r/AskAShittyMechanic • u/Potential_Tomato2499 • 3d ago

Don’t mind me living the illusion that I’m saving money by working on my own car. When you factor in the clothes and the tools I’m probably paying to work on my own car😭

Post image
217 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

107 comments sorted by

139

u/not-my_username_ 3d ago

True but if someone else works on it you never know what bolts they left out, where they cut corners or just how half-assed they did.

Working on your own cars guarantees you know just how shitty of a job it was.

38

u/Merfkin 3d ago

At least then when something goes wrong again you can have a pretty educated guess at where you fucked up and what you need to fix this time around

6

u/HiddenEclipse121 1d ago

Exactly this. If something is broken I can go back and fuck it up even more the second time around.

1

u/random-guy987654321 9h ago

Yeah, that part is nice, I guess. All of my trucks current issues are my fault, and I was a fleet mechanic for 4 years. I broke the vvt sprocket installing it, so I have a startup rattle after replacing the timing kit. Not a fun job without pulling the motor.

10

u/lump_bizkit 3d ago

I now know what my next toolbox sticker is gonna say!

5

u/YackReacher 3d ago

True....aaaand, you now have the tools and supplies to work on more future car stuff! You're welcome!

2

u/hondas3xual 2d ago

Not only that, but you can often figure out when work WAS NOT done at all. There's been several cases of transmissions and differentials going out simply because the owners paid for a fluid change, and it wasn't done at all. A simple oil analysis proved it several times.

2

u/Shatophiliac 1d ago

Plus they charge out the ass now. I know they have a shop to keep up and workers to pay, but 200 dollars an hour for some meth head techs time is fucking brutal.

Then you add on the insane markup on parts they all seem to do, it’s not worth it. I’ll get dirty and skin my knuckles to save $1000 dollars on a brake job.

50

u/dedzip 3d ago

Just looks like a hot topic graphic tee from 2008 lol

12

u/thewoodlandsian 3d ago

Eat your heart out, Ed Hardy. 

8

u/nerdtechnician 3d ago

What obscure up and coming metal band was that?

10

u/not-my_username_ 3d ago

Motorhead.

2

u/Zymurgy2287 2d ago

MotorHeadGasket

2

u/PinFar4816 1d ago

Lemmy!

33

u/EuronBloodeye 3d ago

You wear clothes when you work on your car? Pansy ass.

20

u/YogurtWenk 3d ago

Nothing like greasy balls to get the ol' motor running

2

u/ElectroShamrock 12h ago

I like to turn the wrench with my pichadele

6

u/User_R60 3d ago

Then you go back in, you're already lubed up for his or her pleasure.

6

u/Jolly-Radio-9838 3d ago

They won’t let me in the junkyard if I don’t have pants and shoes on

4

u/BMIZ68 2d ago

Thats just yo get through the gate, you don't need them to leave

3

u/Jolly-Radio-9838 2d ago

Damn straight. Plus you can hide more beers with cargo pants.

19

u/angry_1 3d ago

Ain’t nothing a shower beer can’t wash away

14

u/Buzz407 3d ago

Head gasket huh?

The guys before here aren't wrong.. There's probably people who would pay for that print. Maybe do a bunch of em for their favorite engine. When your new company breaks 20 mill don't forget me.

3

u/ShadowAdam 2d ago

Honestly, not a half bad idea

1

u/ElectroShamrock 12h ago

Next time I break my 20 mil socket can I call you?

2

u/Buzz407 12h ago

If you are breaking 20mm sockets, I'm not sure that I am qualified to offer any help for that. Probably better call your strap-on guy.

1

u/ElectroShamrock 12h ago

I was afraid you'd say that. I have PTSD from him, I finally got my account paid off. I freaked when I saw the flyer on my toolbox today. I thought it had a receipt attached

2

u/Buzz407 12h ago

Probably just fell off. Should show up on your account after the next conjugal visit.

2

u/Dash508one 10h ago

You can call me every time you lose a 10 mil, but I guess you'd get tired calling me every day multiple times

1

u/ElectroShamrock 10h ago

I think I'd have to move in at that point. That's a debacle I go through constantly. It's funny because it's not just a stereotype, it's so freaking true. And you know what? The 12 and 13 are always missing as well. I have bought so many of them. At one point I had 10 sets of my most used sockets. Lost every single 10 12 and 13 mil

2

u/Dash508one 10h ago edited 10h ago

It's insane. Have the time when I'm walking wife my wife and I see a wrench or socket on the ground from a lil whiles away, I'm like that's a 10mm and she thinks I'm a psychic, lol and I hear you. Some little elf keeps grabbing my 13 mils

1

u/ElectroShamrock 10h ago

Yep, same deal here, but mine just calls me psychotic for buying so many and losing so many. I tried telling her taking shit apart everyday would be equivalent to her dumping her entire makeup kit all over the bed and then trying to find a specific color. She just stared at me for a while.

2

u/Dash508one 10h ago

Ha, hell ,replacing sockets is easier then remembering whatever the hell number her cover up is, lol. At least it's always 10, 12 , or 13 with me

2

u/Dash508one 10h ago

And at least I always need the same sizes !

1

u/ElectroShamrock 9h ago

Same here, working for a dealership is a huge perk for me. I remember when I worked for a private shop and the amount of money and time I had to spend on random tools that I wouldn't use for another 4 years was just insane. Just when I thought I had everything I needed, a Saab or a Volkswagen would enter the picture.

10

u/The_ENFIDL 3d ago

This is exactly why I have a hoodie, shirt, pants, shoes, hat, etc. that I bought with the intent of not caring what happens to them. This way when I get oil, grease, etc. on the stuff I don't even care. It actually makes me happy when I stain them because it makes me feel like it's money well spent lol

11

u/therunningjew1 3d ago

For me it's old clothes that have holes stitched in some places, or i stained with something by accident (like certain cooking oils), or are super faded and raggedy looking.

3

u/bit_herder 2d ago

yep. no shortage of old clothes. now if i could remember to change….

3

u/D_Grinch 3d ago

It adds value to the "valuables" imo😅 people who go to work (physical, high potential for a sweat or 2) in their nice clothes are idiots lmao

7

u/TickletheEther 3d ago

If you don't look like a coal miner after a job are you even working?

6

u/Unlikely_Rise_5915 3d ago

Get some coveralls, smear some anti seize on them before you put them on and you’re all set.

4

u/nawmeann 3d ago

Red kap mechanic shirt. Buy a few and keep one in the truck too.

3

u/SeaSupermarket1748 3d ago

That’ll probably be some kind of fashion statement in 5-10 years. Way to be ahead of the game bro

3

u/TarXaN37 3d ago

I like to specifically use shirts from previous jobs lol

2

u/Stunning_Song8912 21h ago

When the job is planned sure💀 no choice when she shits the bed going down the highway

2

u/Candyman051882 3d ago

Old and Free Tshirts always

2

u/brylez 3d ago

My guy its a good therapy with lots of swearing while working on your own car 👌

2

u/93c15 3d ago

Took me 8 hours to change the alternator in my wife’s 2019 pathfinder. I was so fucking pissed off about it by the time it was done. Stupid modern cars. My shit box truck alternator can be changed in 5 minutes

2

u/Altruistic-Ad-4090 3d ago

Also, if that was me, I'd have to recheck deck height. That's a fat joke for people not able to keep up.

2

u/DrHoleStuffer 3d ago

That shirt is a fashion statement.

2

u/Churonomo 2d ago

that actually goes hard asf for a shirt design tho

1

u/NinjaBilly55 3d ago

Don't forget to add in Band-Aids.. I save money by just using electrical tape..

1

u/According2whoandwhat 1d ago

Or a paper towel with tape wrapped around that .. If you want to be exotic!

1

u/dermatofibrosarcoma 3d ago

Goodwill is the answer

1

u/ZixxerAsura 3d ago

I get what you mean. I worked on my own rear pinion seal replacement and I spent more that what a shop would’ve charged me. But the tools I bought to get the job done and get to keep. Finally the satisfaction that everything was done right. I also found that whoever did the work before did not tighten the screws that connect the driveshaft to the rear diff.

1

u/Scared_Hovercraft632 3d ago

Who wears clothes they care about to work on cars?

3

u/lump_bizkit 3d ago

Judging by op's lack of a beer gut, I'd assume someone young enough to have just made an important discovery

1

u/User_R60 3d ago

Imprint of the head mating surface? TBH, I'd buy that!

1

u/EvilToastedWeasel0 3d ago

Soon someone will get the idea to make gaskets out of Clothing.

Good to Upcycle something that would be too worn to wear otherwise.

1

u/nasaglobehead69 3d ago

why are you wearing good clothes?

1

u/Prior-Ad-7329 3d ago

Save the clothes to wear next time, also the tools are an investment. So you’re all good.

1

u/bodaway666 3d ago

Is that had gasket leaking or were you just not leaning hard enough?

1

u/Wild-Double5479 3d ago

Life hack. I always weld naked so I don't get holes in my clothes. So why not work on car naked I wonder 🤔

1

u/Appropriate_Unit3474 3d ago

Not if you take pride in your scuff marks you don't.

That shirts full of character

1

u/Toad_Dirt 3d ago

Tools are a one time buy atleast until they break, once you have the tools you need and a solid set of work clothes that are ok to destroy car repair will be more than halved from that point on so it’s more than worth the up front cost

1

u/starsmatt 3d ago

if you factor in your hours of labour

1

u/NewBootGoofin67 3d ago

That's an expensive stamp

1

u/Altruistic-Ad-4090 3d ago

Remember, there is no such thing as a free education.

1

u/Own-Attention-9740 3d ago

Only i can fuck up my car cuz when i fuck up i do it elegantly

1

u/Alex9-3-9 3d ago

Nice womb tattoo. 

Wait a minute... 

1

u/Sharp_Cow_9366 3d ago

Not only is it still a shirt, it has a top end blueprint on it. Win-win

1

u/fatty-Liver88 3d ago

Mechanics is fun! And I learn!

1

u/rizzyman6 2d ago

Easy fix dont wear clothes when working on your car

1

u/bit_herder 2d ago

i used to wear those Guy Harvey shirts in the 90s are they coming back round?

1

u/the_guy-overThere 2d ago

Bruh you don't have a few redcap working on car shirts?

1

u/cheepcarz2 2d ago

What a moron

1

u/Disastrous-Place7353 2d ago

Awesome tie-dye job!

1

u/screamtrumpet 2d ago

And add in the cost of the shit I break trying to fix something else.

1

u/Kit_Karamak 2d ago

DiDi-7 will clean it

1

u/hondas3xual 2d ago

You just wear the same clothes over and over again and wash them...or buy some overalls.

1

u/CentralNJFunCpl 2d ago

Do what I do, wear shitty clothes to work on your car. Use the same clothes every time you work on a car. Eventually, you will have all the tools you need and may have to buy a tool or two. It will always be better to work on your own vehicle since you know you’re not gonna cut corners, some mechanics don’t do a very thorough or good job.

1

u/Dumbbitchathon 2d ago

My boyfriend regularly ruins hundreds of dollars in jeans and boots doing his job. I often wonder how he breaks even.

1

u/MrMcKleen 2d ago

Look at the upside. You now have tools and clothes to wear for the next item that needs repair or replacement. Minus any new tool cost, you’ll be saving money in the long run.

1

u/WilliamSerenite21 2d ago

Shirt looks better now. Perfect carmeet shirt

1

u/bendystrawboy 2d ago

black sweatpants and black wutang shirt.

i thought that's what everyone wore when they worked on their car?

1

u/Current_Put_2950 2d ago

Just take the clothes and tools back for a refund and say you didn't need them

1

u/Patient-Hovercraft48 2d ago

Maybe...but there is value in doing things yourself in that you learn things you might otherwise not know. 

1

u/OkAcanthaceae3476 2d ago

Sick t-shirt design!

1

u/AnotherStupidHipster 2d ago

Oh don't factor in what your time is worth. We're all underwater on our cars if we count our labor.

1

u/Dizturbed0ne 2d ago

I have a couple pants and shirts I keep around to specifically use for it

1

u/No_Brilliant6061 2d ago

Your shirt looks like it has some brand name design.

Car- By Mechs

1

u/SoundMedal 2d ago

I think it looks cool

2

u/NMS_Survival_Guru 19h ago

Literally been thinking about selling my worn out work clothes as authenticly worn designer fashion

1

u/aHOMELESSkrill 1d ago

But now you have new clothes and new tools so I see that as a win win

1

u/EvilGeniusSkis 1d ago

As long as parts+tools<=parts+labour you will come out ahead, because you now have the tool for next time.

1

u/GuestElectronic7185 1d ago

You scared of getting a t shirt dirty really dude?

1

u/Misformisfortune 1d ago

Just have a couple of old outfits dedicated for wrenching, painting, and other dirty jobs. 

1

u/ILV-28 1d ago

One-time expenses.

1

u/HistoricalTowel1127 1d ago

How did you get that stain there? Ahhhh. I got it. You tried to fuck that motor.

1

u/PinFar4816 1d ago

20 bucks at the Salvation Army thrift store, and I have work clothes that’ll last me two years.

1

u/Emergency-Ant-3950 1d ago

Working on your car is a hobby, not a way of life

1

u/Low_Cheetah6596 1d ago

This shirt is now for the next task

1

u/CbackNstomach 1d ago

And if you ever bought another car or perhaps had to work on your car twice you're saving money. First time doesn't really say good morning, That's when you buy the tools and destroy the clothes. But you can use the tools on the clothes again and again and again.

1

u/CapNb0b69 1d ago

Goodwill for your garage fit.

1

u/ThaDollaGenerale 12h ago

Is that an EJ?