How do you service your own car without a garage/driveway?

[Rhymingmechanic]

I park on crushed gravel behind my house, so some jobs are hard to do there. I have used the employee parking lot of a nearby post office to rotate tires and change shocks--on Sunday or after hours. I saw an S-10 in that lot with the bed tipped up for about a week. Somebody must have been changing their fuel pump.

During college, I did oil changes in a campus parking lot. Some work is OK curbside as long as the street isn't busy. I changed a starter that way, but this was on a slant-six Mopar where the starter is accessible from the top. (I got a lot of practice with an Autozone "lifetime warranty" starter. I changed one in a few minutes outside the store.)

A job that can't be finished right away would be a bit more complicated, since you would need a place you could leave the car but still get to it easily.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted by mclasser
In working-class neighborhoods, I've seen people doing all sorts of repairs in AZ and AAP parking lots.

Where I live, that's common.

My old landlord had his maintenance guy stay behind my building but as long as I ask nicely he didn't have a problem with me doing anything that didn't involve draining fluids or major. The building changed hands(his brother) but he's also a bit slummy so I can still get away with this.

 

[marc1]

Originally Posted by y_p_w
I'm just wondering how people do this living in places that don't allow renters to work on their own cars.


Your post took me, fondly, back in time to my apartment days. I did the work in the parking lot (carefully, quietly and no mess) but still got busted eventually and received a warning letter. So I then used to go to the U-Wrench business down the road. So you might want to see if such a business is in your city. I looked my old one up for fun just now and they are still there. The rates are a little more than they were 35 years ago but still decent $16 (cdn) / hr flat bay, $20 (cdn) / hr hoist bay. I did a quick look in San Francisco and those types of businesses are there too.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Tahoe4Life
Not if you live in a HOA. The condo commandos are always blundering around 24/7 watching your every move.


Here we go. Don't like the rules, don't live there. Problem solved.

If you see other people are doing car stuff in the parking lot then feel free. If not then you take your chances.

Isn't this America? What would anybody live in a restricted condo? I'm surprised they can make these condo bylaws that restrict basic freedoms. I hear the condo laws have limited "teeth". I would say, "whaddya gonna do, bad mouth me at the Social in the 19 hole tonight?" You wont see me living there - though I don't tolerate noisy kids too much these days.

I was trying to move my sick mom out of Miromar Lakes, FL a couple years ago and the condo nazi had a small white fibreglass POD removed before i had it loaded up. It Was only going to be there from Saturday to Monday afternoon. The POD company listened to the condo committee sea hag. I'm the one who had a contract with PODS!

Good thing i fear prison otherwise ....

 

[01rangerxl]

The only place I've lived where it was specifically not allowed were apartments in college that were just off campus. I just ignored the rule and had no problems, but other people did it too, and the property manager/staff had WAY bigger fish to fry.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Tahoe4Life
Not if you live in a HOA. The condo commandos are always blundering around 24/7 watching your every move.


Here we go. Don't like the rules, don't live there. Problem solved.

If you see other people are doing car stuff in the parking lot then feel free. If not then you take your chances.

Isn't this America? What would anybody live in a restricted condo? I'm surprised they can make these condo bylaws that restrict basic freedoms. I hear the condo laws have limited "teeth". I would say, "whaddya gonna do, bad mouth me at the Social in the 19 hole tonight?" You wont see me living there - though I don't tolerate noisy kids too much these days.

I own a townhouse and deal with the HOA. It's a small complex so I basically know all the other owners. I don't live there any more (rent it out) but I remember looking through the HOA covenant. Part of it includes a flat out ban on motorcycles and any commercial trucks or pickup trucks over "half ton" designation. I think it likely doesn't allow working on a vehicle in the common area. However, all the units have garages, and we're basically free to do anything in the garage as long as it doesn't affect anyone else.

Nobody is really interested in enforcing the restriction on motorcycles. When I brought it up nobody else had heard of it.

 

[atikovi]

Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
I would say, "whaddya gonna do, bad mouth me at the Social in the 19 hole tonight?"


Maybe fine you $500 a day. Don't pay and they put a lien on the property.

 

[zzyzzx]

When I lived in an apartment I would only do car repairs when the leasing office was closed.

 

[chunt]

I saw a post on another forum about someone who lived in an apartment that did not allow car repairs. He just went to a neighboring complex and did his oil changes there. The most that could have happened to him would be a trespass warning.

 

[zorobabel]

Originally Posted by chunt
I saw a post on another forum about someone who lived in an apartment that did not allow car repairs. He just went to a neighboring complex and did his oil changes there. The most that could have happened to him would be a trespass warning.

 

[Huie83]

I recently moved from a house to an apartment. The apartment has camera's all over so no DIY. I just bring by car into the shop now. Honestly, I don't miss wrenching on my daily driver one bit. I do miss wrenching on cars in general, but if you live in an apartment you probably shouldn't have a project car anyways