DIY or experienced mechanic?

[Chris Crash]

I was just wondering out of all the people on this site that have all these mod's and custom things on their car's, how many of you actually do it yourself?

['_']

For me:
Intake - installed with the help from a few friends
Cat-back Exhaust - installed at a local muffler shop since I didn't have the tools and piping
Tint - poorly done job at a Tint place in Rosemead (Mazz Autosport)
Springs - installed at shop (mechanic broke ABS sensor/wire)
Wheels - Me and some friends put these on; a tire place aligned/balanced them
Headlights - installed myself (just attached a few wires to the turn signals and screwed some bolts in)
Gauge cluster - took the green covers off the stock bulbs; painted needles red then changed them back to clear
I put an air freshener and a few stickers on the car by myself.

[bigbird]

well in my case i got my car with the supercharger on it already but i tend to do 90% of work myself. only things i cant do are body work and welding(no welder).

[Chris Crash]

I suppose I can't start this thread without stating my personal stance, am I right?

All the work that has been done on my Camry since I've been in possession of it has been done by myself, mostly, and with the help of a few.

Let's see now, what all have I done?

I replaced the clutch, flywheel, all the seals and shift linkages.
New front axles/tie rods.
Alarm system installed.
Fog lights installed.
Cherry bomb exhaust installed, but the sweet part is that now the tail pipe comes out right before the passenger's rear tire. And, of course, it has a chrome tip on it.
Replaced windshield.
Cold air intake.
New starter.
New, larger throttle body.
New master/slave cylinders.
New driver's side mirror...'cause I backed into a gate...

Of course, oil changes and such.

[Tom 2000]

If it doesn't require some non-standard tools, equipment or skills, I do it myself.

With a good set of tools, you can do a lot. I've done general maintenance (oil/fluid changes, brakes, tune up) as well as a little bit of bodywork & paint.

Most of the custom work I've done (as well as a lot of other folks) is around stereo. You start with a new deck, then off to speakers, amps and it just snowballs from there.

When you do work yourself, not only you save money, but learn about the car and things work. You build upon your skills and the more you do (even routine maitenance), the opportunity for learning increases.

I started with the simple things and as I gained confidence in my skills, I worked myself to tackle more challenging projects.

[ELL]

Whoa pro DIYers
I've (with occasional help from some people) done the following things:

Touch up and polish car with D.A. buffer
put on trd lip kit
installed cathodes and other leds all over the place
short ram intake
installed new front headlights and sidemarkers

Other things i'm definitely bringing into shop, like tinting (when I get it done)

[cmjohnson]

I'm a moderately experienced DIY mechanic. On various cars I've worked on everything other than the short block assembly and transmission.

I'm limited by a lack of specialized tools and lift access. And when it comes to more modern cars, I'd leave
the diagnostics to a mechanic who has the computer diagnostic equipment and that related knowledge, but
once I know what needs to be removed and replaced, I'm willing to do a lot of the work.

CJ

[rebel8ball]

the only things i have ever had shops do on any of my cars
on my camry...
i let someone change the oil the first time cause i need an inspection too
i take it to a shop for tint
i take it to a shop for muff work
discount tire did the rims n tires
i let frys put in my 6x9s because at the time i didnt have this forum for help
i let a shop put in the head unit, too much of a head ache
everything else i do or a buddy of mine has done
lowering springs struts
white face glow guages
shift knob/boot
door speakers
0 guage power and ground wires
sri
wire wraps
clear corners
debadge repaint and replace the sombreros
blackout tails/spoiler lights
remove mudflaps
changed lighting color and sources
various painted bits
flip flop trunk
to do this week-replace led floor lights with ccfl mood lighting, possibly paint brake parts, find tinter (time to go all 5% again...yay for tx dps and their medical waiver for tint laws!)

[willtotheumm]

all work i've ever had done is done by myself with the assistance of my friends. The only thing i've had professionally was my Storm got re-painted.