I miss 3k oil changes and greasing my cars!

If you’re missing those days buy a classic car with a points distributor & 4 bbl carb & have fun! Or buy an older boat with an I/O power package same thing. I use my 1970s backyard mechanic skills maintaining my 1988 Four Winns with the Chevy 4.3 V6, points distributor & 4 bbl Quadrajet.
What’s good about that?
All the parts are out there in the aftermarket no electronic mystery ECMs that later EFI boats have…that get DISCONTINUED after about 15 years. So what happens to those guys? They ask how to convert BACK to a carb!!! Yes it’s true I helped a few people do that. GM marine intake manifold, Holley or Edelbrock 4bbl carb and Delco EST marine ignition.
 
R&R = remove'n repair.
Not today, just get a new one "Replace" (often rebuilt - poorly, of inferior quality, unavailable, etc).
Lower labor cost? Higher charges? yes but not as durable. BUT...
how many repair the typical component today? Can U re-do a starter, alternater, caliper, H2O pump, etc?
 
Find yourself a 76 Maverick or Volare and relive the good old days.
 
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Old school tune up on a GM Marine Chevrolet 4.3 V6, Prestolite points distributor with mechanical advance, Quadrajet 4bbl (most advanced 4bbl carb even compared to what's made today by Holley and Edelbrock)....Easy stuff. Just try to un-ravel a problem with EFI if you have one.
Setting dwell, idle and timing old school auto shop 101.JPG
 
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A careful reading of at least several Toyota manuals suggests the same thing.
yup. But you gotta love the interpretations of the Toyota manual here on BITOG. Annual OCIs for low mileage, Since 0w20 is meant for cold starrts and MPG, the manual does not say it tempers increased engine wear, thus 15w40.
 
While waiting for the oil to drain out of my car I realized I missed the old days where I would change oil every 3k and grease the car at the same time. While under there I would look around and see if anything needed attention. Now my cars just need an oil change every 10k or so. I do appreciate the lower maintenance but I feel my connection with my cars has been lost...
When we were first married (84) we both had Fords with the 200 straight six. Both the drain plug and filter could be reached from on top. That and a shot of grease on the tie rods ends and off you went for 3000 miles
 
While waiting for the oil to drain out of my car I realized I missed the old days where I would change oil every 3k and grease the car at the same time. While under there I would look around and see if anything needed attention. Now my cars just need an oil change every 10k or so. I do appreciate the lower maintenance but I feel my connection with my cars has been lost...
The majority of vehicle owners are not looking for a connection with their vehicle's undercarriage these days.
 
Sounds from someone with too much time on their hands. You could always land a job at a quick lube and restore that connection all day long.
The quick lube places don't lube these days. A few years ago I took my scout to a quick lube place. They couldn't find the grease gun,when they did it was empty and they didn't know how to load it. After I showed them how the guy went right to my brake bleeders and tried to pump grease in them.
 
I see why you’re called The Critic. I have 235,000 miles on the original set of ball joints with zerks on my Chevy truck. The trick is you actually have to grease them to get the benefit. ;)
Hey, I've some grease fittings on the Camry. You're right, they need attention. One thing I recommend is to put caps on the fittings to keep out dirt and grit. I did that when the fittings were installed.

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I see why you’re called The Critic. I have 235,000 miles on the original set of ball joints with zerks on my Chevy truck. The trick is you actually have to grease them to get the benefit. ;)
My Toyota has 230,000 miles on the original ball joints. Zero grease fittings. The polymer sockets work fine when properly engineered.
 
R&R = remove'n repair.
Not today, just get a new one "Replace" (often rebuilt - poorly, of inferior quality, unavailable, etc).
Lower labor cost? Higher charges? yes but not as durable. BUT...
how many repair the typical component today? Can U re-do a starter, alternater, caliper, H2O pump, etc?
Those items (starter, alternater, caliper, H2O pump) do not seem to break with the frequency that they once did. I suspect quite a high percentage of new cars that have lasted 200k miles have never replaced one of these items.
 
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