Percentage of people that do their own vehicle maintenance at home.

[02SE]

I have a few neighbors nearby. None of them do their own maintenance. I do our cars and bikes, and the kids bring theirs by for me to do when it's time. I have my tools from my car repair days, and a lift which makes things much easier.

No HOA to deal with. But the garage can't be seen from the public road anyway.

I should add that our few neighbors are friends, and have told me that they don't work on their cars. To their credit, none have ever asked me to do their maintenance.

Now I do know a guy about a mile away, he does all of his own maintenace. He's a Dentist who is obsessed with his Miata race cars, FZJ 80 Landcruisers, and Kirkham 427 Cobra.

 

[Bubblewhale]

I think it depends where you look at, and your community/friend group with it. Back when I was in school, I used to do my own car work along with my friends since we couldn't really afford much more than RA part pricing. It was quite common in my college town where it was either take it to the shop, neglect work, or do work yourself. I encountered more people who did their own work than the shop type.

 

[opus1]

Wouldn't surprise me if some busy body HOAs prohibit folks from working on cars in their driveways. Where I live currently I never see any neighbors working on their cars, but that could just be me not paying attention.

Very likely. I think I've posted this before so here's the Cliff's Notes version; my first place was a townhouse, and since the complex was brand new and I was new to the area, I joined the rules committee to get to know people. There was a lot of discussion about personal auto repair and the final version of the rule was that no vehicle maintenance that could result in automotive fluids spilling on the driveway would be allowed. I guess technically that means one couldn't even fill their washer bottle, but the intent of the rule was to prevent someone from doing major body work/painting and, unfortunately, oil changes.

I had to change the alternator on my old GMC truck and it was literally take off the serpentine belt, unplug the alternator, and remove a couple of bolts. I'm in the process of putting things back together and the neighborhood Kevin came by to tell me that I was breaking the rules by repairing my truck. I told him that I helped write the rules, cited the rule in question, specifically pointing out that there were no automotive fluids being released on the pavement, but if it would make him feel better, I was willing to let him use my phone to call the property manager to complain. I also pointed out that I'd have been done already if I didn't have to stop to talk to him.

He didn't take me up on that for some reason.

Back on-topic; in my case, the spirit is willing but lack of time causes me to take the vehicles in for even simple things like oil changes. Given the cost of the last couple of changes, though, I think I should try to make time again.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Wouldn't surprise me if some busy body HOAs prohibit folks from working on cars in their driveways. Where I live currently I never see any neighbors working on their cars, but that could just be me not paying attention.

My HOA prohibits work in the driveway. Honestly that is what the garage is for. Every house here has a garage so I really have no clue who works on their own and who doesn't. If it corelates with the people that mow there own lawn its not many.

I do occasionally fiddle with something in the driveway but not much.

 

[nomas]

I don't see anybody around me do their own maintenance but that doesn't mean they don't . I just can't see their whole driveway or garage . Within ten miles of me there are nine independent shops that do maintenance and some of those do full blown repairs up to and including engine or transmission swaps . All of them stay busy . There is also a WM Tire and Auto center that is usually lined up .

 

[Fitter30]

Between hoa subdivisions and apartment and condo complexes they don't want u to even check your oil. Unless in a garage with the door closed. And if there is enough of them there will be as many carwashes as Walgreens and CVS in the neighborhood.

 

[PF52]

I suppose if I were looking to open my own shop, I'd look for available properties as close to an HOA subdivision as the local zoning allows. As they say, location, location, location!

 

[Lubener]

I don't know the percentage but I would say it's very low. I know very few people who actually change their own oil or do any maintenance.

 

[Dr_Dr3i]

I have mostly always done my own maintenance work, and I've lived in a couple condos and for the past 6+ years in a single-family home. The locations have ranged from city to suburbs to now mostly countryside. The biggest factor is having the tools, space, and being informed on how to do what needs to be done. I think after that comes finding/making the time to do the work.

Even so, in my current neighborhood I'm the only one that works on their cars, so it's definitely a dwindling minority of us. And we just happen to also be on BITOG, as well as car/truck-specific forums for that detailed info we need, not to mention YT.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

There are only 2 "fixes" to tip this discussion either way: 1. Make bulk lubes used at DIFY places even cheaper, dropping prices so low that one would be hard-pressed to justify it on their own; or, 2. drop shelf prices low enough that anybody DIY would buy the shelf oil and do it themselves.

 

[UncleDave]

I do all the fluids, rotations, and brakes.

Dealer/shop does anything inside an engine, trans or suspension work.

 

[dogememe]

So many people either live in apartments or homes in HOAs so they simply can not do it. Even those in HOA places that have a garage, well, 3/4 the people I know with garages have stuff in there so the car wouldn't even fit - me included (all though I'm working on it)...

But, I work at a parts store, people come in and buy stuff all day, so clearly many people do still work on their own cars. However, having been there for almost 10 years, I can see the changing trends. Less and less routine maintenance as cars get newer and more and more repair parts. Expensive repair parts.

10 years ago I'd sell what I would call a "tune up kit" multiple times a day. Cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel filter, oil change, etc. Now I can go multiple days without selling a single set of that stuff. Those types of cars have mostly aged out. On most modern cars you change the plugs every 100K and do oil changes and that's really it.

Same thing with batteries. I think when I started I did at least one battery install a day for a customer. The cars people were bringing in for battery changes were easy and required maybe two minutes of time and a 10mm wrench and that's it. Now, so many cars require specialty tools, computer reset or reprogramming, or are simply too involved - for example, Ford Escapes. 1st and 2nd gen Escapes - 5 minutes tops to put in a battery. 3rd gen Escapes - sorry we can't do it, you have to take half the car apart to get to it. And if we can't do it in 5 minutes in the parking lot, most people don't have the resources to do it in their garage either, and have to take it to a shop or the dealer. Anyway, now I can probably go a whole week without doing a battery install because a huge % of cars are not OK for us to swap batteries in.

 

[demarpaint]

I'm the only person on my dead end who does any work on their cars.

 

[KrisZ]

I live in a pretty nice neighborhood with an HOA to boot, and I see people doing their own maintenance regularly. I wouldn't say I see it a lot, but enough that I notice. So you never really know and cannot assume by the socioeconomic status alone.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I live in a pretty nice neighborhood with an HOA to boot, and I see people doing their own maintenance regularly. I wouldn't say I see it a lot, but enough that I notice. So you never really know and cannot assume by the socioeconomic status alone.

I live in a Hoyti toity HOA neighbourhood also. I do all my own - in the garage.

There used to be a guy down the street that was always working on someone's car - with the garage door up (The HORROR! LOL.). Against the rules but no one complained. He moved. There was also a guy a couple blocks up restoring a first gen land cruiser. I stopped and talked to him also. He also moved. So there are people doing so. Again the survey I posted a couple months ago said 10-20%, so thats a lot of folks.

 

[Shel_B]

Is it just my perception or does it seem like fewer people are handling their own oil changes and vehicle maintenance at home ? In this crowd it seems pretty high but have the normal people moved more to having it done by a shop ?

When I moved from my home to an apartment, it became pretty much impossible to continue doing the maintenance and small repairs that I'd been doing. That, and it's now more difficult physically, to crawl around under the car for oil changes. So, I now use a shop. I miss my garage but I don't lament not doing home repairs and maintenance. Two steps forward, one step back.

 

[cptbarkey]

I live in a well established mix blue/white collar early 90s neighborhood, close by there is 1 who professionally restores 70s cars for a living, and several houses down a retiree who enjoys working on OPE, and a few others that I see do handyman stuff. I'm probably the only one who regularly works on vehicles (mostly in winter time) for the past 15 years, out of a few hundred people.

 

[brandon9715]

In general, I would think it is declining, but it’s highly regional. In a rural setting like where I am, as strong as ever.

 

[zzyzzx]

The 'automotive' section in my local Target store has shrunk to wiper blades and car wash. What does that mean?

It means that they can't compete with Walmart.

 

[alarmguy]

HOA's mostly forbid working on your vehicles. Reasonable ones wont bother you if it's an occasional thing and your vehicle is not left up on ramps or look incapacitated in anyway.
Anyway, I do my own maintenance on bike, boat and cars, oil, filters and brakes (however extremely rare with brakes on the cars) I dont think its as much as I love doing it anymore more than I find it easier to do it myself and the right way all while being faster not having to deal with an establishment. I do have transmission fluid flush done by a car dealer. Required maintenance on my 17 Traverse with tow package every 45k or so.

With all that said, people dont work on their own cars anymore. (except me and a very few others) in the last two communities I lived in over 20 years. Gosh many decades ago stores would fill their center isles with a wide selection of oil displays. Heck, didnt even hear of oil change places back then.
Most dont but cut their own lawns either and go into a panic if their landscaper quits or doesnt show up and we wonder why the population is so overweight.