DIY Maintenance

[Draculaw]

After being stung for £120 to do spark plugs and a single ignition coil the other day, then subsequently replacing the other 3 coils myself with 0 effort (and watching how easy plugs would've been to do) I would like to do some of my own maintenance. Nothing complex to start - possibly oil change, but air filters etc. - and build up to doing brake pads and discs in the new year, since I'm fairly certain it needs them prior to MOT. I've not got any experience with cars, but can follow instructions. However, the big problem is that I have no equipment.

At a minimum, to do my own maintenance what equipment do I need? Looking at places like Halfords, I'd need to lay out the best part of £300 for a socket set, 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drivers, torque wrench and (torx) screwdrivers. That seems like an astronomical cost and, realistically, would I actually end up saving any money? Questionable on that basis.

Any suggestions welcome for cheaper "starter" sets for maintenance or, alternatively, suggestions that I should just pay a man to do it.

Thanks!

[Draculaw]

I have a couple who could probably assist. I'm SW London/Surrey border.

Integroo said:

120 quid doesnt seem that bad!

To be fair that wasn't too annoying. There's a lot I've had to do to the car (a Cooper S) recently and I've started to develop a bit of a love hate relationship. Doing a few little things like air filters myself would be nice and satisfying.

Edited by Draculaw on Friday 23 August 15:30

[Draculaw]

Thanks all. My car is an R56 Cooper S (N18) engine and my partner’s an 02 Yaris, so no need to worry about warranty on either!

Would I be right in thinking that something like this would set me up for most basic driveway jobs:

Socket set - https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/tools/hand-tool...

Torque wrench (1/2”) - https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-torque-wrench...

Torx screwdrivers - https://www.screwfix.com/p/magnusson-tx-screwdrive...

Axle stands - https://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/tools/car-lift-...

I figure I’ll start on simple things like air/pollen filter, so don’t think any lifting kit is needed, the look at pads and discs.

[Draculaw]

Thanks for that Steveo. Kit not mandatory, but I was thinking it’d be easier starting from scratch to go with a kit rather than individual pieces. I’ll take a look through the pieces you linked

[Draculaw]

A fair point on tools being for life. I suspect they would get monthly use at most, so certainly not a lot of wear and tear.

On a slightly tangential note, does anyone know if there’s a place where one could rent a proper workshop bay and be supervised/instructed in a particular repair/modification? I know there are places to rent a bay, but not the otter part.