Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 So when should you quit working on cars?

More hands on work. Should I quit doing this stuff?

Or maybe, "when should you at least, reduce the workload? "

Kind of a tough question.

It took me several years to fill up these roll aways.

Several years ago I made the proclamation that I was going to get rid of most of my tools when I turned 70. 

That sounded safe, I was not yet 65 years of age, and had just recently retired. 

Interestingly enough, I had the attitude that I wasn't going to do much work on any cars, so I bought a newer, low mileage vehicle. The Flex, was four years old with only 30,000 miles. I even bought an extended warranty and a pre paid service plan.

I was going to live like a typical middle class car owner. 

But first allow me to digress.

Recently I had decided to put the '06 Mustang in a more easily accessible spot as I wanted to drive it more often.

I knew that it was going to need tires when I bought it. I've added five thousand more miles to the odometer since then. I have never rotated the tires during that time, truthfully, it kind of slipped my mind.

I was inspecting the tread and found that the left front tire had a worn spot, almost to the cord, on the inside edge! The rear tires had more even wear. 

That's the only tire that is bad, but now I have a problem. I can't drive the car with that bad tire, but I don't want to buy a new set of 800.00 dollar tires either. I wanted to drive the car enough to decide if I want to keep it, or sell it. I could always buy a used tire, I've done that before, but I don't think that they are a good value.

This situation led me to check the tires on my Daughter's car when we came to visit. 

I found that the front tires were worn, but not quite as badly as on my '06. If you think that I didn't want to spend any money on tires for my car, I especially didn't want to spend any on her car! At least, not yet.

So I jacked up the car and pulled the wheels to rotate them, back to front, side to side. I also took this opportunity to check the brakes.

Hopefully this will buy a few thousand more miles out of those tires. Luckily she only puts a few miles on her car.

Of course, this led me to check my other vehicles.

My newest vehicle feels the touch of my tools.

I checked the tires on my Flex, as we were going to be leaving on vacation soon. The front tires still looked okay, but the rears were better. So I got to work with the floor jack. We bought the car with 30K on the clock, the salesperson told us that it had just gotten a new set of tires. Only 30K on a set of tires? We're at 60K now, so I'd better be keeping a close eye on them. Not much life left ahead, better not take them for granted.

Doing this work in your driveway it's obvious to your neighbors that you're working on your car! That floor jack makes a lot of noise as it rolls around on the concrete. Putting your car up on jack stands makes a statement. Maybe not a complimentary one.

My neighbors are probably used to it, though I'm sure that they wonder just why I am doing all this work. There are no car people on my block, not even in my neighborhood! 

And, I'm an older guy, shouldn't "I" be past that stage? I'm sure they think," can't he afford to pay someone to do that work?"

Sprays, creams, greases, etc.

I use all that stuff. Those coffee cans
are filled with all kinds of treasures. Nuts, bolts, screws, and hardware.

Of course, they wouldn't understand.

They should have a clue, since I do my own yard work, fence repairs, and I'm still going to be painting my house later this year. 

Should I be doing this kind of work?  Is this level of involvement still appropriate?

I do ask myself that question at times.

There are occasions when I do hire other professionals. I had the flooring in my house installed by others. I quit changing the oil on my cars years ago.

I had always thought that I'd give my tools to my Son. He is a car guy. He has a small single car garage that he keeps his Boxster in. However he bought a new Tesla a couple of years ago. Then he recently had to replace his Wife's car that was damaged in a hit and run collision. They got a VW EV. Teslas and EVs in general, don't lend themselves to DIY wrenching. It's also not like he has a lot of extra room to store tools. 

So I've come to the conclusion that I'm not giving up anything yet. Especially not in six months! 

I've got the space, obviously the tools are already in my garage.

Maybe I need to structure things so that I don't need to use them as often. 

Rotating tires at home is a labor intensive job. Jacking up the car, placing it on jackstands, unbolting the wheels and moving them around. Lifting up the wheel to reattach it, tighten, repeat four times. Then jack and remove stands. Now, multiply that by six cars!

Earlier this year I had rotated the tires on my truck while it was parked at the curb in front of the house. 

Kind of redneck? My neighbors don't even cut their own grass. 

Yes, I can pay someone to do the work. But it's not just the money. It's the hassle of making an appointment. Usually at the last minute. 

That's why I take my vehicles to a drive through oil change place. 

Trying to keep up on old car maintenance is a constant challenge.

I'm having enough trouble driving the cars enough to keep the batteries charged, That's 'why I started a charging log for the two cars that spend the most time in the garage. My Mustangs. The '96 has a four year old battery which is on it's last legs. It has gone flat once already. I run a trickle charger on it monthly, until it indicates a full charge. The battery in my '06 is better, but I'll charge that every couple of months. 

I don't put a lot of miles on my hobby cars so many jobs are annual, like oil changes. Tire rotations fall into that schedule also, unless I let that go for years! 

I sometimes think, If I keep a car in the garage, unused for months, do I really even need it? Truthfully, I'm afraid to even consider that question, let alone answer that question!

I like to think of myself as a person who prefers simplicity in my life. I don't like having to juggle too many things at the same time. In most areas of my life I've been successful at that. I've let my cars get ahead of me.

Maybe I should reduce the size of my stable, less cars would mean less expenditure, less hassles, and more space. 

I think that I've heard that argument before.

While I have been aware of continuing problems with my back, certain recent events have convinced me that maybe I should be cutting back. Just keep one or two cars, with a combination of DIY and paid repairs and maintenance. It's probably that time. 

The hardest thing to change is my perception of myself as a hands on car guy. Any change will be hard to accept. But it's become necessary to look towards maximizing and extending my time as a car guy. I've got to enjoy more and wrench less. 

Let's see how this scenario plays out!