You WERE joking about a 2011 XJ right?

 

Please stop ripping on mechanics. You clearly have no idea of how a shop is run. Master certified mechanics make about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the hourly shop rate depending on the how cool the owner is. Yes there are some 1 hour jobs that may take 15 minutes. On the other side of that, the same 1hr job can take 3 hrs and they'll only get paid for 1hr. I have NEVER overcharged hours to a customer and I can speak for 99% of dealership and indy shop technicians. Flat rate wage system isn't all it's cracked up to be BimmerJeeper. You have to compete for hours and good paying jobs and be comfortable not knowing how much you are going to make every week. I certainly don't miss it.


The greatest skill a mechanic (pro or amateur) can possess is problem solving when up against a brick wall. No amount of tools, class training, or certifications can teach it. You're born with it or you aren't. When you encounter problems at your day job, do you punt your problem to another coworker?

 

Well said and thank you.

 

Ok, lets start from page one...
1- if you cut the shock and the bottom end is loosed already, it's driveable. I've done it with both shocks just hanging because I hadn't welded on the shock mounts yet.

2- you keep complaining that this jeep is rusted all to hell....then ***** and moan when somethin gets tough? I'm sorry that the world of daisies and sunshine dkesnt stretch to your jeep buttercup, but fix the problem. That's what mechanics, engineers, it techs, anyone does. Fix the problem. Try something.

3- if you seriously buy a 2 post lift for this...I think you should get an honorary darwin award. In tools, to do everything shy of replacing a piston, I maybe have 200$. I've done head gaskets, tranny swaps, tcase rebuilds, all from writeups, a gravel driveway, floor jack and stands.

4- as said already, stop leaning on the mechanics as your 'it's too hard' excuse. You obviously have more cents then sense.

Now can we put this thread out to pasture already

 

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/rep...2/#post2451765

 

That is a great write up.
But,his real problem is the nut behind the steering wheel.

 

Gravel driveway and jack stands! LOL, that's a new one...
I'll top that: Muddy driveway on a 45 degree incline and jack stands!

$200 worth of tools. HAHA! Remember to CARRY that 1, Johnny!
I love how this lie persists. It must be some sort of macho minimalism myth.

In the real world, away from internet lies, $200 basically gets you some sockets and wrenches.
Guess you don't have stuff like: Torx and hex bits, u-joints, screwdrivers, wire brushes, extension bars, breaker bar, tap/die, various pliers, snips, zip ties, C-clamps, bungee cords, hammers, etc)
Oh, and let's not forget welder, sawzall, dremel, cutting wheels, drills, drill bits, air compressor, air tools, angle grinder, torches, etc. There's another $1000 right there.

Hell, you almost need $50 worth of aerosol cans just to work on cars. Go add it up if you know how to use a calculator.
(brake cleaner, PB blasters, liquid wrench, throttle body cleaner, engine cleaner, various fluids, coolant, etc etc)

I'm done arguing $200 worth of tools lie with the delusional folks here.
At the minimum, you need $1000 worth of tools (closer to $2000) or you're going nowhere past swapping air filters on an XJ.
In reality, you practically need a professional garage to work on these things properly.
That's why people pay mechanics $100 for 10 minutes of work
(And who ever said the tech keeps that entire amount. I am saying what people are forced to pay)

 

How did you strip the bolt if you could not get it to turn? Are you talking about rounding off the head of the bolt? Generally, stripping a bolt refers to the threads. Just asking for some clarity. Not sure if the bolt IS spinning and you just broke the welded nut. Plus, as you are such a stickler for grammar, spelling and semantics, I just thought I'd let you know that you may be using a phrase that is unclear or incorrect.

 

Bimmer, nothing you do makes sense. You're the biggest ******* on this site and I'm way past the point of getting a laugh out of this anymore.

You claim you bought this Jeep because you wanted to learn. All I hear you doing is *****ing. Personally, I love tools even though I don't have many. Buying more is a welcome prospect

 

Actually, it's a terrible write up.
Most car forums write-ups have lots of pictures and details.
You need to have higher standards.

 

Sorry. Yes, I meant I rounded off the bolt head. I had the impact wrench on the bolt, and it was just spinning around without catching. The bolt is NOT spinning, but the impact socket was. The bolt is frozen solid. The bolts are VERY VERY rusty, so that didn't help.

 

Gotcha. Okay, so if this thing is a beater/winter driver/project/learning experience for you, why are you so worried about breaking something? I'm not here to give you crap like so many others, but the real challenge of shade tree mechanic work is what to do when something goes WRONG. As you have experienced, that X factor is inevitable. There are lots of guys on this forum who are GREAT at overcoming that moment of "oh s**t", but cannot take great pictures or do a great step by step write up. Are write ups frequently over simplified? Probably. But that's the whole point of cool forums like this! A little searching or ask a question (be prepared to get the standard "USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!" response) and most people can work their way through problems. It's up to you how much wrenching you want to do on your jeep. If you want to give up and send your ride to a mechanic, that's your choice. I'd just tell you that I could certainly tell you how to change out those shocks with fewer tools than you have already purchased. Might you think of some of my solutions a Jerry Rigging? Maybe. But I feel I have actually improved the integral points in the jeep while committing some damage to other parts. But the job is done and it's rock-solid. I'm just saying, bud, mechanic aren't bad guys, the fellas on here aren't LYING, and no one is trying to mislead you or anyone else. Lots of new guys get ribbed on the forum. Take advice with a grain of salt and try to have some thick skin. Also, if you really want to learn, you HAVE to break something. It's part of the process! Whether its knuckles, parts or your spirit, something will break. I hope you don't give up. Maybe in six months you'll see how easy these jeeps really are to work on. Good luck, man.

 

That is your opinion,I read it and understood everything he was doing.
So you are telling me that when you read any book,you need pictures to understand it.
For me that was only first on grade.



on

 

You understood it b/c you already know how to do it. Imagine me telling you how to remove a tumor from a brain. Something you've never done. Now tell me you don't need pictures, big guy.

An excellent write up (like mine) will explain things to people who have never done it. And they will see what they need to do. A bad write up is only useful to those who already know how to do the procedure that is being documented.

 

There's one big problem with that. He doesn't actually want to learn, he wants to nit-pick at people oversimplifying stuff and whine and ***** and moan. All of his arguments are either: "wtf I can't work on an XJ with only a stick and a piece of chewing gum? I need TOOLS?! I WAS LIED TO" or "omg!111 the interwebz told me i could taek out mi shocks in 35 seconds!11" and then he gets mad because he bought a rust-bucket.