And people wonder why most of us keep our clients away from do it yourselfer cars.
I woulds say those kind of do-it-yourselfer are in the minority. I have dozens of pictures of the care taken with my engine out and would put my work up against a dealers any day. I can't stand letting anyone touch/work on my cars. Especially the toy cars, no way.
I partly agree with that statement of flat rate but I would hope it is not mechanics taking this short cut or I would dare say they are not very good ones. I can see diy doing it this way because they are cheap and just do not understand. It is beyond me why some buy such a b eautiful car and then would treat it with a sub standard service. To justyfi that statement is because so many more things are done at the service, way too many to list. Basically every mechanical, hose, plug, etc etc should be checked with the engine out this way its 5 more years of trouble free driving. Just my opinion of course and its their car. Its because of this though when I get another I do not want it freshly serviced I will do it or hire someone that will do it correctly.
I'm not talking a premium, I'm saying as a buyer it would not turn me off, If OEM parts were used(with receipts) and there was evidence it was done correctly.
More than likely that will bite you in the ass Matt. Pay less for the car or do it right and keep it a few years longer and enjoy.
Matt if you do an insitu belt service any knowledgable buyer will be able to tell. There is a big differance and its obvious. Do it yourself and document all the little things and in 3 years you will likely get more than your money back.
I dont buy into this unless they did something wrong. A good shop rarely does something wrong vs a diy without the information. Many shops have a Senior people with years of knowledge and some of course do not. Many shops only fix what the customer wanted them to and then the customer *****es on fchat about a substandard job. I have been on here long enough to tell the differance.
Your car. Do what you like. However, doing what you suggest will cost you in the end. It will be a low cost POS car beaten about on this board when you go to sell it. Fix it right. Document what you do. Drive it for a few seasons. When you sell it you will get a reasonable market price for it despite its previous history and mileage. Might even get your money back out....if not at least close. Your call. All DIYer's are not created equal. Don't be "that guy" with the Ferrari he can't afford (real or perceived).
Woah, lets not get the wires crossed. I would NEVER try to do a belt with the engine in. I am not the OP, engine out, every time. My last major I did new timing chain pad, 360 oil pump chain tensioner and new timing drive bearings (Hill/OEM) with a new OEM belt and Hill bearings. Brand new OEM waterpump. 17K miles on the car -No hack here.
Great ain't it? He goes to McDonalds and complains the filet is no good. OH!!! That's right, he's not cheap.
I bought a car that you did the last major service on. You can be sure that those receipts made me more confident in paying a fairly high price for it. BTW, I've had not one single issue since I bought it. You even left notes on the receipt for things that should be checked at next major.
I'm not sure which thread is more entertaining... this one, or the one over in Tech Q&A that meandered from listing cam belt cars, inevitably morphed into a belt service interval argument, and then to bickering about coolant.
Low standards and mis-applied frugality, or alternately under-informed and overly confident. What is it on a high-mile, low price 355 that makes its burden of general service/maintenance needs any different than every single other 355 out there over the past 20-odd years? If you're running classic exotic sports car ownership, or classic car ownership in general, to a balance sheet and executing choices as a 'business decision' based upon return, you're in the wrong hobby. It's like, do I invest time and money into my kids at the bare minimum to keep them alive because I'll never get the money back out of them and they'll still technically survive, or do I do whatever I can regardless of cost to ensure they are happy, healthy, well-adjusted, and set up for future success? A major service is a hell of a lot more than a set of belts and bearings in a couple hours... but, your car, proceed at your own risk. As a reference, my own was $6-7k in core and 'while you're in there' mechanical parts, and 119 hrs. That included quite a bit of cleaning and refinish/restoration as well. Of course, with any work the greatest risk of failure is immediately after the work is completed, due to defective parts or incorrect installation. It's silly to compare that against a population of cars that are due/overdue but still running (until they aren't). No car will run on a part forever, as with life the survival rate always reaches 0%. I'm not sure how that comparison of recently serviced against due/overdue is an argument for anything.
To the OP: If you have a lift there is no reason not to do this correctly. Get informed, take your time, ask questions here if need be and enjoy and take pride in a job well done hopefully. I'm doing mine soon and am looking forward to the project. If you have the room and are in no rush there is no reason you can't do it correctly. Butchering the car and trying to squeeze in there with limited access just seems silly when you have a lift.
Its worse actually. It's 20 years old and been neglected. Information that was in hand from the beginning. It's not an argument, that is unless you have nothing else. Not unlike throwing the word "racist" into a political argument.
All very valid points and feedback appreciated. And you guys are right, I could go buy a lift cart for 200 bucks and drop the engine but there are horror stories that I've read about like pulling the engine harness through the bulkhead and disturbing wires, etc and causing problems down the road makes me loose sleep at night. To use the words have another poster...You mean it's actually okay to drive these cars?"
Some people can **** up a steel ball. If you are one of those I suggest staying in the house, you never know what will happen if you actually go outside.
Its really not that big of a deal. Pay attention to the wires, know they need to be fed through and do it. Its not hard. Really.
