[autotech]

Former dealer technician here, the Haynes books give most DIYers just enough rope to hang themselves. The wiring diagrams are never complete and a lot of info is missing outright. I guess it's good enough for a casual person looking to maintain their own vehicle, but it is far from comprehensive. It was always a red flag when I would spot a Haynes book in a car I pulled. Sure to be a cleanup job after someone got in too deep. Haynes' choice to stop printing books is just another example of the shift away from printed materials. In the automotive industry, information aggregators like Alldata, Motor, Mitchell stopped doing printed service manuals many years ago. They even discontinued DVD service manuals. (Finally)

[tomcam]

What do you think are the most reliable/repairable cars? Can be from any era.

[autotech]

I love Toyota and Honda for long term reliability. I am a Nissan tech so its not a brand loyalty thing here. Toyota pickups and corolla are highly sought after on the secondary markets overseas in Asia and Africa because they will go 500k miles routinely.

[tomcam]

> Toyota pickups and corolla are highly sought after on the secondary markets overseas in Asia and Africa because they will go 500k miles routinely.

Holy shit. What years? And thanks.

[autotech]

All years are good.

'Foreigners in Afghanistan have long joked that Afghanistan is where the world’s Corollas come to die. But Afghan’s take issue with that description.

“They come here to die?” asked a puzzled Askar Khan while leading reporters through dozens of parked Corollas in his dealership at the eastern edge of Kabul. “But Corollas never, never die. They drive on forever.”'

https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan-gives-a...

[tomcam]

Appreciate your expertise, friend! Valuable for me in my hunt for a used pickup.

[jabl]

You can find various reliability stats online. Toyota usually comes up at, or very near, the top.

[fuball63]

I'm trying to learn more about car maintenance. I can change oil, take the wheels on and off, check fluids. I even was able to test some faulty speed sensors on the wheels for a speedometer issue I was having.

What is considered going too far, to get into situations where technicians such as yourself smirk at DIYers? Right now I'm trying to diagnose a power steering leak and might have to replace the high pressure line. I'm going to try do it regardless, but I'm just curious as to what is considered "good for them for trying" vs. "dang it why did they try".

[autotech]

For me, I hated to see parts missing or damaged on assembly. Wiring repairs or accessory installs made with scotch-lok connectors or wire nuts.Using crappy eBay parts. Using an entire tube of RTV sealant where only a dab was necessary. Messing with refrigerant including (illegal) venting to atmosphere. The list goes on and on but it boils down to improper techniques and materials. I really can't fault anyone for trying to do it themselves. Most of the people who read HN can afford an auto repair bill so I think its more the "hacker" mindset that influences people here to attempt repairs themselves. Just be honest with the service department if you got in over your head. We won't snicker too much :-)

[fuball63]

This is good to know, I usually stay away from what I can tell is a "lifehack" style repair on YouTube, and I try to buy real parts. And good to know about the mechanic, I have a good relationship with mine and now I know how to keep it that way!

EDIT: P.S. yes, I do fall into the "I can afford the mechanic bill" category, but it isn't so much hacker mindset as sustainability and self reliance mindset.

[post_break]

This is why I love car forums when people leak the full and complete wiring diagram and repair manual for the vehicle.