52 and I would do more if allowed.
guys over 50 doing maintenance
- Thread starter MaximaGuy
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73 here. Still doing fluid changes on my three vehicles: oil, AT, differential and transfer case. Also oil changes for three friends, but no brake fluid and coolant changes for disposal reasons. Much will change in the next year when I give up the two and half car garage I've had for 22 years for a single car garage in a life plan community. Still I hope to use up my oil and filter stash.
There's too much fun I want to have to give up yet. Going to get physical therapy for my ankles soon.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
As others said - make sure all tools/parts you will need are placed within reach to minimize the up’s and downs - take your time …
I don’t like dollies so I use an extra roll of paper towels as a headrest … I do use a mechanic stool for brakes or other upright jobs …
I don’t like dollies so I use an extra roll of paper towels as a headrest … I do use a mechanic stool for brakes or other upright jobs …
I was born and raised in Santa Cruz. Worked at the Beach Boardwalk for 4 years.
My problem isn't so much being social security age, as it is my retiree work ethic - I'll get to it tomorrow.
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DId rod/main bearings on my 92 chevy truck last year. Underneath. Using strips of sandpaper to tidy up crank journals! Thought I would die. Wife and I are in our 70s, we pulled the fuel tank the year before and reinstalled it. Not fun! And then, installed a custom exhaust.
Not yet.
I run out of gas quicker, 16-18hr days is about it anymore. Some days 12hrs is pushing it.
Get where I hit a "wall" and it's more productive to stop. Vastly increases the chance I'm going to screw something up or hurt myself.
Would be awesome if I didn't need to waste time on food or sleep.
I work 12hr shifts for a month straight at work. 0600-1800. By week 3 I'm starting to be running on fumes. It's fairly high stress, and physically exhausting. And I've never been a morning person, even if I try. Far more productive at 1900 than 0700.
I did one of those steps counters once and I was averaging 10-12 miles a day.
I get 2 weeks off, but I work 2 other jobs then too.
I run out of gas quicker, 16-18hr days is about it anymore. Some days 12hrs is pushing it.
Get where I hit a "wall" and it's more productive to stop. Vastly increases the chance I'm going to screw something up or hurt myself.
Would be awesome if I didn't need to waste time on food or sleep.
I work 12hr shifts for a month straight at work. 0600-1800. By week 3 I'm starting to be running on fumes. It's fairly high stress, and physically exhausting. And I've never been a morning person, even if I try. Far more productive at 1900 than 0700.
I did one of those steps counters once and I was averaging 10-12 miles a day.
I get 2 weeks off, but I work 2 other jobs then too.
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My brother's shop was on the westside off Fair and Mission. Near the Universify. Greg was known as the only sober mechanic in town.
Of course I'm just over the hill in Los Gatos. Flat out love living here.
My grand niece, one of Greg's granddaughters, works at the Boardwalk. She graduates from Soquel High this year.
Will be 80 in September ,still do fluid changes ,shocks ,belts and so on .Major repairs (thankfully very few thru the years ) I don't mess with. Ope (mowers ,tillers ) I take care of .I feel it for a few days but it goes away .
At 47, I’m starting to notice I don’t bounce back as quick and the body hurts for a couple of days after a big job. When I was younger I replaced the clutch on my S10 without a lift but if my CR-V clutch ever goes, I’m afraid that will get sent to the shop.
The last few years my lower back was getting progressively worse, to the point I thought my days of vehicle work were over, but decompression therapy has me back in decent shape.
The last few years my lower back was getting progressively worse, to the point I thought my days of vehicle work were over, but decompression therapy has me back in decent shape.
I am 70 years old and just got done doing an oil change and a CVT fluid change on my 21 Honda HRV....also cleaned the MAF sensor. I try to do all the work...Purchased a very good scanner too ....I enjoy doing my own work and dont mind laying on my back underneath my HRV.....The only thing now is I wear gloves because I tend to cut my skin easier then I did when I was younger....
20k goes quickly when buying that brand of tools. You should keep them cleaned and lubricated, and if they are far more than you need, sell them.
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A man without tools is a hostage.
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It's more the family thing, well, me I have a now 11 y.o. But back around 2018 I had the BMW on 4 jack stands, and my wife announces we had to go to an Easter Egg hunt. For whatever reason, I thought I can't leave it like that, I need to put all the wheels back on with job unfinished (even though my own driveway). Then I realized car stuff is a lower priority. I spent Labor Day 2019 doing the water pump on the Enclave. That I had to block everything out, and family had to accept it. But it's mostly considered extra curricular so it has the net effect of being unenjoyable and extra pressure. Whereas ice hockey is a more "acceptable" and actually far more enjoyable way to spend time, and it's either a father and son or family thing. Now car stuff like even an oil change is a thing I have to "sneak in."
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haha Maxima? My first new car, 1998 SE 5 speed purchased new, driven 1998-2023 (I think 2023).
I know the feeling, but I think in your case (and mine), set the tools aside the night or day before. I will put them in an old box, because probably like you I have a lot of tools. If they weren't put back from before it's going to be a PITA. So for brakes I do have the lube stuff set aside, and I'll put ratchets and sockets and pliers into a box ahead of time....less frustrating Right now as I type? It's the pads/rotors that I dread looking for (I have them in the basement for all 3 cars).
Get er did when you're ready, you'll have a sense of satisfaction!
p.s. I did have to do Enclave and Lexus brakes before state inspections in 2024 and was not at all looking forward to it. Lexus even snapped a caliper bolt. Pad slapped, coulda done the rotors too, again all in the basement, somewhere
91 in Sep and still enjoy changing oil/filters on Audi & MB using an evacuator. Filters are canister, on top of engines and easy to change.
Run them thru car wash and use spray wax several times a year. The truck goes to local shop for its changes. The Can Am is the hardest but with it on low ramps I'm able to lay down and drain the oil. The Filter is also a canister and a side panel has to be popped off to get at it. As said by others, it gives me a sense of satisfaction maintaining what I can.
Tractor is easy to drop the drains underneath which are at least a foot and half off ground and filter sticks out the side.
Run them thru car wash and use spray wax several times a year. The truck goes to local shop for its changes. The Can Am is the hardest but with it on low ramps I'm able to lay down and drain the oil. The Filter is also a canister and a side panel has to be popped off to get at it. As said by others, it gives me a sense of satisfaction maintaining what I can.
Tractor is easy to drop the drains underneath which are at least a foot and half off ground and filter sticks out the side.
I'll hit 50 this summer. As Indy said, it's not the years, it's the miles that get me.Turning 50 in 12 days! Getting started is difficult, I'll plan and purchase parts then wait for the right day weather wise. Once I get started, it's getting done. My professional work (IT) lacks the feeling of accomplishment that auto maintenance provides. That enthusiasm alone will drive a project.
What helps me:
In the last 10 years I've added air tools and battery powered tools where I used all hand tools previously.
Tools make all the difference. But so does environment and prep.
What I have found that helps immensely:
- Get a thin panel or two of foil faced isocyanurate insulation (1/2") or so to lay on, foil side up. It reflects body heat and adds a little cushioning while giving you a surface that won't absorb oil. Seriously you won't believe the difference a little reflected heat makes.
- Invest in good lighting (I love my Astro cordless LED lights with the magnetic charging base. One of those where-have-you-been-all-my-life kind of tool upgrades).
- Safety squints with cheaters in them are nice.
- Always keep the foam earplugs handy.
- Go tool-free where possible. I use an oil drain valve partly because it makes half the oil change toolless and if you're on every-other filter changes, you can spill and fill without every touching a tool.
- A good rolling stool for things like brakes is a must-have.
- Never kneel directly on concrete. Always use some kind of cushion, even if it's just some cheap HF moving blankets.
- Tools
- Leverage reduces effort. Get the extra long wrenches or breaker bars. Capri has some affordable (but good) super long handle breakers. I think my 1/2" Capri has a 30" handle. I no longer try to break something loose with a stubby little box wrench unless there's reason to think it'll work.
- Power tools reduce effort also. Cordess is growing in popularity, but it's still nowhere near air tooling for lightweight and compact size for a given power. There's simply nothing cordless that can come close to something like the SP Air Ratchet. Bonus points to SP for this superbly compact 3/8 air gun.
- Your body
- Invest in maintaining some physical strength. Not necessarily muscles, but in tendons and ligaments. Think "stability" more than strength.
- Stretch frequently for range of motion
- don't get too heavy (I'm overweight enough I can already feel it getting in my way when working)
