Does anyone work on their Aston
Discussion
B4rnst4ble said:
I remember the same person who stripped down his engine also...... would you have bought that car after his "work"
Ultimately it's where does "simple" mechanics stop and real mechanics begin and who judges the work, would i travel on a plane services by someone with no mechanical qualifications erm no
I for one would rather use a trusted indie to do any work rather than trust my Haines manual
Where does simple mechanics stop? At the point I decide it's too complicated or time consuming for me to do. Would I rebuild my engine? No (although actually, I have rebuilt motorcycle engines in the past many years ago).Ultimately it's where does "simple" mechanics stop and real mechanics begin and who judges the work, would i travel on a plane services by someone with no mechanical qualifications erm no
I for one would rather use a trusted indie to do any work rather than trust my Haines manual
I'm curious - when you say "I for one would rather use a trusted indie to do any work" - do you really mean "any" work? If a bulb blows on your car, or a fuse - would you really take it to a mechanic?
Some of the routine servicing stuff - e.g. changing an air filter - is probably simpler and quicker than getting to the cabin fuses.
Would I buy a car where the owner had rebuilt his own engine? No.
Would I buy a car with fully documented / proven home servicing by an owner - who clearly understood what he was talking about when I asked him questions - absolutely.
For me my involvement would stop at replacing the pads and discs, and if I'm honest whilst I know I could do that, I probably wouldn't (because I'm lazy, not for any other reason).
Anything past that however is a red line for me. I completely understand what people are saying, yes it is just a car like any other, however if I were buying a car from somebody who had done all the maintenance themselves I would walk away, for me it just wouldn't be worth the risk. If I had proof from a dealer that they had completed the service or maintenance and say for instance the engine let go 1000 miles later due to lack of oil or something (anything), you would have a bloody good claim. You'd have no comeback from the guy who said he did the service himself.
It's a sad fact, but issues on these cars CAN and DO cost a fortune to fix, and for me I want to know that everything has been done to the book and have paperwork to back it up, just in that rare case I need it. It's not just Astons of course, the same rule would apply to any premium marque for me.
That said, I would never discourage anyone from doing it themselves, just be realistic when you come to sell that you'll either get hit hard or it'll take a long time......or probably both.
Anything past that however is a red line for me. I completely understand what people are saying, yes it is just a car like any other, however if I were buying a car from somebody who had done all the maintenance themselves I would walk away, for me it just wouldn't be worth the risk. If I had proof from a dealer that they had completed the service or maintenance and say for instance the engine let go 1000 miles later due to lack of oil or something (anything), you would have a bloody good claim. You'd have no comeback from the guy who said he did the service himself.
It's a sad fact, but issues on these cars CAN and DO cost a fortune to fix, and for me I want to know that everything has been done to the book and have paperwork to back it up, just in that rare case I need it. It's not just Astons of course, the same rule would apply to any premium marque for me.
That said, I would never discourage anyone from doing it themselves, just be realistic when you come to sell that you'll either get hit hard or it'll take a long time......or probably both.
DapperDanMan said:
Just because you don't know how to work on a car doesn't mean that others are the sam mine to a particular indie for servicing I ended up with a weeping bleed nipple that over time pissed brake fluid over the rear of a calliper but not enough to show on the ground or wheel.
One Lotus specialist of 20 years standing kept banging on about his own skills and after using him once I only noticed he hadn't tapped the brake pad pins in 2 week later on a French autoroute. DapperDanMan said:
So working on your own Aston as far as this sub forum is concerned is a bit of an underground activity.
What a wonderful notion, it conjures up the image of some Mordor like sub-sub forum inhabited by Fred Dibnah impersonators.So basically, yes servicing your own car will put a ton of people off at resale and probably lose you some money, but only you can work out if the costs are offset by long term ownership, or it's simply worth it because you enjoy it.
George29 said:
B4rnst4ble said:
would I buy any car which has been home serviced... no!
Same here. Not because the jobs are particularly complex, more because you don't know who's done it or what standard they've done it to. The money it will wipe off the value would pretty much cover the services However, I assume you check the qualifications and experience of all the 'mechanics' that work on your cars in the dealership ? Or do you leave that to them and you just trust they know what they are doing ? I'm sure you've seen enough posts on here where there has been issues with quality of work performed at these very expensive dealerships (AM app. £175 per hour..........). I bet in every dealers there will be a mix of 'old boys' who know the cars inside out, new guys from other car makes, trainees and apprentices etc.
I'm happy and confident to perform simple tasks on my car and if I ever sell it, then will price it accordingly. If some potential buyer wasn't happy with some work done at home, then so be it. At least I have the inside knowledge of my car and could explain the specific details of whats been done (and documented), rather than just showing a stamped book.
I know that when a car gets to a certain age, the lack of dealership stamps isn't as important when coming to sell as long as you can demonstrate the car has been serviced, looked after etc. A lot of the time, you can tell from speaking to the current owner.
No, I wouldn't check the qualifications, I never even mentioned anything about them.
However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
Here we go again with these 2.Full of negativity.
They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
George29 said:
B4rnst4ble said:
would I buy any car which has been home serviced... no!
Same here. Not because the jobs are particularly complex, more because you don't know who's done it or what standard they've done it to. The money it will wipe off the value would pretty much cover the services George29 said:
No, I wouldn't check the qualifications, I never even mentioned anything about them.
However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
I agree that you would be covered if work was done by a dealer and you cant trust everyone......(For example buying a car that Jeremy Clarkson had built/worked on---or just hit with a hammer) However, I suppose my opinion is biased as someone who has more experience/qualifications than some of the people working at the dealers.However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
Car mad enthusiast said:
Here we go again with these 2.Full of negativity.
They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
So we aren't allowed an opinion on a question that was asked? I've listed the reasons why I wouldn't buy a car that was home serviced. They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
Clearly you are correct though - I know nothing about cars. I only design F1 cars for a living
Ultimately it's each to their own.
For me though if a dealer f
ked something up then it's on them, not my problem in the slightest.....that kind of peace of mind is worth a lot of £ to me. My first V8 Vantage had the timing chain leak, owned the car for less than a month (private purchase) and faced a £2.5k bill.
The key thing here is nobody is trying to say you can't or shouldn't do the work yourself, but don't be surprised if you get hammered at resale (as you will). It's long been the case that a solid maintenance history enhances the value or at the very least the sale-ability of prestige marques. Nobody is saying that's right or wrong, it's just how it is.
Remember we're not talking about a nut and bolt restoration of a classic here, that's totally different and a fully photographed documented history will enhance the vehicle . We're talking about a ten year old (or so) Vantage and routine maintenance......very very different scenarios. The buyer of the classic will be interested in the loving restoration work, the buyer of the Vantage will just want to be sure the car isn't fked.
In the end it's simple.......dealer/indy stamps and invoices = solid comeback if there's an issue. Bloke in garage saying he's done it all himself and he's a good mechanic = no comeback if the head goes and writes the car off.
You pay your money you take your choice.....simple.
For me though if a dealer f
ked something up then it's on them, not my problem in the slightest.....that kind of peace of mind is worth a lot of £ to me. My first V8 Vantage had the timing chain leak, owned the car for less than a month (private purchase) and faced a £2.5k bill.The key thing here is nobody is trying to say you can't or shouldn't do the work yourself, but don't be surprised if you get hammered at resale (as you will). It's long been the case that a solid maintenance history enhances the value or at the very least the sale-ability of prestige marques. Nobody is saying that's right or wrong, it's just how it is.
Remember we're not talking about a nut and bolt restoration of a classic here, that's totally different and a fully photographed documented history will enhance the vehicle . We're talking about a ten year old (or so) Vantage and routine maintenance......very very different scenarios. The buyer of the classic will be interested in the loving restoration work, the buyer of the Vantage will just want to be sure the car isn't f
ked.In the end it's simple.......dealer/indy stamps and invoices = solid comeback if there's an issue. Bloke in garage saying he's done it all himself and he's a good mechanic = no comeback if the head goes and writes the car off.
You pay your money you take your choice.....simple.
George29 said:
No, I wouldn't check the qualifications, I never even mentioned anything about them.
However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
But you can save money / cut corners when using a mechanic - it proves nothing.However I would be more assured that it was done to a relevant standard than some bloke selling a car telling me he's done it himself but it's ok because he's a good mechanic. It could be done by someone to the required standard, or it could have been done by someone that's saved money and cut corners. Also if anything was wrong after the service at a dealer you can always go back and they will sort it if it's their fault. I'd rather have the peace of mind.
By coincidence one of my cars is being serviced today. I've been told about a couple of issues which I could ignore to save money - at least one of which <could> potentially cause big bills in future if ignored. But I'd get a nice stamp in my service history regardless of whether I got it done or not - and there would be zero comeback on the garage for any future owner of I told them not to do it.
ETA : I'm guessing most of us still want the annual service and stamp in the book - I do. But that doesn't mean that I want to pay £100+ an hour for routine jobs like brake pads that I know I can do myself.
The irony is, as long as it has FSH the majority of buyers would have absolutely no clue who did the jobs like that - whether it's me, an AM mechanic or Joe's back Street garage.
Doing your own servicing and not even getting the annual stamp is rarer - still OK in my opinion, but would certainly reduce potential buyers and price of it happened over several years I suspect.
Edited by davek_964 on Tuesday 28th March 11:15
Steve w said:
Looking at getting into Aston ownership for the first time and one thing I do like doing is doing all the servicing, maintenance etc on my own cars. Question is, does anyone actually work on their own cars and if so is it a negative when selling? How well are the cars catered for partswise by specialists.
You're not the Steve W I bought a 348GTS off are you? If so I'd say your work would be just as detrimental to resale as it was for that car i.e. not at all and actually a positive thing...It used to be that the owners manual for a vehicle would detail the basic consumable maintenance expected that an owner may do i.e. change a plug/filter/oil/pads etc but this seems not the case these days. You are shown how to check essentials and if it needs changing go to the dealer/indy.
With a workshop manual and well equipped home garage, Im happy changing consumables myself and some problems that are easy fixes like various sensors, trim etc.
Anything that needs AM diagnostics or a 4 post lift, it has to go to indy/dealer
With a workshop manual and well equipped home garage, Im happy changing consumables myself and some problems that are easy fixes like various sensors, trim etc.
Anything that needs AM diagnostics or a 4 post lift, it has to go to indy/dealer
do you really mean "any" work? If a bulb blows on your car, or a fuse - would you really take it to a mechanic?
That is the relationship you build up with your indie garage, maybe they charge you maybe they don't if they know you use them they may probably take the bigger picture
How do you know I don't know how to do things?
B4rnst4ble said:
do you really mean "any" work? If a bulb blows on your car, or a fuse - would you really take it to a mechanic?
That is the relationship you build up with your indie garage, maybe they charge you maybe they don't if they know you use them they may probably take the bigger picture
How do you know I don't know how to do things?
For me anything that I consider to be mechanically important (fundamental to the working of the car) then I'd get a dealer/indy to sort it. Bulbs etc then defo not, the car isn't go to go bang if I get that wrong....although I might stack it with no lights That is the relationship you build up with your indie garage, maybe they charge you maybe they don't if they know you use them they may probably take the bigger picture
How do you know I don't know how to do things?
I don't think anyone on here is saying they wouldn't change the wiper blades themselves, but these aren't the sort of things the next buyer is going to want to know though, they will want to know about routine servicing, warranty work and clutch replacement etc. The stuff that costs real money when things go wrong.
Just a common sense approach really.
George29 said:
Car mad enthusiast said:
Here we go again with these 2.Full of negativity.
They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
So we aren't allowed an opinion on a question that was asked? I've listed the reasons why I wouldn't buy a car that was home serviced. They both very clearly know NOTHING about cars and have plenty of money to let main dealers take them for a ride. More fool them and enjoy handing it over to them and all us Enthusiastic and very much capable owners will continue to maintain our pride and joys to the exceptionally high standards in which we do and will be satisfied with which is more than can be said for main dealers who don't give a toss and just want your money.
Cheers
Clearly you are correct though - I know nothing about cars. I only design F1 cars for a living
B4rnst4ble said:
davek_964 said:
I'm curious - when you say "I for one would rather use a trusted indie to do any work" - do you really mean "any" work? If a bulb blows on your car, or a fuse - would you really take it to a mechanic?
Some of the routine servicing stuff - e.g. changing an air filter - is probably simpler and quicker than getting to the cabin fuses.
That is the relationship you build up with your indie garage, maybe they charge you maybe they don't if they know you use them they may probably take the bigger picture Some of the routine servicing stuff - e.g. changing an air filter - is probably simpler and quicker than getting to the cabin fuses.
How do you know I don't know how to do things?
My point was that it's very unusual for people to take a car to the mechanic to get bulbs / wipers / fuses changed. Some people do, but most don't. And although far fewer people would change the filters or the brake pads - there is actually relatively little mechanical ability needed for those things. Hence the idea that you need a specialist to do them really isn't true.
This thread does seem slightly odd. Many of us are saying we do routine stuff like brakes etc. - and yet some people seem to interpret that as "I'd rebuild the engine and hope for the best if I needed to". There might be some people who are happy to carry out that level of work at home - and the OP might be one of them - but there is a much bigger number of people, myself included - who are happy to do plenty of stuff at home to reduce running costs but still want the annual stamp in the book - and would not do big major mechanical jobs.
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