Just curious how many here are into attempting to fix things on their own, regardless of prior experience, rather than selling or throwing it away. This is the thread for your experiences, how to questions, etc. Certainly many of us build and repair bikes & bike components at home or lbs shop, but this is more about everything else...consumer electronics, smart phones, large appliances, car repairs for untrained mechanics, etc.
In this current state where there is a new model of this or that every year, with (lets be real) only incremental improvements, with marketing based on the premise that we need the latest version I have to think that somewhere there are piles (figuratively speaking) of phones for example that are otherwise fine. Thank goodness for eBay right? Side note: It would be cool if there was a channel where people can donate their used but fully function consumer electronic devices to an organization that can then distribute them to 3rd world countries, charities, and other communities in need.
YouTube is such a great resource. Knowledge is power and in this case knowledge = money savings. I've been able to find a repair video for everything I've needed to search for. Anyway, I'd love to hear what others have successfully repaired. When I open up something, sometimes its apparent to me whether the company intends that item to be rebuildable by warranty shops or others with the know-how. I think that speaks well of said company. Here's what I have, with zero prior knowledge, been able to repair based on online videos or websites. I've never done the math but I'm sure I've saved thousands over the years. Honestly though, some of this is not due to some idealistic vision of saving the world, but more about not wanting to buy new things or dealing with the hassle of working with others to fix things... I guess one might say I'm a cheapskate with trust issues letting others mess with my stuff
- CF repairs to 3 different bike frames (minor damage / not entire tubes destroyed)
- Complete re-paint of the above two CF frames. Arguably near professional results.
- A really nice (at the time) Samsung Dryer repaired several times. Once it was a broken drum belt. Another time it was the bearings going out on the rollers that support the drum, another time it was the heating element. The inside of a dryer is amazingly simple.
- A swamp cooler when I was a teenager. Another example of something with elementary level technology. So simple.
- Fuel pump on a Subaru Outback. Yeah that's a pretty basic repair, but I am the least auto-mechanically inclined person I know. Interestingly, the fuel pump is right under the rear seat. Pop up the cushions and there's a little hatch right there into the gas tank.
- A Dyson Vacuum electrical issue. Easy peezy. Plenty of youtube videos
- Several iPhones repaired. Say what you will above Apple, but they are built very well and the internals are very modular. the hardest thing is dealing with the itsy bitsy screws. You just need a god screwdriver with an itsy bitsy tip. I have two kids each with an iPhone 6. The phones are hand me down phones from me over the years. Both date back to when the 6 first came out and were going strong until a month ago. No way am I going to buy a teenage kid some brand new iPhone 8 they carry around in their back pocket and toss around with their teenage pals. So until they can buy their own phones they get my hand me down ex-work phones. Anyway, they've been on the decline and finally one kid came to me one with a screen that would no longer illuminate at all and a battery that would no longer hold a charge for more than a couple hours. My other kid with a phone had a cracked screen and battery that wouldn't last long. iPhone 6 battery on Amazon: $20, iPhone replacement display (entire display, including camera, ear piece, proximity sensor, etc): $35. I bought 2 of each and had what I needed for both phones. After following a youtube video I had each phone in essentially brand new operating condition in 2 hours. Total outlay $110. Not bad.
- Roomba robotic vacuum repair. Something with the motor, can't remember exactly. I question the value the Roomba provides in our household but my kids love to play with it, so I finally acquiesced to their requests that I try to fix it. They have a name for the dang thing, sheesh.
- This is loosely correlated but I haven't paid for a haircut for 20 years. I don't shave it down to nothing either. I leave around 1.5 - 2 inches on top, tapering down to nothing near my neck line. A big mirror behind me (temporarily hung inside the shower so I don't have any hair clippings cleanup....shower and its all clean again
), well lit area, a hand mirror, and high quality electric shears with all the attachments is all I've needed. I cut the top using the fingers and scissors method...that took several times to get right. I'm sure the first year the quality was lacking to others noticing my 'do, but within a year or two of starting, I highly doubt any stylist at a local salon could have cut it in a way that I like now. As a side note, I grew up going to the local Barber. Do barbers even exist any more? Fond memories of the local barber, with the tell tale swirly thing outside his door, being the nexus of all neighborhood intel, sports analysis, and political editorial.
Of course I've failed miserably too. The most recent example is when I tore apart an electric pressure washer to fix a leaking seal. Now it is completely non-functional. Ooops!