Learning to fix your car
Discussion
If you were going to learn how to fix cars, keep them running etc, what car would you want to learn on? I've got a 54 plate 320d but it's the family car so don't fancy getting it wrong with a wife and a newborn in it. Would you just pick a car you actually like, or something cheap that you can "play around" with?
MrK85 said:
If you were going to learn how to fix cars, keep them running etc, what car would you want to learn on? I've got a 54 plate 320d but it's the family car so don't fancy getting it wrong with a wife and a newborn in it. Would you just pick a car you actually like, or something cheap that you can "play around" with?
Sorry to be a PH cliche, but a Mk1 MX5 is a fun and easy car to learn on, but modern enough to be relevant. Start off with the basics like servicing and brakes, then move on to more interesting stuff like changing the timing belt. They are also old enough to have lots of worn out bits for you to change!Something cheap is an idea but also something that has an abundance of spares available from breakers so cheap and popular helps.
Also perhaps something that is a bit of a contrast to your daily to add a bit of interest and intensive to actually fix it ><
MX5 is a good if typical shout, just make sure you don't get a rotten one.
Also perhaps something that is a bit of a contrast to your daily to add a bit of interest and intensive to actually fix it ><
MX5 is a good if typical shout, just make sure you don't get a rotten one.
I cut my teeth on a Triumph Spitfire.
My vote would be something of that ilk as you are in a much simpler era were everything pretty much bolts on and there is not too much electronic wizardry type stuff that is full of magic smoke just waiting to escape.
Spare parts are also widely available and not that expensive.
My vote would be something of that ilk as you are in a much simpler era were everything pretty much bolts on and there is not too much electronic wizardry type stuff that is full of magic smoke just waiting to escape.
Spare parts are also widely available and not that expensive.
Oh and the best 100ish notes you will ever spend
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/socke...
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/socke...
dme123 said:
Sorry to be a PH cliche, but a Mk1 MX5 is a fun and easy car to learn on, but modern enough to be relevant. Start off with the basics like servicing and brakes, then move on to more interesting stuff like changing the timing belt. They are also old enough to have lots of worn out bits for you to change!
I would say they're a bit of a poor car to work on - the suspension is tricky because every time you replace something it needs realigning (front or rear), the timing belt and cam covers aren't a bad job, but even an oil service is a pain (who put that oil filter there?!)For me it'd be a smallish hatchback, something with McPherson front and maybe beam rear suspension that you can get mucky on and, unless you change the track rods, won't need alignment (at what, £50 a throw?)
For a benchmark OP, I bought a 106 Rallye as my first "work-on" car - it started doing a service with a Haynes manual and a £20 Draper socket set. Now I've got a garage full of tools and have done allsorts of jobs; gearbox rebuilds, cambelts, head gaskets, suspension.
The only thing I would say is to be prepared to buy a lot of tools in the beginning - rather than try and bodge it with the inappropriate tool I'd always, always buy the specific one that suits the job.
My shopping list would be:
Socket set (Halfords)
Allen key set (ball end) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/GOBEST-allen-ended-1-5-10...
Torx/hex set for a socket - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-33323-TX-Star-Hexa...
Oil filter tool (chain/strap) - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-77584-Capacity-Fil...
Big breaker bar - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-AK730B-Breaker-600...
Axle stands x 4 - https://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/a...
Trolley jack - https://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/t...
Spanners - swan-neck ring, open ended and ratcheting - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hilka-16700802-Metric-Rin...
Edited by Krikkit on Wednesday 16th May 10:21
Krikkit said:
I would say they're a bit of a poor car to work on - the suspension is tricky because every time you replace something it needs realigning (front or rear), the timing belt and cam covers aren't a bad job, but even an oil service is a pain (who put that oil filter there?!)
For me it'd be a smallish hatchback, something with McPherson front and maybe beam rear suspension that you can get mucky on and, unless you change the track rods, won't need alignment (at what, £50 a throw?)
For a benchmark OP, I bought a 106 Rallye as my first "work-on" car - it started doing a service with a Haynes manual and a £20 Draper socket set.
Now I've got a garage full of tools and have done allsorts of jobs, gearbox rebuilds, cambelts, head gaskets, suspension. The only thing I would say is to be prepared to buy a lot of tools in the beginning - rather than try and bodge it with the inappropriate tool I'd always, always buy the specific one.
I found the MX5 really nice to work on. Plus I learnt to weld on that car.For me it'd be a smallish hatchback, something with McPherson front and maybe beam rear suspension that you can get mucky on and, unless you change the track rods, won't need alignment (at what, £50 a throw?)
For a benchmark OP, I bought a 106 Rallye as my first "work-on" car - it started doing a service with a Haynes manual and a £20 Draper socket set.
Now I've got a garage full of tools and have done allsorts of jobs, gearbox rebuilds, cambelts, head gaskets, suspension. The only thing I would say is to be prepared to buy a lot of tools in the beginning - rather than try and bodge it with the inappropriate tool I'd always, always buy the specific one.
I agree about the tools. It makes life so much easier if you have good tools on hand. Build up a collection as you go. The Halfords advanced stuff is a good mix of quality and value.
If you like the car you buy you will be far more motivated to start\finish jobs...frustrating things to work on at times, but can very rewarding once complete.
Halfords Pro tools are excellent value for money and I think the majority have a lifetime guarantee; I've certainly replaced both spanners and ratchets gratis in the past
Clio 1*2s are pretty straight forward; lots of second hand parts around and a great drive...although the engine bay is a little tight.
Halfords Pro tools are excellent value for money and I think the majority have a lifetime guarantee; I've certainly replaced both spanners and ratchets gratis in the past
Clio 1*2s are pretty straight forward; lots of second hand parts around and a great drive...although the engine bay is a little tight.
bungz said:
Oh and the best 100ish notes you will ever spend
http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/socke...
They're good to cover all bases, but when I had a similar big Halfords one stolen (along with the car that it was in) I replaced with a much smaller metric socket set and another set of metric spanners (their ring ratchet ones) that covered what I use 95% of the time. http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/tools/socke...
It left plenty of money over for the odd sizes I need that don't come in those sets (eg 30mm for the rear axle nut on my motorbike, 7mm hex for Peugeot brake calipers, etc) plus a couple of longer breaker bars and it all takes up far less space.
trails said:
Clio 1*2s are pretty straight forward; lots of second hand parts around and a great drive...although the engine bay is a little tight.
They're really not, body, suspension and brakes is all straightforward yes, but that engine is a collection of complicated engineering nightmares and compromises all to extract every last possible bhp while saving every last penny. Not an easy motor to do any kind of serious work on, and they suffer from oil leaks from every possible seal and gasket so it will need taking apart at some point! Don't even get me started on dephaser pulleys, camshaft covers that also hold the cams in to save a few pence and then trying to time them up again afterwards, knowing if you're even microns out you'll be 20bhp down with a lumpy idle when you've finished 
Forgot to add, if you want a simple indestructible vehicle that will put up with ham fisted spannering, is extremely practical while being fun to use, has a great owners community for help and advice, spare parts are abundant and cheap as chips and you are almost guaranteed to make a profit on it if you sell it on, you can't go wrong with a 200/300tdi Defender.
Darkslider said:
trails said:
Clio 1*2s are pretty straight forward; lots of second hand parts around and a great drive...although the engine bay is a little tight.
They're really not, body, suspension and brakes is all straightforward yes, but that engine is a collection of complicated engineering nightmares and compromises all to extract every last possible bhp while saving every last penny. Not an easy motor to do any kind of serious work on, and they suffer from oil leaks from every possible seal and gasket so it will need taking apart at some point! Don't even get me started on dephaser pulleys, camshaft covers that also hold the cams in to save a few pence and then trying to time them up again afterwards, knowing if you're even microns out you'll be 20bhp down with a lumpy idle when you've finished This is awesome, wasn't expecting this kind of response! My wife would LOVE it if I bought a Defender and if I could get it up to scratch over time, then it's a great way to do it. Likewise with the MX5, different option but they're really cheap to buy the old ones as well. Don't have a garage with my house, so would likely rent one for pretty cheap locally. Quite excited about the opportunity to do this and always embarrassed that I know nothing about fixing cars. Used to be able to play around with my old Aprilia but that was a little smaller!!
Darkslider said:
They're really not, body, suspension and brakes is all straightforward yes, but that engine is a collection of complicated engineering nightmares and compromises all to extract every last possible bhp while saving every last penny. Not an easy motor to do any kind of serious work on, and they suffer from oil leaks from every possible seal and gasket so it will need taking apart at some point! Don't even get me started on dephaser pulleys, camshaft covers that also hold the cams in to save a few pence and then trying to time them up again afterwards, knowing if you're even microns out you'll be 20bhp down with a lumpy idle when you've finished
I just removed the engine on both of mine when I had anything challenging to work on, then just followed documentation that's all over the internet for build details\torque settings. The only time I had an issue I couldn't fix was when the loom decided to eat itself and the camshaft sensor suffered intermittent signal loss and needed to replace a wire from the sensor to the ECU :
trails said:
I just removed the engine on both of mine when I had anything challenging to work on, then just followed documentation that's all over the internet for build details\torque settings. The only time I had an issue I couldn't fix was when the loom decided to eat itself and the camshaft sensor suffered intermittent signal loss and needed to replace a wire from the sensor to the ECU :
I took the engine out of mine to do the dephaser, belts and clutch and even that was a pig. Having to dismantle the engine fuse box to get the loom out, pipes taking stupid routes so power steering systems needed draining, exhaust manifold bolts borderline inaccessible, and a complete lack of space to manoeuvre anything in or out. I'm sure you can do the belts with the engine in situ, if you have the hands of a girl and the patience of a saint!
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