Everyone here a Mechanic?

[ikaria]

Is it me or is everyone here (on the board) pretty much a professional mechanic?

[emsvitil]

I'm a self-taught amateur that probably knows more than some so-called professionals.......

[BadnewsBob]

Not me.....I am an aircraft electrician by trade, Build helicopters now.....Shade tree mech because I want to.

[GONZO97]

Im far from a mechanic but i still know how to wrench on my rig! and usually do all my work myself!

[monk #1164]

most own yota's...i can't say that too many of my friends have them... and i think i work on mine more...

[*** YELLER ***]

nope retired sawmill worker but I think you will find that most members here do allot of their own wrenching giving them first hand knowledge of allot of things that need fixin'

[Quick Draw]

You will never learn a lesson as well as you would have if you learned it the hard way.  That's pretty much the story of my "career" as a backyard mechanic.

Even though I have only been doing this for a few years, I can frequently watch people and say things like:

"Make sure that bolt is tight.... you don't even wanna know what happens if it's not."

"You should probably fix that...they tend to fail at the most inopportune times."

"I wouldn't do that....if you want to keep your fingers."

"Why?... because I learned the hard way."

And I'm always screwing up.... err... "learning"...

[4RunnerChevy]

I'm a backyard auto mechanic and I'm always broke hence the need to be a backyard mechanic.  I fix, design, machine, fab, weld, really big machines.

[ikaria]

Ah -- that's reassuring! I thought I read quite a few responses to posts where people would say --
"well, in our shop, we tend to this..." or "use that". Then many of the 'build' pictures seems to show
fully equipped shops, too

I'm an animator by trade, but decided to get a 1st gen toyota pickup over a tacoma last year so that I could exchange
my computer chair for a comfortable rag underneath the truck

[GONZO97]

A lot of people on here i have found usually have shops or have friends who have shops to give most of us a place to wrench

[*** YELLER ***]

or really nice garages that look clean like some pro shops

[Rocksurfer]

I wouldn't say everyone but most here are to some extent weather a backyard mechanic or a full on Toyota Technician. I have had a shop (quicklube) run a few and currently am back where it all began running one of the LA City Police Garages at night. Still I would not call myself a mechanic since I do have limits on how much I can do. Now call me a grease monkey and I will bow to that, technically I'm an administrator/manager.

[Cheesemaker]

My shop is too small. 

For most of us, there isn't a tow truck or a shop on the trail.  We need to know our way around a wrench, and our trucks to get home if we have problems.  And it's usually cheaper to fix our rigs ourselves, vs. paying somebody else to fix it for us.  Nothing beats that "I did it feeling!" 

I agree with Rocksurfer, that I'm no mechanic, but I will give it a try, and if its more than I feel comfortable with, then I'll hire somebody to do it for me.  But I want to watch see it done.

[Rocksurfer]

For the most part it is all of our combined experience that gets us through a trail or under our rigs. That's why we wheel and wrench together, if one person doesn't know usually another will and either share their advise or if on the trail drop down crawl under and lend a hand to keep you rolling, kinda like a commune.

I would never be ashamed to ask even a dumb question here on repairing my rig, most will give an honest answer with just a little ribbing about it.

[twistedtoy92]

I took it on as a profession... Always loved fixing things and modifying stuff.... It all started out when I was a young lad building rigs out of Legos Sometimes I wish I wasnt though, never have time to wrench on my own stuff, just fix everyone elses!

[monk #1164]

mine...

[brainlessfool]

not all.

[GNasty 82]

I'll also bow to the title of 'grease monkey' or shade tree mechanic.  Professionally, I develop embedded software for a government contractor but do ALL my own work on all my vehicle because I just don't trust anyone (aka the 'professional') else to do it correctly, except for few such as Marlin and company, but they're 2000 miles away, so... I guess it's just me.

[yotaneck13]

im an ase cirtified technician but i no longer work in that field i saw that there just wasnt enough money to be made so i changed tracks and am now a welder but i still do repairs on the side out of my garage someday ill have a full blown shop to work out of but for now its just a 2 stall with everytool i need

[unclejpl4x4]

I have wrenched for crap 18 yr dam i feel old. ill tell ya what im tired of it.  VW shop, toyota dealer, rental houses-equipment now a MF and kubota dealer.   and all i have at home is a uneven crappy stone driveway.  I got go work on the truck right now 40 outside and windy have a red sticker on my truck for a month now fing emissions.     

[83yota]

you tend to get better stuff when you can. I have aquired alot of stuff over the years.

[RainierToy]

I tint windows for a living not sure if that counts... but i have put lots of BOLT on accessories on customers cars haha   

[blackdiamond]

I make no claims when it comes to auto mech capability.  I change my oil from time to time and have done a few other things along the way, but when it comes to something that could impact my safety or off road capability, I almost always have someone else do the work and I try to purchase parts that are stronger than I need.  Between these two I have never had a significant trail repair on my rig.  I wheel easy (that doesn't mean easy trails) so it works for me.

I don't enjoy wrenching at all, I'm probably in the minority in the hobby.  I know a lot more that I do which is probably why a lot of people that I know assume that I'm more of a mechanic that I really am.

[GONZO97]

I tint windows for a living not sure if that counts... but i have put lots of BOLT on accessories on customers cars haha   

ive always wanted to learn how to tint windows, would probably save me a little money being i love having tint on all my vehicles

[Seeds]

I'm a Nurse...ha....just love figuring out how things work.

[emsvitil]

I'm a Nurse...ha....just love figuring out how things work.

What do your patients have to say about this?

[motorider228]

I'm an aircraft engine mechanic.  I know cars pretty well and I do most home repairs on my own, but I definitely enlist the help of some friends when there are large jobs.

[junya92toy]

What do your patients have to say about this?

Prop not much until he asks where the 1/2 inch impact and torch are.

[crazy white boy]

im a diesel mechanic in the military but i have been wrenching on anything and everything ever since i was alittle feller.

[SloCrawler]

Im no mechanic.  I often use a hammer to beat it in. But I do all my work myself on my rig. Practice makes perfect right.