So what’s my point here? Basically, this estimate shows me how much I’ve saved by doing all my own work over the years. Since I don’t take my vehicles to shops, I haven’t had occasion to learn just how critical my wrenching skills have been in even making old car ownership possible. 
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That works! Read more

Yep, agreed on all points! Read more

How do the transmissions hold up on those? Read more

Yes. The motor has yet to fall out of the car! Read more

The valve cover on the 4.0 is aluminum. Read more

You got this! Hit me up if you need help! Read more

Agreed on all except the final two bullets. I don’t want to drop the tank, and I really don’t think a bad seal is worth a whole new box.

Then again, I admittedly haven’t done either job, so maybe the tank drop is NBD, and maybe fixing that seal is harder than the video above makes it seem. Read more

If you have an old car long enough (and I mean >5 years), it IS possible to fix it to the point where it’s nearly as reliable as a new car.

Granted, by then you’d have sunken hundreds of hours into it, but there’s nothing more to break. All the parts are new!

But I understand your viewpoint. My wrenching days will have… Read more

In this case, it’s a Jeep model that I’ve spent over a decade working on. And the ones I’ve fixed have been the rustiest, crustiest, most frustrating ones to mend.

So I strongly doubt I’d need more than 17.5 hours, especially with my new battery-powered impact.

But you’re right. Nasty surprises are part of the game. Read more

I actually replaced the cylinder head and various other engine parts in 2016.

But yeah, it needs to be “gone through.”

I just like that my friend appreciates the ol’ Cherokee so much that she’s willing to deal with its...quirks.... instead of just buying a 2010 Civic. Read more

...

Dammit. Read more

Agreed. There’s no business case for fixing this, given that the customer won’t see it unless she/he removes the door handle.  Read more

More is coming, I promise! Read more

An important question:

Should I import Project Krassler?:

I dig it. Read more

Okay, but please keep the 4.0. Read more

I often wonder if my spelling would be bad if I didn’t have a keyboard at my fingertips. Read more

It is wrong. Read more

Also, because journalists have such large platforms, they have the capability to affect stock price to their advantage. This, I think, has more potential to affect reporting than anything related to flights/lodging/food at press trips. (Though again, I maintain that even that is a suboptimal arrangement). Read more