Rotating tires in the driveway every 6,000 miles
A breaker bar, a floor jack and a chalk pattern on the garage floor. Why I bother, what it costs a shop and how long ours last.
All posts in DIY Maintenance
The Sienna turns 200,000 miles
Original engine, original transmission, its third set of tires and a cake Lainey insisted on. Everything we've replaced since 2016.
Starting two old vehicles at 6 below zero
The January cold snap tested every battery we own. What started, what didn't, the $164 battery for the van and our cold-morning routine.
Garrett's Civic, first weekend: fluids, wipers and $74
Before it ever went to school, we changed the oil, checked every fluid, put on new wipers and found the bulb that was out.
Getting two old vehicles ready for winter for $118
Wipers, a battery test, antifreeze strength, tire pressure and the ice scraper hunt. Our October list before the first hard freeze.
Cleaning out a garage nobody had touched since 2019
Two Saturdays, one $40 landfill run and a pegboard wall. How I got enough room back to work on a car with the garage door shut.
Fixing the van's sliding door cable for $86
The passenger sliding door quit in a grocery store parking lot. Two months of opening it by hand, then a video, a cable and a Saturday.
Cabin and engine air filters: $31 and 15 minutes
Both vehicles were overdue, and the cabin filter in the van looked like a bird's nest. Where they hide and what a shop would charge.
Front brakes on the Sienna for $142 in parts
The shop quoted $489 for pads and rotors. One Saturday, a borrowed torque wrench and my dad in a lawn chair. What it took and cost.
An oil change on a 2014 Silverado: 8 quarts and $46
The quick-lube place wanted $94 for synthetic. The oil, the filter, my drain pan routine and the one bolt I always check twice.
Hello from a cold garage in St. Joseph, Missouri
Two high-mileage vehicles, a 15-year-old about to drive and a dad who isn't a mechanic. Who we are and why I'm keeping this log.