Sufficiently skilled to do most jobs I need/want to do. Anything more would be a bit braggadocious.
How good of a mechanic are you?
- Thread starter ZZman
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
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I can basically do anything that doesn’t require a lift or specialty tool I don’t have.
+1 Sometimes when I see the shoddy quality some shops do, I thing the best mechanic I know is myself.
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Caring wise I am at least a 5 and maybe even a 6. If there is a best quality way, fluid, and or part, that is what is done/used to do a job if I do it. I have a ( 1/2 inch and a 3/8 inch and a 1/4 inch ) drive torque wrench, and there are plenty of " mechanics " who do not even know how to use one. I have seen way too many repairs on my vehicles over the years when I let others work on them where something was not done correctly, or tools were left in the area the work was done, or it could of been done better. That certainly is not going to happen if I do a job on my vehicle.
Knowledge wise I am usually a 4 but that varies between a 2, 3, 4, or 5 depending on what the job is. I certainly will do my homework and learn as much as I can about doing a repair that is something I never have done before, before I do it if that is the case. Lately that has been YouTube most of the time. And one thing about YouTube is you must watch several videos. There are sometimes one or more things someone does someway that is not the best way of doing it, and others show better ways of doing it. And there are also a few who have no idea of what they are doing and still post a video that they had no business posting because they were totally wrong, such as one young man who though he knew how to set a torque-wrench and was totally wrong, and went on to preach his incorrect way of setting one.
Actually doin a job, I am a 3 because I only do a job myself now days if the weather permits, because I do not have access to a garage anymore, and work on my vehicle outside. And that limitation, along with my bad back limiting when I can actually do a job, along with just finding the time to do a job, has resulted in me doing less of the work myself over the years. So I am not doing enough work often enough my self to be as competent as I could be if I did all the work all the time. When I was in my 20's I was not limited by my back, and had access to a nice 4 car garage that was 2 trucks wide and 2 trucks deep and therefore did more work on my own vehicle myself.
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I still remember the time I welded the frame rails of a replacement back bumper and rails onto a friends car and it was later totaled by being slammed in the back, and he told me about it and that everyone of my welds held. When we did that job, I had him V grind EVERY junction of old meets the replacement newer metal, and then I filled in the V of each with a gas welder because the electric was broken at that time. When welds are abused like that and they all hold, something was done right.
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Kestas
Staff member
I am very proficient with my own cars.
6. 18 years experience, 15 ASE certifications, teach for 2 training companies. My specialty is diagnostics and programming but I do everything but internal transmission repairs past the valvebody. I overhaul engines in house and do rust repair in house.
Somewhere between 4 and 5 on the car lines I am familiar with.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
While I consider myself a shadetree, I can pretty much do anything if I look at the FSM, and if I don't have access to that, can pretty much always figure it out. Definitely not @clinebarger or @Trav level of skill, but definitely better than a lot of techs employed in the industry.
2.5 
3 here.
3.5 on a good day. Nowadays, brakes, alternators, etc. are about as far as I go. But I am uber strict about fluids, which buys me a lot.
I'd say a 3.25-3.5 most days.
#3 past days
But I dont do any work on cars anymore due to age.
Mr. Plastic is now my go to mechanic.
I do change out wiper blades, air filters, cabin air filters,etc.
I'm a part swapper with a code reader, so I could be a 5 or 2! 
I haven't had to go into an engine or trans on a car and I probably will draw the line there. My buddy is a 4.5 with lots of tools so anything I'm nervous about gets done at his place.
I haven't had to go into an engine or trans on a car and I probably will draw the line there. My buddy is a 4.5 with lots of tools so anything I'm nervous about gets done at his place.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
IDK. I can do anything required to check, change on suspension or outside engine before track day. It is a must as I don’t have money or time to take car to mechanic to inspect suspension or brakes before every track day. Not to mention potentially doing work on site if something fails.
Lack of lift is making me take car for some things that are not as complex. I think i will get that quickjack bcs. it would allow me to do much more.
So maybe 3-4.
Lack of lift is making me take car for some things that are not as complex. I think i will get that quickjack bcs. it would allow me to do much more.
So maybe 3-4.
Maybe a 3 or 2.75??? I haven't had to rebuild an engine. The transmission in the caravan crapped out this past winter. @OVERKILL hooked me up with a tech that gave me a great price to repair the torque converter and replace the flex plate while he was in there.
I will try almost anything, I don't have a hoist or an acetelyne torch, but I can do most of the repairs needed on my vehicles.
I will try almost anything, I don't have a hoist or an acetelyne torch, but I can do most of the repairs needed on my vehicles.
That's a tough question. I pretty much have to teach myself anything new that comes up. And I'm slow at wrenching until I've done the job several times. So something that would take a good pro 2 hours would take me 2 days of studying and wrenching. So a very slow 3 or 4.
I'm a 3/4, and smart enough to farm stuff out sometimes.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
I identify as a 3+
3 maybe a 4. I can weld, do internal engine work, leave trans to the pros. Body work for the most part to the pros. I have done some minor paint work, but i really shouldn't.
But
But
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