Taxi Driver Online

Got quoted £40 to £140 to solve a leak on my car and did it myself for £3

then showed the lad his air filter and why his MPG and performance is blunted.....


glad ive got tools!

and fitted front pads @ £22 when quotes ranged from £90 upwards

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Why bother when the tax man pays for repair's

can I send HMRC the bill?

actually they only contribute 22% of any bill by way of tax relief, and that at the end of the tax year

would you rather your cab do 15mpg instead of 45mpg using the same calculation?

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

If you do it yourself you know how well its been done.

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Selling Imperial tools for old cars.

very true plus you know how good the parts are

I had a quote today for front discs and pads

Garage - supply and fit £166 (inc) or fit mine if i supply £50 (difference £116)

Ive bought a set of Mintex for £70, the garage wouldnt have fitted Mintex, so how come they wanted £116 for parts? (£46 dearer)

I cant fit the discs cos I know I cant crack the bolts (already tried)

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Last garage I did any work for would charge for oil in litres the same price as the litre cans they sold,quietly forgetting the oil came from bulk at well under half that price.
Heat is your best friend when removing really tight bolts (either that or the other extreme,ice). If they are mega tight though they will have to replace them if they break them

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Selling Imperial tools for old cars.

When I was a HGV storeman I was buying oil in 45 gallon drums, it was about 50p/ltr, the firm was charging a lot lot more

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I get my pads for £19 (eurocarparts.com), same as the garage would fit unless I ask for a more expensive brand but like you they would charge the £40 list price +VAT.

To get the bolts off take the car for a drive first to heat them up or apply some heat direct to them, I had the same problem until I learnt this trick. Or get a long 'breaker bar' to remove them cold, it's handy to have a breaker bar in the socket set anyway.

mines 15", not tried it yet, then theres the posidrive setscrew to budge - it secures the disc to the hub, i used to have an impact drive.....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

One trick I was taught years ago is to use a long bar to apply steady pressure to a really tight bolt then with the pressure still applied to get an assistant to hit the socket end of the bar.
The sudden shock often causes the bolt to 'let go' .
The worst ones are the socket headed bolts and some are actually locked in with a locking compound,this has to be heated before it will allow the bolt to release,there is a real chance of snapping off either the tool or head if you dont. (unless you are using one of those Chinese breaker bars that just bends)

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Selling Imperial tools for old cars.

thought about a 12v impact wrench

if they work

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

I'm dubious about those,you'd have to pick a decent quality,well known make as some of the cheap ones I've seen just aren't up to the job.

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Selling Imperial tools for old cars.

You need one of these.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000 ... UTF8&psc=1

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Breaker bars do just that,they break. Thats why the heads are replaceable.
If the nuts are going to be that hard go for 3/4 drive.

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Selling Imperial tools for old cars.

Aye, they're right buggers. If it's seized you've no chance without an impact wrench. Just remember to use lots of copper grease on nuts/bolts/screws and the face of the disc that contacts the hub when you put it all back together. I shattered a disc once trying to get it off the hub and ended up having to hire an angle grinder to get the rest off.