If you do the work yourself how did you learn?
If you take it to the shop do you ever feel like you should be doing the work yourself?


Im just wondering :)

the only reason i selected "take it to the shop" was because of the access to the lifts and such. my friend is a mechanic, so its not like i take it to any peace a crap shop i find on 1st street.

I take it to our shop & do the work myself - option not listed = no vote

I've been around cars all my life, started with my dad's drag car.

i think it depends on what your doing, alignment ill take in, engine swap shop too. but most everything else it cheaper and more fun if you do it your self.

It all depends on how in-depth it is, and how much time I have. Obviously, if it's a bolt-on part, then I won't waste the money to take it to the shop. But if we're talking about an engine swap or something that takes special tools that cost a lot then that's a different story.
Suspension-shop, almost everything else-me...lol. See ya.

i will try to do anything myself before i take it to a shop. it's so rewarding when your done, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

well yes to both sides. i work at a honda dealer so i take it to the shop and work on it myself
;)

DIY here don't trust shops ;)

It depends on what it is. If it has something to do with major electrical, engine internals, or suspension, its going to the shop. I like to do everything else.

driver window 94 accord off track how to fix specifics

it depends on what i'm doing, but 98% of the time, i do it all myself. i learned from the internet and buying how to books from Barnes & Nobles.

I work in a preformance shop(see sig) so when one of my parts arrive i put it on while i'm at work, and get paid to do it MUUUHAHAAHHAHA :rofl:

I do all of the work myself. How does one learn? Well you need patience, and you need to do some research, etc. I started out when I was 15, when I purchased my first car (1988 nissan sentra) for $50 and reworked it so it was street legal. I purchased the chilton book for that vechile and used the diagrams, and how to steps to get myself started. Since then I have owned many other vechiles and I have done all the work on them myself. It is very rewarding and it makes you feel good when you are done.

do it myself.. learned by my peeps at cb7tuner.com

I like doing all the work myself. Just get instructions. ITs always fun to do things yourself ,it gives you more pride in your car and you learn things along the way

I take it to the shop now. I just don't have time to learn all the little things on a modern car, and try to debug stuff. I mean big things. I still do my own tuneup, oilchange, alternator, brakes, etc. But for anything that requires more work than that, say CV axels, I take it to the shop.
I've done all the bodywork and paint myself though.
I learned because a friend that had a paint business showed me how.
I rebuilt 2 MGs when I was a lot younger, everything: engine, suspension, body, etc. I learned by doing and I had 3 books including a real service manual. I just dont have the time/space/energy to do something like that again. I also don't have time to debug my own fixes lol. I take it to the shop and hope they fix it right the first go.
Although this has bitten me: a cocaine sniffing mechanic that was highly recommended at work ruined my engine. The guy I paid to change the engine jacked it up on the plastic, not the frame, and broke both doors, both sides, and both fenders. Thats what I'm working on now.
I fell asleep and hit a parked car 3 years ago and took out the headlight, fender, nose and hood. I had to cut the corner frame off another car and weld it on. I did that myself. That I learned from watching car shows hahahahaha

So I guess like most people its a mix of things, what I am better at, and what is very, very expensive like paint I still do. Debugging or serious repair I take to the shop. Gladly, I found a decent one now.

If you have the right tools available and some knoledge of mechanics I think you should do it yourself. I personaly Like the feeling of doing it myself. If it something I cant do I have a friend come over and tell me how to do it.