint ticking noise after a long drive to Columbus. I changed the oil right then, even though it was at 15%, and the noise was gone the next morning. My mechanic friend said the old oil was probably too thin to protect the engine when it got hot. Has anyone else fixed a weird engine sound just by changing the oil sooner?

Pro tip: I read that a clogged cabin air filter can drop your AC's cooling power by almost 40%

Found that stat in my car's manual while looking up a weird smell, and it explained why my vents felt so weak last summer. Anyone know a good way to check the filter location on a 2015 Civic without taking the whole dash apart?

Changed my mind about those cheap oil change kits

Always bought the $25 oil and filter bundles from the parts store. Figured oil was oil, right? Last month, my truck started making a weird ticking noise after about 2,000 miles on a fresh change. Got worried, so I drained it early. The oil looked thin and dirty way too soon. My mechanic buddy said those bargain kits often use low quality filters and basic oil. Switched to a better filter and a known brand of synthetic blend, cost about $40 total. The engine is quieter now and I feel better about pushing it to the full 5,000 mile interval. Has anyone else had a cheap oil change come back to bite them? What brands do you trust now?

My attempt to fix a squeaky belt with bar soap went about as well as you'd think

I was working on my old pickup in the garage last Tuesday, trying to stop a high pitched squeal from the serpentine belt. I remembered my grandpa once saying a little bar soap on the belt could quiet it down, so I figured why not try the cheap fix first. I grabbed a fresh bar of Ivory, turned the engine on, and carefully held the soap against the moving belt. For about three seconds, it worked great. Then the belt grabbed the whole bar, shot it into the pulley, and made a sound like a gunshot. I found bits of white soap all over the engine bay and the belt was shredded. I learned that old tricks aren't always wise, and a $20 belt is cheaper than a tow. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a much bigger job?

Stopped by the junkyard in El Paso and saw a whole row of cars with their oil filters still on

Made me realize how many people probably skip the easiest maintenance. I pulled one off a Civic in about 30 seconds with my strap wrench. Anyone else find good practice parts at the yard?

I thought those cheap oil filter wrenches were junk until my neighbor showed me his trick

I always bought the big metal band wrench for my oil changes, thinking the plastic cap kind would just break. Last weekend, my neighbor Mark loaned me his, a simple 76mm cap tool from the auto parts store. He said to tap it on with a rubber mallet first, and it worked perfectly on my stubborn filter. It cost him maybe $8 and saved me from a huge mess. Has anyone else found a simple tool that turned out to be way better than the expensive option?

Warning: My 'quick' brake pad swap turned into a full day project

I tried to change the front pads on my 2012 Civic yesterday, thinking it would take an hour. After I got the caliper off, I found the rotor was so worn it had a deep ridge on the edge, which I hadn't noticed before. I had to run to the auto parts store, rent a tool to get the rotor off, and ended up replacing both rotors and pads. Has anyone else had a simple job blow up because of one hidden problem they missed on the first look?

My old man swore by using ATF to free up sticky lifters, and I thought he was nuts

For years, my dad told me to pour a quart of automatic transmission fluid into the engine oil a few hundred miles before an oil change to quiet down noisy lifters. I always brushed it off as some backyard hack that would wreck the engine. Last month, my '98 Silverado started sounding like a sewing machine, and I was desperate. I put in a quart of Dexron, drove it about 300 miles, and did the oil change. The tick is completely gone. I'm torn now. On one side, it worked perfectly and cost maybe $8. On the other, I've read a ton of forum posts saying ATF can damage seals or thin the oil too much. What convinced me was the result, but I'm still not sure if I just got lucky. Has anyone else tried this long-term, or did it cause problems down the road?

I was torquing my oil drain plug with a breaker bar for years before a mechanic friend winced.

He saw me do it and said, 'You're going to strip the pan threads, it only needs 25 foot-pounds.' I always thought tighter was safer, but now I'm not so sure. Do you guys use a torque wrench for basic stuff like that, or is hand tight with a normal ratchet good enough?

Changed my own brake pads for the first time and the noise is gone

My car had a bad grinding sound for about two weeks before I finally looked. The old pads were worn down to almost nothing, with the metal backing showing. I watched a video, bought a $40 pad set and a C-clamp, and did the swap last Saturday. Now it's quiet and stops smooth. Is it better to always replace the rotors too, or is just doing pads okay for a basic fix?

I just read that a clogged cabin air filter can cut your AC airflow by half, which explains why my car felt stuffy last summer.

Found that stat in the manual for my 2018 Civic while looking up the replacement interval, and now I'm wondering if anyone has a good trick for accessing the filter box without breaking the glove compartment clips.

I finally listened to my mechanic friend insist you should always use jack stands even for a quick tire change, and I think that's overkill for a simple flat on level ground.

He said 'a jack failing is instant death' after his cousin's car slipped in a driveway in Toledo, but I've swapped dozens of tires on just the factory scissor jack without a single issue, so what's the real risk if you're not under the vehicle?

My buddy in Denver swears by changing his own transmission fluid, but I think that's a step too far for most of us.

He was showing me his garage setup last week and said anyone can do it with a basic floor jack and a catch pan. The thing is, messing with a sealed unit on a modern car, like my 2020 Civic, seems like a great way to cause a $4000 repair if you get it wrong. Why risk it when a shop only charges about $150 for the service? Has anyone else decided to draw the line at fluid changes for certain parts of their car?

My alternator gave out on the highway near Springfield last Friday

I was driving home from work when my dash lights went dim and the battery light came on. Pulled over and checked the voltage, it was only 11.8 volts with the engine running. Had to get a tow to my garage. I'm looking at replacing it myself this weekend, any tips for dealing with the tight bolt on the back bracket? My car is a 2012 Civic.