The Do-It-Yourself Car Owner

by 06/30/08 5 Comments

The idea of tinkering with one’s motor vehicle is as old as the idea of driving one. While there are many of us who are perfectly content with the simple knowledge of how to fill our gas tank or change a tire, there are other auto enthusiasts who can’t wait to play with their cars.

Known as Do-It-Yourselfers or DIYers, this trend has been gaining more and more speed as of late. This DIY community can usually be broken into two groups:

  1. Those that are trying to save money. The average cost of labor at a mechanic is now anywhere from $65-$110 an hour! A simple job like changing brake pads and rotors can take anywhere from two to three hours. On top of that, the cost of the parts is cheaper when you buy them yourself, and you can buy recycled parts.
  2. Enthusiasts who enjoy working on their cars and like the satisfaction of knowing that the job was done correctly. While it will also save them money, that is not the primary reason that these DIYers repair their cars. Who better to diagnose and improve a car’s performance than the one that is driving it?

If you fall into either of these categories and are eager to learn more or get started for the first time, your options for education are plentiful. Both the DIY Network and DIY Projects Online have extensive auto repair sections with detailed instructions on many DIY repairs. In addition to these resources, almost every car make and model now has an online forum, which are usually loaded with DIY posts.

Of course, there are potential environmental pitfalls involved with doing your own auto repairs, and DIYers should be aware of and committed to proper fluid disposal and recycling methods.

Common DIY Jobs Involving Recycling

Oil Changes

  • Engine and Transmission Oil—This oil can be re-refined, reconditioned or reprocessed
  • Oil Filters—Filters are made of steel and can be recycled
  • Use Earth 911 to find out where to recycle filters and fluids

Hardware Installations

  • Brake pads and shoes—These are usually ceramic or metallic and can be recycled
  • Brake rotors—These are steel and can be recycled
  • Batteries—These can be recycled and are often accepted back at your local auto parts store
  • Tires—Tires can be reused as a tire swing or for your compost pile, and they can also be recycled

Other Maintenance

  • Leaking engine—This may be a DIY job depending on the location of the leak. If the oil is leaking out of the valve cover, then it is a simple seal replacement. However, if it is a more complex leak, the engine needs to be disassembled, and this may not be a job for most DIYers

DIY Jobs to Avoid

  • Air conditioning repair—The EPA mandates that a certified technician must service your auto’s air conditioning system because of the potential for coolant to leak
  • Leaking Hoses—Coolant and power steering fluids also have the potential to leak during these repairs

Making Your Repairs Eco-Friendly and Economical

  • Try to purchase recycled parts. Check out the Automotive Recyclers Association’s Directory of Members
  • Whenever safely possible, repair rather than replace
Libuse Binder

Libuse Binder

Libuse Binder's book, Ten Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties, was recently released. Her work can also be seen at Weekly Way.


Bibliography: The Do-It-Yourself Car Owner

  1. Chris Runnels

    posted on January 25th, 2012 at 12:35 am

    All talk- No answers- Typical. WHERE CAN YOU RECYCLE CHEMICALS- Everyone would, if it were as easy to recycle them as it was to buy them. I can name 10 places to buy antifreeze, and zero places to recycle my old antifreeze. If there was a place to drop it off, I'm sure most people would, But until there are places to drop old chemicals they will continue to go where they shouldn't.

  2. Earth911

    posted on January 25th, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Hey Chris, did you try the green search box at the top of this page? We have listings for lots of different car fluids and HHW, like antifreeze and motor oil. Hopefully there are locations near where you live!
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments. The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.

3 Archived Comments

  1. GodzCreation

    posted on July 6th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    I agree with knowing how to do these tasks on your own, especially when your handy mechanic is not around and your car breaks down. But being a daughter of service shop owner, our income came from those services being preformed.

    Finding a trustworthy mechanic these days is hard & changing times calls for alternative means of transportation.

    Just know that good mechanics are still out there and want to assist in anyway possible to keep you driving safe, just finding them sometimes takes a little searching & seeking.

  2. Ahmed

    posted on April 4th, 2010 at 9:18 pm

    Hello:

    It is great that you have listed the items in auto maintenance which can be recycled,
    It would have been greater, and your post would have been much more useful, if you’d had also included information on where to recycle these items/materials….

    Thanks

  3. Carl Frank

    posted on February 27th, 2011 at 12:59 am

    All of this recycling stuff is great, but I don’t think cities and counties really want to be responsible for many of the hazardous materials generated by the automotive do it yourself-ers. Have you ever tried to return a gallon or two of antifreeze to a recycling facility? First of all, try calling around for anyone who will accept it. Pep Boys, Napa, Autozone, Kragan all sell it but want nothing to do with used antifreeze. I even called the auto dealerships, Ford, Chevrolet, etc but they wouldn’t take it either. When asked “Where can I take my antifreeze to, they had no idea, then offered several suggestions which all turned out to be wild goose chases. Many counties in California offer community Household Hazardous Waste collection centers but they are only open from 8am to 1pm on every other Saturday and if it rains, they shut down and go home. I have things I want to do on Saturdays too and going to the recycling center is not one of them. In addition to that, these HHW facilities do not take waste from businesses, even local businesses. What is a local business supposed to do if they have small amounts of antifreeze to dispose of? As a challenge to you, try finding a place to get rid of antifreeze, both as a residential do it yourselfer and as a small business. You will see for yourself just how difficult it is to dispose of it properly. No wonder so many people just dump it down the drain or in the gutter. When are we going to get serious about this and make it easy to recycle hazardous waste for all concerned (Residents and businesses…)? If you know who can recycle my antifreeze, I would like to know because I’ve spent two hours and I’m still clueless…

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