KEWW Pro
Member
What do you all consider as the threshold for considering a DIY project vs. dropping the coin for a plug and play product, and why?
What have you built for your trucks based on this decision?
This morning I found myself responding, yet again, to the "GOBI vs Bajarack shipping time?" thread. Being a member of this community since only June I try to remain respectful of everyone's opinion while also remembering that we are all at different stations in life. I was coming to my point realizing that the effort of my comment was soon to be lost by time and others lack of effort to scroll back three pages and learn that what they were asking is already answered. At this I decided to start this thread for a focused line of discussion to reference others (myself included) back to, when deciding what and how to do next to our rigs. I would love to here and see what you all have found to be more cost effective to build on your own vs purchase outright.
As always, there are products that absolutely cannot be built DIY as cost effective, time required or quality controlled (you know, things like batteries, Awnings, Tires etc.) but this is where I hope to be surprised and want to learn that maybe I am wrong and can do what I want by myself.
Either way I will start it off with two examples;
First was simple, I went to a camping supply store and bought mosquito netting for those 12x12 yard awnings on a half off sale, cut it to length on the three sides of my awning and stitched in the Velcro at the ends to hold it in place. for ~$20 and an hour of my time I have a DIY screen.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/241501-keww-pros-build-thread-2.html#post2800656
Second, and the source of this mornings typing vomit, is my solution to getting a roof rack for my truck. From day one I needed a rack for my truck and wanted a basket style and loved the look of the GOBI stealth.
I am sure that anyone with a 4Runner who is a member of this forum has at least considered this feature. For whatever reason we go with it or not but in my case I really wanted the functionality of that product, and no other brand had all the criteria I wanted. At GOBI's pricepoint and time schedule I felt some research was warranted and came to my decision to find another option.
Now, if I had the time to wait and the disposable income it would have been easier to place an order and just wait.
The factors I considered in determining that a modified DIY for the rack was best for me included:
~cost savings of $600-700
~time savings of 12-14 weeks
~customization fit to my specific wants
~individual customer service
~supporting a small company rather than what I had learned to be, well, if you know then you already know
~pride in ownership by design
~previous minor welding tasks, by no means ever paid for it haha
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/241501-keww-pros-build-thread.html#post2786618
So I will step off of the Soapbox and ask you what projects you justified as preferable to DIY and why...
Thank you,
What have you built for your trucks based on this decision?
This morning I found myself responding, yet again, to the "GOBI vs Bajarack shipping time?" thread. Being a member of this community since only June I try to remain respectful of everyone's opinion while also remembering that we are all at different stations in life. I was coming to my point realizing that the effort of my comment was soon to be lost by time and others lack of effort to scroll back three pages and learn that what they were asking is already answered. At this I decided to start this thread for a focused line of discussion to reference others (myself included) back to, when deciding what and how to do next to our rigs. I would love to here and see what you all have found to be more cost effective to build on your own vs purchase outright.
As always, there are products that absolutely cannot be built DIY as cost effective, time required or quality controlled (you know, things like batteries, Awnings, Tires etc.) but this is where I hope to be surprised and want to learn that maybe I am wrong and can do what I want by myself.
Either way I will start it off with two examples;
First was simple, I went to a camping supply store and bought mosquito netting for those 12x12 yard awnings on a half off sale, cut it to length on the three sides of my awning and stitched in the Velcro at the ends to hold it in place. for ~$20 and an hour of my time I have a DIY screen.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/241501-keww-pros-build-thread-2.html#post2800656
Second, and the source of this mornings typing vomit, is my solution to getting a roof rack for my truck. From day one I needed a rack for my truck and wanted a basket style and loved the look of the GOBI stealth.
I am sure that anyone with a 4Runner who is a member of this forum has at least considered this feature. For whatever reason we go with it or not but in my case I really wanted the functionality of that product, and no other brand had all the criteria I wanted. At GOBI's pricepoint and time schedule I felt some research was warranted and came to my decision to find another option.
Now, if I had the time to wait and the disposable income it would have been easier to place an order and just wait.
The factors I considered in determining that a modified DIY for the rack was best for me included:
~cost savings of $600-700
~time savings of 12-14 weeks
~customization fit to my specific wants
~individual customer service
~supporting a small company rather than what I had learned to be, well, if you know then you already know
~pride in ownership by design
~previous minor welding tasks, by no means ever paid for it haha
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/241501-keww-pros-build-thread.html#post2786618
So I will step off of the Soapbox and ask you what projects you justified as preferable to DIY and why...
Thank you,
