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I used to have a 2.8L Turbo Diesel Mitsubishi Shogun, which has a known fault. The oil seal on the drive shaft to the mechanical fuel injector box starts to leak - letting air into the injectors and mucking up the fuel timing. So it runs like a dog, smokes like Popeye, and top end is down to about 10mph in 1/4 mile bursts ...
To change the £1.05 (including VAT and P&P) seal, drain the radiator, remove the radiator, fan, Turbo, intercooler, front engine cover, injector mechanism, and a pile of ancillary bits and bobs to allow access to those bits. Remove gear and replace seal. Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.
Time for me to do it (in a frozen cold snowy, sleety February with no garage)? 5 days.
Cost? £31.05 (I paid a specialist to remove the gear, change the seal, and refit the gear - I didn't have the right puller and it's a important timing gear).
Cost to have a garage do that? £1800
Ran like dream for another five years though ...
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
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Fair play to you for doing it mostly yourself - I'm too old to do stuff like that anymore (especially in the f***ing snow ) 
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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It wasn't a lot of fun, but the sense of satisfaction when it fires up first time, and everything - including the heater - actually works is monumental.
Would I do it again? Probably not - like you, I'm getting a little too old for scrambling under cars trying to get that the stupid bolt they hid behind-and-above the front gearbox ...
Motorcycles engines though ... I'd happily strip them down anytime!
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
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Yes, they're different, I'm planning to take the carburettors off my VFR during the winter ( full of gunge from shite petrol - never used to happen with the old fuel ) - as it's a V4 it's a horrible job they are literally wedged in on rubber mountings ( 4 of the bastards ) - getting them off is bad enough getting them back on is a f***ing nightmare - if you are ever passing through Surrey feel free to pop in and do the job for me
"We can't stop here - this is bat country" - Hunter S Thompson - RIP
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Honda carbs were always a PITA to remove or refit - I did enough of that on their CB550 / 650 / 750 in the 80s and 90s ... and balancing the damn things was a nightmare. I suspect that was part of what started my switch to 90 degree V twins 
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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You are clearly formidably unacquainted with the true and noble ways of vehicle ownership.
You attempt method one yourself, which you screw up disastrously, and the job is not done, despite giving up a whole day to do it.
As your significant other is desperate to use aforesaid vehicle, you weaken and accept the garage's $2,000 quotation for the second method.
The garage then uses the third method, but still charges you the $2,000.
There you go! The car is happy, your SO is happy, the garage is happy, what's not to like?
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Even if the "having it done by a garage" part wasn't that expensive, I'd still do that myself.
Fixing motorcycles/cars (or pretty much doing anything with bare hands) is just so satisfactory, I don't want to miss out on the experience.
Also, the value of the individual component does not necessarily decide where it goes in the setup.
It just has to serve it's purpose.
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Actually, the "remove the windshield" step can be got around.
The only reason to remove it is the stupidly long bolts they used to attach a support bar behind the dash. If you use a cutoff saw to chop off an inch or so of the bolts that protrude past the nuts, you can back off the bolts without hitting the windshield and you don't have to remove it. Still... 
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Hah, that's not so bad, let's look at software
citing examples from a popular modern operating system:
wait an the update to download, it'll come, just wait (or if on metered bandwidth when you told it not to)
not fully apprised of what the update has - at best some vague comments but with purposely-designed-to-instill-fear-warnings (repeatedly sung on mass by a choir of sheep and lemmings) warning you not to ignore it (if on the rare occasion that is even possible)
- and often that time you need immediate undisturbed access to your machine
the computer will be completely disabled to install that update (often the choir now admonishing you for not having done it much sooner when you maybe sort of had an option of a little bit of possible control to do it sooner)
But eventually the update may or may not finish it's work and in either case unrelated items may be missing - (rear window, baby seat, fluffy dice, your briefcase... sorry, computer, not car - you get the jist)
do not despair, if things go wrong
- [if it sort of still works] you may have the option to reverse the 'update' (though possibly even more unrelated losses)
- wait for an update fix that might partially fix some of the new issues (but not the losses, in fact possibly even more losses)
- reinstall the original (the unrelated losses forever gone, plus more again), ... and later try your luck again with a new version of the update
- buy a brand new computer .... although it too will soon receive updates (and will never have the other things you lost)
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lopatir wrote: repeatedly sung on mass by a choir of sheep and lemmings
You forgot the fanbois with their soprano voices. 
How unsensitive of you to mention it at all, because here you will be preaching to your choir. Not long ago I was named a troll, just for refusing to use Visual Studio. That would somehow defeat the premise of moving away from Mickeysoft, but that already is sacrilege by itself. Too bad. I think most herds need a few black sheep. The sort with the curved horns.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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GenJerDan wrote: To replace a $15 part in my car, the instructions say to:
An indicator light?
They call me different but the truth is they're all the same!
JaxCoder.com
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The "blend door" that controls the mix of hot and cold to regulate the temp in the car.
Essentially, I have no heat in the car until I get it fixed. Well...the vent at my left hand blows warm, the middle-left vent blows warmish, the middle-right vent blows cold, and I have the far-right vent blocked off, so I have no idea what it's doing. 
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I work on my own car, unless the work requires a lift or an engine hoist. Then, and only then, do I take it to a trusted mechanic.
This weekend, I'll be adding an auxiliary brake vacuum pump so my power brakes work better. My motor has radical cam, and as a result, it only makes about 7 inches of vacuum, which is not nearly enough for the brakes to work all the time. Since the vacuum pump itself is as close to an eyesore as you can get, I'm gonna mount it out of sight, behind the front bumper fascia. While I have the fascia off (it's a pain to take off and put back on), I'm going to install a heat exchanger and pump for the intercooler I'm going to install next month.
Best tool I ever bought - a Dewalt 12v cordless sub-compact impact driver. Saves gobs of time taking crap off the car. The fascia takes about 5 minutes as opposed to 30 with hand tools. Best $100 I ever spent.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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#realJSOP wrote: Best tool I ever bought - a Dewalt 12v cordless sub-compact impact driver. Saves gobs of time taking crap off the car.
you wear a dust mask while using that? amazing the amount of super fine sticky dust cars collect in every nook, crannie and low airflow inner surfaces.
Gotta watch out for that black lung disease. 
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My car is cleaner than most brand new cars.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013
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A dust mask, to use an impact driver?
Nobody could ever convince my dad to wear a dust mask, or a pair of protective glasses, throughout his 40+ year career as an auto mechanic. The worst thing he's complaining about nowadays is his bad back.
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One of the GM boats from the 80's was almost like that, but at least all you had to do was take off the wheel to get at the sparkplugs.
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Indeed. It's gonna be cold tomorrow. I anticipate a long process, with me going back inside every fifteen minutes or so.
But I'm taking out the driver's seat to make getting under there easier. It's just four bolts. And I can vacuum under there while the spot is open.
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GenJerDan wrote: Replace the part
Replace the piece of plastic you just cut out
...aaaand there's the rub. Does that step involve require you to remove the center console, steering wheel, dashboard...?
GenJerDan wrote: Guess which method I'll be doing this weekend
The method that voids the warranty? 
If it's a known issue and the manufacturer isn't doing anything about it: There's the perfect excuse to name and shame. What make/model/year?
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Any 5th generation Camaro (mine's a 2012 RS convertible). I don't know about the later ones.
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Do you even need heat in that thing? You drive a convertible Camaro in the snow?
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We are a two car family. A 21 year old Camry and a 4 year old Camry. (I love Toyotas.) Some 17 years ago, the older one started to make a clacking sound whenever I hit a slight bump in the road. The repair shop said there are rubber grommets at the ends of suspension tie rods that needed to be replaced. Parts cost would be minimal, but labor was over $600!  It turned out they had to completely remove the engine-transmission assembly to replace the grommets. When the mechanic saw the shock in my face, he told me the only purpose of the grommets was to prevent the noise. I can drive the car as it was, if I am willing to live with the clacking sound.
Well, that was 17 years ago and we still go merrily clacking on our way. We don't even hear it any more!
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GenJerDan wrote: But the manufacturer isn't doing a dang thing about it.)
I take it you feel they should.
"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson
"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles
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I despise anything to do with working in the tight confines under a dashboard...wires/harnesses/vents all in the way of everything. 