At 74 I do everything that needs to be done except changing tires. I let the tire shop put on new tires. And always have. I would dread pulling an engine now and rebuilding it.
Over 70 and still wrenching your own vehicles
- Thread starter Donald
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74 and still doing all the vehicle maintenance. When I was 70, I designed and made a spring compressor to assemble and install front springs and shocks for a 2011 4Runner. Now, 4 years later, I'm not so sure I could remove and reinstall the front struts because KDSS makes the work harder. I also enjoy building computers including a NAS I made from older hardware.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Pipes won't help getting the tires back on the truck. I use the usual tricks but have to be careful of my back.
Yeah, brain writing checks the body can't cover.
Keep moving you old goats, do what you can.
71 and still do my own work....
I'm 73 and had to admit that I can't do a lot of that anymore. Wrenched to some extent since my early 20's. I started doing much more involved things in my 50's on a number of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Last year I sold my last motorcycle and a long time owned old truck due to age and health. Gut wrenching to sell the truck after the time and money put into it for 7 years. A fortune in extra parts went with it essentially for free. Reliable driver, but I hadn't even started on cosmetics. Except for motorcycle work, all that I did for the last 20 years has been outdoors on an unpaved driveway.
As much as I once loved doing work on our vehicles, I’ve slowed way down not only due to age but physical ability(hand, back, knees hurt) and I just don’t want to do the work that I used to do. It's not that I am ill, just sore after I've been on the ground for too long.
I love to save the money and to do the job more complete & thorough than many techs however I don’t plan on keeping vehicles as long as I used to(10-15 yrs). Now I only want to keep them during the warranty or a little longer.
And, I want to do other activities than always working on older vehicles just to keep'em those few extra years as I did when I was younger. Other activities such as gardening/yard work, cooking, biking, working out and those few repairs around the house, etc. I don't want to be laying on my back for way too long and getting up all frikken dizzy...
anymore!
I still love the general maintenance on my vehicles and probably always will. That regular maintenance that so many people go out an pay someone to do such as OCI's/fluid changes, tire rotations and brakes. I love doing my own brakes!
And I still love washing/detailing my vehicles. But now, I do it without all of that hard maintenance and buffers/polishers. I vacuum them, wash'em/dry'em and spritz on some QD...DONE!
I love to save the money and to do the job more complete & thorough than many techs however I don’t plan on keeping vehicles as long as I used to(10-15 yrs). Now I only want to keep them during the warranty or a little longer.
And, I want to do other activities than always working on older vehicles just to keep'em those few extra years as I did when I was younger. Other activities such as gardening/yard work, cooking, biking, working out and those few repairs around the house, etc. I don't want to be laying on my back for way too long and getting up all frikken dizzy...
anymore!I still love the general maintenance on my vehicles and probably always will. That regular maintenance that so many people go out an pay someone to do such as OCI's/fluid changes, tire rotations and brakes. I love doing my own brakes!
And I still love washing/detailing my vehicles. But now, I do it without all of that hard maintenance and buffers/polishers. I vacuum them, wash'em/dry'em and spritz on some QD...DONE!
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I'm 78 and last week I changed the rear hub and bearing on my wife's 2012 Mazda 5. Also will be changing the right front bearing on the same car. After 158K they are making a little noise. A month ago I replaced the front hub on our 05 Yukon 4x4, After 228k miles. 3 days ago charged up the Yukon AC. I looses a can/year. Can't find the leak and has rear AC too. If you quit doing you rust out. Also had to repair the Norcold 2 way fridge in our Coach House Motor home. I think it was struck by lightning. Replaced all the little components that fried on the circuit board. I stay busy all the time but make time for my 2 grand daughters.
I'm still wrenching at 85, body strength seems to be the limiting factor and getting up and down. Having a goffer to fetch tools helps a whole bunch.
Smoky
Smoky
dnewton3
Staff member
We already have a thread going about folks who are "old" (that's a relative term) and wrench on their stuff ...
We don't need a thread for someone in each decade of their life.
See this thread: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/guys-over-50-doing-maintenance.394223/
This one is locked.
We don't need a thread for someone in each decade of their life.
See this thread: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/guys-over-50-doing-maintenance.394223/
This one is locked.
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