every time I do something I find myself spending more time getting everything together and running back and forth because a part don't fit or its a wrong part by my mistake or the store mistake. I would say more than half of the project time I spend chasing down parts and exchanging parts for one that fits.

what about everyone else. how much time you actually spend on a project vs time spent getting everything together for it


please don't move this to GDD because everyone is a master mechanic there and they don't make any mistakes ever

 

When I am at the part store I look at the part. If it is wrong I don't leave the store until the issue is sorted out. Very rarely is anything ever packaged wrong. I also take the time to plan the job and typically purchase extra parts that may be worn out or get broken during the process at hand. Folllow the 7Ps:

Proper
Prior
Planning
Prevents
****
Poor
Performance

OR

****
Poor
Planning
Promotes
****
Poor
Performance

This is totally GDD material though.

 

yea but imagine replies in gdd. everyone there is a master mechanic with amazing skills and don't make mistakes ever...

and there really not much tech goin on there

 

I agree with this. Anytime I am going to tackle a project on my car I gather all the needed parts ahead of time (and spares) and consider what other parts or jobs I can do that in close relation to the project I'm working on and grab parts for that too.
The only time I find myself going back and forth is if I break something lol

 

Plan better. Research longer.

 

I researched for almost 2 years on building my engine. Collected all the parts, checked everything 5 times, made sure I had all the tools and chemicals, spent maybe 1 or 2 hours a day over 2.5 weeks assembling everything, never once had to go to the parts store for anything.

And it wasnt just an engine build. I also installed a wide band, converted my car from obd0 to obd1, installed oil temp and pressure gauges, installed a custom radiator and inline filler (vw rads have no cap) installed s300 and tuned the car, as well as welding up my exhaust cause it needed a new flex pipe.

Just took lots of planning, and lots of lists

 

Its not the planning or gathering everything needed for a job that sucks. Its the finding something you need to deal with once you get going that has nothing to do with your original plan.

 

3/4 of my time is actual work. The other 1/4 is running for parts or bullshitting with my neighbors since our backyards are close together.

No matter how good u are sometimes once you get it apart you find a part u werent expected to that could be replaced. Thankfully I have a napa autozone and advance all within a mile or so of my house

 

Either people don't know their way around cars or underestimate just how many parts I purchase and return on most jobs. I abuse the **** out of the return policy. There are only so many parts you can buy for any given job. The nearest parts store to me is 20 mins away. It would be a whole hour if I had to do a parts run and a complete waste of time. Everyone has their own version of the extent they are willing to take planning to, but I guess I may be a bit more on the extreme side.

Full Excel sheets for parts needed and bought are key for me. I always have dedicated laptops in my garage / shop for this purpose. Dry erase boards are also a huge help to have for quick ideas or helping convey ideas to those helping you. A camera or pictures when you take a trip to the parts store OR the part itself is a huge benefit for the fine details. Many ways to get things accomplished efficiently.

 

The only time I have to waste time if I get sent a part that is just plain wrong. Had that happen with a set of RTA bushings 3 TIMES for the same job!!! That's out of anyone's control.

The other minor time waster is when i put down a tool or small screw/bolt and immediately cannot find it again.

 

Thats called poor planning. Before I even started gathering parts I made a list of every single part I needed, and inspected my car for anything that would need replacing in the process

 

I'm quite impressed by the level of planning detail some people on this thread claim to have.

I'm with OP. Much of my time is spent chasing parts/tools. However, I've noticed The amount of time I waste on that stuff is inversely proportional to the mass of my tool collection.

The more tools I acquire, the less time I spend trying to use the wrong tool to do a job it wasn't designed to do.

I recall spending a couple hours with a dremel and a ball joint separator because the parts store didn't have ball joint breakers in the size I needed, so I used my dremel to machine material off a bigger ball joint separator to make it work.

 

Depending on the project... I'm usually using OEM parts from AFH. Its an old honda so i usually buy "all" the bolts associated with the job too. I always research the process if i have never done it and that will usually show you at least one "well while you are in there you should do X, Y and Z".... so i order all that stuff too.

I keep the garage stocked with Kroil, BG products, CASES of brakeclean, shop towels, hondabond, etc. I generally dont need to hunt down a specialty tool since ive been hard core tool collecting for the last 15 years (when i used to work out of a craftsman kit my life was hell and i had to make a ton of trips)

 

I very rarely do side jobs anymore,but when I do I try order parts through my job. This ensures I get the right part as we use either dealer parts or the same manufacturer of dealer parts, On those rare occasions that I have to order through the local parts store,I would get the wrong part at least 50% of the time. Pisses me off.

And has nothing to do with planning,it has to do with the incompetence of the minimum wage parts jockeys at the local Vatozone,etc. Best way I have found to minimize this is to take the part with me to the parts store, to match it up.

 

The most important thing to do is to make sure you have the correct tools for the job. When I first started off working on my car I would take on any job and just expect I can make it work with my existing tools. Well, I almost always thought wrong and since I normally only had one car at the time I was always screwing myself over.