Car knowledge your older self would teach your younger self

[ZebRuaj]

So today as I roll into my 30's, I got to thinking about all the wrenching I've done and the errors I've learned from. So I put together a few things off the top of my head that I'd teach my younger self if I could:

1) Motor oil is motor oil. Your 60 sec ¼ mile DD won’t know the brand difference. Just keep on the oil changes.
2) Ditto for brakes rotors and pads.
3) Stock up on 10mm sockets and wrenches.
4) You can never have enough jack stands.
5) You don’t need SAE wrenches and sockets. Well, not really.
6) HIDs in reflector housings aren’t cool. Don’t do it.
7) Learn what happens to camber, caster, and toe when you mess with suspension. There are ALWAYS unplanned costs.
8) Anti-seize everything!
9) Invest in any tools that have a cutting wheel or blade. Get a torch too.
10) Learn how to use a multi-meter.


What are some other tidbits you'd teach yourself at a younger age if you could?

 

[Lolrax]

1) Don't buy blue tinted headlight bulbs, or even Silverstars because they will burn out in a month. Just accept what you have, your headlights are fine.

2) Don't pay for the "engine flush" they offer you at the lube place, it doesn't do anything.

3) Don't bother getting all of your oil changes done at the dealership (why did my parents do that?)

4) Don't buy that VW GTI because it looked cool and had a Turbo, you will spend most of your time in the shop

5) All Season tires aren't "good enough" for winter in Western Canada. Also get AWD or 4WD.

6) I know Toyotas seem boring, but having to take cabs and trains back and forth to the dealership is even worse.

7) Putting blue LEDs in your map lights seems like a cool idea until you are trying to read a map in the dark.

8) Altezza tail lights look like ass

9) Quit putting so much oil on your K&N filter it will just muck up your MAF

10) Your car really is faster if you clean it inside and out, this is not in your head

11) Aftermarket wheels rarely look better than OEM ones

12) Quit hill holding your car with your clutch and gas, it is a total waste of everything.

13) Chicks don't care about your car that much, as long as it is clean and not beat up they don't really notice or care.

 

[T4R2014]

12) Chicks don't care about your car that much, as long as it is clean and not beat up they don't really notice or care.

I was just going to say that.

 

[1engineer]

Listen to old guys. They know what they say.

 

[Ghostrider]

Crank starting an old MGA because you have a crank is fun. Crank starting it every day in winter because you are waiting for parts is not

 

[SwayzeExpress]

read the manual

 

[philsey]

Drive what you can afford vs what you "want".

Don't pick your lady's car for her.

Listen to the old guys ..... wait, what?

 

[MN4runnerman]

Don't drink and purchase parts.

 

[Airmapper]

Don't buy a fixer upper vehicle you don't have the tools, working space, budget, or skills to start in on.

 

[jspagna1]

These are the TOP 2 for me:

1. If you don't do any other maintenance to your car, make sure you change your oil every 5,000 miles. It's like the Blood in your body!!!!

2. Replace your tires when required. Too many people drive around with bald tires and then wonder why they get in accidents. And if you hit my truck I'll be pissed!!!!!

 

[TechWrench]

read the manual

Yeah, especially before you start taking things apart.:biggrin2:

 

[FourEyedWilly]

Save up for the parts you really want. Have patience. You will just replace the lesser ones anyway.

 

[ToyoDriver]

How do you old guys feel about modding trucks?

Bought a new '16 4x4 SR5 and put on TRD wheels, KO2s, sliders, RCI Skids, and Rigid Fogs.

I feel like every install has screwed something up. The KO2s are hard to balance, the sliders snapped a few hidden nuts so I cannot remove them, etc.

Kind of wish I kept it stock at this point - how am I going to service the tranny if I cant remove the skid?

 

[atalarico]

Happy Birthday, OP! Welcome to the 30s. It's really not so bad actually, but there is no going back so what choice do we have.

Advice I'd give to my mid-20 self that bought my 97 4Runner: save your pennies and buy quality tools the first time around. You're going to strip so many fasteners with the crap tool set you got in high school, so just go on ebay or craigslist and buy them second hand if you have to.

Be prepared for every possible thing to go wrong when you're fixing something yourself. If it doesn't, celebrate. If it does, you're already prepared!

Oh, and you'll pick up more dudes than you will girls with your cars, so the sooner you realize that the less you'll stop trying so hard.

Cheers!:cheers:

 

[flyrv9]

Invest in good quality tools. You can use them for other things too!

Buy a OBDII code reader. It will pay for its self quickly.

Get a shop manual for each vehicle you own.

Keep notes on the work you do. What and when, what parts used / replaced etc. Where you found those hard to find things. Etc.

 

[Kashoggio]

Lol 30s , you will still do stupid things in your 30s... just will have more money to fuel those ideas

 

[Antman]

Practice this phrase:

"Dammit! I am working over HERE, keep the light HERE, not over there! Got it?

OK.

Dammit!!

O V E R H E R E!!

Just gimme the damn light and go in with your mother..."

It's drilled into my head from my Dad and Grandfather. Now I'm passing it on to my daughter, lol.

 

[hounddogman]

Advice I'd give my 12 year old self doing my first tune up on my own FJ 40 " Don't pull all the spark plug wires at once ! " . Advice I'd give my 16 year old self " Don't sell the Landcruiser you idiot ! ".

 

[aa.allen]

Learn to work on something other than small block chevy's you may not think anything else exists but someday GM will piss you off and there will be a Ford and a Toyota in your driveway

Learn more about brakes

Lean more about electrical

Learn more about 4 wheel drive systems

Buy a torque wrench

Corvettes really are not that cool


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hounddogman]

Practice this phrase:

"Dammit! I am working over HERE, keep the light HERE, not over there! Got it?

OK.

Dammit!!

O V E R H E R E!!

Just gimme the damn light and go in with your mother..."

It's drilled into my head from my Dad and Grandfather. Now I'm passing it on to my daughter, lol.

This was pretty much my experience with my Grandpa and Dad did not work on cars . That's why he drove Toyotas .