Your thoughts on first service?

[cyber_scriber]

I'm pretty pedantic when it comes to my cars. I like to ensure that they are in top condition, fully serviced etc and if there's any doubt, I prefer to over service rather than under service (prevention being better than cure).

Having only owned the manual Galant very recently (with 50,000klm on the clock), I've been asking around some workshops for their views on what does and doesn't need to be serviced. Here's some interesting feedback from one workshop:

"There are heaps better products avail than amsoil. Why do you want leads???? they have a service life of around 150-200 K & are not affected by time as with the irridium plugs & I don't & won't use NGK only Denso. Coolant & brake fluid will be a must. There is no advantage to a K&N filter other than for a wank value - the manufacturer provides an air filter & filter being the part thereof to focus on.

O2 sensors again have a service life & if it aint broke-don't fix it - our gas analysis & labscope will tell you if it need replacing. Service the coil pack......mmmm the mind boggles - just have to make sure the connections are clean, the pack itself is not contaminated & there is no evidence of spark tracking - don't take everything as Gospel with regards to Forums.

Spark plug "doughnuts" are known as spark plug tube seals & only need to be replaced as required - if leaking. If they are leaking after 50,000 kms your engine has had a really hard life & probably been thrashed beyond belief. The reason the Japs unload their cars with low mileage is for registration costs once over a certain mileage. Most of the Jap import stuff I have seen haven't even had an oil service & they don't care - they don't have to last too long !!!!!
My suggestion to you my friend is to carry out a vehicle test & report incl. a diagnosis, do the service & oil flush & take it from there & this will set you back around $360 with full synthetic h.p. oil."

It's rather interesting that we have a mechanic who is trying to talk me out of spending more money with him. Surely that's an unusual trait in the mechanic business?!

In the end, I've decided to go with the tried and tested services of Meek. Take a look at the attached quote and let me know if I've left anything out or if you've got any general comments.

The Galant only has 50,000klms on the odometer, so I don't think the timing belt service needs to be looked at yet.

 

[VR-04-TT]

"There are heaps better products avail than amsoil. Why do you want leads???? they have a service life of around 150-200 K & are not affected by time as with the irridium plugs & I don't & won't use NGK only Denso. Coolant & brake fluid will be a must. There is no advantage to a K&N filter other than for a wank value - the manufacturer provides an air filter & filter being the part thereof to focus on.

O2 sensors again have a service life & if it aint broke-don't fix it - our gas analysis & labscope will tell you if it need replacing. Service the coil pack......mmmm the mind boggles - just have to make sure the connections are clean, the pack itself is not contaminated & there is no evidence of spark tracking - don't take everything as Gospel with regards to Forums.

Spark plug "doughnuts" are known as spark plug tube seals & only need to be replaced as required - if leaking. If they are leaking after 50,000 kms your engine has had a really hard life & probably been thrashed beyond belief. The reason the Japs unload their cars with low mileage is for registration costs once over a certain mileage. Most of the Jap import stuff I have seen haven't even had an oil service & they don't care - they don't have to last too long !!!!!
My suggestion to you my friend is to carry out a vehicle test & report incl. a diagnosis, do the service & oil flush & take it from there & this will set you back around $360 with full synthetic h.p. oil."

Meek bagging stuff they don't sell...No surprises there!

 

[king_panther]

At least with MEEK you know you are taking it to a place that HAS serviced our cars before, & are a damn sight more trustworthy.

I've taken my car there the longest & most times, & you consider my word of any value then I would have no problems paying that much.

The tone does sound like Chris at MEEK. He talks the same in person too, & is like that where he actually dissuades you from uneccessarily getting stuff done that isn't required.

They have a fair amount of experience now with the VR4s, dare say the most in Sydney as we try to get as many people on here to go there.

Do NOT take the car to MRT. They only put stickers everywhere!
Don't listen to Paul either! He's just upset as he thinks they broke his "I've done too many 4k RPM launches" diff

 

[king_panther]

I'm actually shocked you managed to get an email reply from him!

They are normally so busy that unless Pat is upstairs, they won't even answer the phone!

 

[cyber_scriber]

Meek bagging stuff they don't sell...No surprises there!

To be clear guys, this did not come from Meek. It came from another independent workshop.

I just thought it was rather strange that the other workshop was discouraging me from getting work done. You often experience the opposite where the workshop tries to stitch you up with additional, unnecessary work.

I also spoke to Josh at ProConcept. He seemed very accommodating and knowledgeable but said that he had only worked on the Galants / Legnums a few times.

 

[cyber_scriber]

I'm actually shocked you managed to get an email reply from him!

They are normally so busy that unless Pat is upstairs, they won't even answer the phone!

They do eventually get back to you on email but you may have to follow them up on the phone.

I think the problem for them is that their email inbox gets so much spam that they can't sort through it to find legitimate emails. That's why I called them up after sending an email and they located my email and responded via email.

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Bruce this is not an attack aimed @ you, nor you Brad, just the mere male population of this forum

Umm, for the life of me, I can't understand why you guys don't do your own basic servicing, I (yea me, a ""mere female"") have done all the servicing listed in that quote, if I can do it, why cant you guys?????

$1200+ can be better spent on other things, the stuff listed in that quote is basic maintenance stuff, its not a gearbox re-build or a turbo upgrade!!!!!! its basic.....

Saying I don't have time (how long does it take any of us to earn $1,200 after tax)
thats a day in the garage with a few basic tools and $400 worth of bits and pieces.
(Bruce- most of the expensive items your already in possession of based on that quote)


Last part of my rant - we all love our cars, take a bit of time to really get to know them, how they work and what does what, this is really basic stuff, will save you a fortune and more importantly you'll learn how easy it is to service basic items on your cars.

Yea, yea, I know..... butch dyke bitch.......
for gods sake, grow a set of balls, grab a spanner and tighten your own nutz..... you might actually enjoy it.

 

[pu-11-me]

Yeah Bruce I would have to say that you should probaby do a few of those things yourself. Allocate yourself half a day with a helping hand and you could knock half that list over.

Pretty sure if you put on a carton of piss at your place and invited the lads from Sydney at least ONE of them will turn up to help you out

Between them all they have almost done everything on your list themselves

EDIT - This is not in agreeance with Butch's post above me..... Bit harsh Kat lol

 

[qball]

If you sign up to club vr4 there are heaps of guides with pictures that realy help to do most of those services. Could also spend the savings on new tools to do them in the future

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Harsh my arse, I'm not even PMS'ing.

Truly guys, basic servicing is so easy, but you'll never know if you never give it a go....

Whilst I can understand Bruce wanting MEEK to go over the car as it is a fresh import, once its had a once over, then all basic servicing should be done by us guys.... thats all i'm saying

 

[qball]

I'd be happy to help do the engine oil change, spark plugs and power steering fluid change, you could then help me do the white vr4 plugs.

 

[mookers]

Umm, for the life of me, I can't understand why you guys don't do your own basic servicing, I (yea me, a ""mere female"") have done all the servicing listed in that quote, if I can do it, why cant you guys?????

1. I commute 3 hours a day and work 9-10 hours in the office.
2. I have two small children to spend time with on the weekends since they hardly see me during the week due to point 1.
3. My wife is disabled so I usually need to be around to help out on weekends.
4. I don't actually have the tools required to do many of the servicing jobs.
5. I don't have a spare car to drive for the times when I discover I can't finish the job in time (highly likely based on my track record of these kinds of things).
6. I'm a lazy sod who spends most of his days complaining about being tired (see points 1 - 3). I'd rather sleep!

That said, I've done a few things by myself, most of which don't involve making the car temporarily undriveable (ie. replacing the stereo). But the free time required to do my own servicing, that's lonnnnnng gone.

 

[bradc]

What is on that list is pretty much what I would do on a car as well when first purchasing it, but I think that is a bit pricey!

 

[cyber_scriber]

grow a set of balls, grab a spanner and tighten your own nutz..... you might actually enjoy it.

Hahaha Kat! Girl power - I love it!

I do understand where you're coming. However, I do pretty stupid hours in the office (think 120 hours a week when it's really bad) so am not that keen to spend my limited free time tightening my nuts

My other considerations are that I don't have all the tools, the space nor the expertise to undertake all of the sevicing. If I get something wrong and the car goes bang, then I'd be doubly stuffed! There's no workmanship warranty to fall back on and the other issue is that there's no service history to show the next owner.

I do take your point about cost vs time spent but to me, time spent is the big issue. In terms of labour only, Meek are looking to charge about $600. I'd lose almost that much if I took a day off work to stumble around the car, not to mention the loss of quality time I could spend doing better things (like driving the Galant!). Further, a workshop with its expertise could do it in a day. However, I'm pretty sure with my 10 mechanical thumbs that it would take a lot more than a day and they'd be no guarantee that it would be done right.

It's similar to the concept of outsourcing. You outsource what you're not good at to others who have core expertise in that. Yes, they will charge you for it but they can do it quicker and better than you and it frees up my time so I can focus on my own expertise, which may or may not include parking my lazy a55 on the couch

Horses for courses I guess.

 

[pu-11-me]

Hahaha, I can see both sides of this.....

 

[mookers]

If I get something wrong and the car goes bang, then I'd be doubly stuffed! There's no workmanship warranty to fall back on and the other issue is that there's no service history to show the next owner.

Good point. This too.

 

[king_panther]

Bruce this is not an attack aimed @ you, nor you Brad, just the mere male population of this forum

Being the husband to a disabled wife, I simply don't have the time, nor the ready available space to work on my car(s). Further, if something goes wrong, I've got someone to blame!
I actually bought tools galore & everything & printed out the 'how-to' guides ready to begin working on my car, but they just sit in the garage as I'm unavailable.
I would like to attend a DIY day to see how it's done & try myself, but I guarantee I will never do it again afterwards. I usually book the car into MEEK at the same time as catching up with my family which kills 2 birds with 1 stone. I return there & watch the boys working on the car & am scared shitless or breaking something if I try it myself.
The money I'm paying I don't mind, but it gives at least piece of mind.

I'm not trying to sound like wuss, but I wanted to give a reason. The wife does take a lot of my time on the weekends but guys she's more important than the cars

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Hmmm, Derek & Brad your obviously excused from the above.

Bruce, as I said, not a personal attack, and I understand time constraints for members like you and Brad and all the others that work long hours, its all the other members that have the time, but just go, oh its too hard and I'd rather pay someone to do it, without even giving it a go.

 

[cyber_scriber]

Pretty sure if you put on a carton of piss at your place and invited the lads from Sydney at least ONE of them will turn up to help you out

Given the comprehensiveness of the list, I'm thinking that I'll need to put it on at an all you can drink brewery ... lol!

 

[cyber_scriber]

I'd be happy to help do the engine oil change, spark plugs and power steering fluid change, you could then help me do the white vr4 plugs.

You're a champion David and I very much appreciate your kind offer.

I've already booked Meek in as I want them to give the whole car a once over seeing as I've only recently picked the car up.

I'll definitely keep you in mind when it comes to future minor services. I'm also happy to help you out with the "white VR4 plugs" (???) in advance. You've got my number, just let me know.