How do you feel 'bout Fixing OTHER peoples Diesels (or Cars)?
Back when I wanted a really nice Two stage compressor, and a second garage, the thought crossed my mind, but I nixed it. I think it would be really hard to fix someone else's car because the pride and enjoyment and relaxation wouldnt be there. The owner might not appreciate your pride in your work, and you personally might be less than motivated in doing great work on someone's beater with their whole wardrobe in the back seat and a thousand cigarette butts all over the interior.
Theres also the question about Liability, New Jersey has 2 lawyers for every inhabitant of the state, in NJ reverse counter sue was invented. IE, first one sues, then comes counter sue, and now there are so many lawyers that one reverse countersues now....
I doubt I would go hunting and backpacking through the swampy Pinelands of Jersey looking for phantom junkyards where rumoured Mercedes wrecks sit to get a prize shift knob for some nasty housewife who will use her car to run me off the road someday anyway. I only do that for myself and my self pleasure.
Finally not everyone is Technology friendly. Some lady whose brakes you fixed may blame you for her crapped out AC.

I hate working on other peoples cars as much as I hate paying someone to work on mine...

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

It depends if it is a friend or just someone referred to you because they heard that you fix cars.

A friend, I would help with an occasional project. However, if he wants me to do the work by myself without any assistance from them, then I believe compensation is called for, ie... the trade of goods and services.(And if I had a shop, for business, freebees are out of the question. "Friends" can really be bad about this side of things.)

An unknown referral is a completely different story. I would insist on the signing of a release both for any mechanical or personal liability. The only exception might be for just taking a look and telling them what you think is needing the repair.

As you say, the intent is to not help in the financial support for any slip-and-fall lawyers.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I recently had the husband of my kids school principle approach me about doing work on his two Mercedes diesels. I know I could do the work, but I turned him down. I really don't have a place to work on the cars yet.

I know in the past I have not enjoyed working on some of my own cars. My Chevy pickup and my wife's Volvo come to mind.

One thing that has come to mind is fixing cars that I pick up for cheap and selling them for a profit after I do some work to them. I have a friend that did very well with this when he was in college. He was a paint and body guy so he was always looking for cars that needed bodywork. I helped him out with some mechanical issues. With the increasing popularity of diesel cars, it could be a possibility.

The key is finding the cars for a cheap price. Figure new parts are always going to be the same price.

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Doug

1987 300TD x 3
2005 E320CDI

Last winter my wife "volunteered" me to replace a thermostat in her friends Ford Escort, what a PITA. This thing seem to be made entirely of plastic and sheet metal with sharp edges. The thermostat housing is plastic and is held together with little torx head screws. There was about 2 inches of clearance between the screw heads and some incredibly sharp sheet metal heat shield.

Of course, I don't even own a trox driver. After two trips to the auto parts store to get the correct thermostat and a couple of trips to home depot to buy tools, I got the silly thing installed, hands covered with green coolant and blood. I don't know how people can stand working on these POSs.

reason i dont help fix others cars if it involves that... not enough room.. if i cant sit in the engine compartment to adjust the valves im not fixing it

Plenty of good advice here on this thread.

I like my two Mercedes cars and do like to brag about how well they still run.
But I do not want all my neighbors to buy one.

And then..... a family around the corner let their 1983 300D sit outside
not running for a few weeks. I couldn't stand it. I knew what it needed,
the owners dad said he was too busy to get to it.
Saturday I had him bring it to my shop and I got it running again in about two hours.

I won't do it again, and after reading this thread I have more reasons to say no.
Liability is high on the list.
And yes, I fix everything, and my car is as clean as the day I bought it.
You can't convince others to fix every detail.

Thanks for this reality check.
We do it because we like the personal satisfaction.

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80 300D 340K Owned 30 yrs
83 300SD 440K Owned 9 yrs - Daily Driver 150mi/day
02 Z71 Suburban 117,000
15 Toyota Prius 2600 miles
00 Harley Sportster 24k
09 Yamaha R6
03 Ninja 250

I do that all the time. I have a wife.

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Being an old VW guy, I don't mind working on other people's cars, wait, I don't mind "helping" people work on their own. I have a garage full of tools, including a vag-comm computer for the OBD2 cars. Using a BB like this for info, I could prob fix anything, but I still get touchy the first time I do something. First time I adjusted valves, or replaced CV joints.

What I don't do is work on other people's cars for money. My day job averages $55ish an hour, and I'm not giving that up to get dirty.

I'd rather teach people, or have people help me out, than to just plunk down cash. I usually pay for tire changing, alignments, and sometimes exhaust, but I do everything else.

Thanks to all who post here, you have saved me an incredible amount of money, Chuck

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2000 C230 Kompressor "Frosty"

2007 PT Cruiser
2001 VW TDI Beetle
1999 Landrover Discovery II
1971 Corvette

Gone: 97 Cabrio, 83 240D, 93 VW Eurovan, 95 Volvo 850, 93 Chevy Astro Van, 77 VW Bus, 99 VW Jetta, 74 VW Bus

I did once, and only once. The Dr who sold me the SD, well we kind of talk MB's and he wanted me to do some work on his wifes SDL. I replaced the center console wood and a few other odds and ends. The new center console wood is sweet, $300 worth of sweetness!

Never again though, I'm not a mechanic. If I break something I'd have to fix it, it can become a mess.

The only time I work on other peoples cars are my friends. When it involves hanging around, talking, beer, and supervising them working. Once in awhile I lend a hand.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I work on other people's vehicles whenever I can. Usually, they take it to a repair shop, get an estimate and the work required, then call me before they leave. I did the brakes on an Infinity SUV and saved them over $600. I get home cooked meals in return (and they come with dessert!) I do what I can, but had to pass on replacing wheel bearings in an Infiniti G20. Having done the brakes, I figured it would be a snap. WRONG!! The entire front suspension has to be removed. I'll do what I can to help a friend out, but I do know my limitations (and my motivation.)

I do it sometimes since I don't want my student friends to get screwed by the stealership et. al.. That and it beats going to class.

Had to abandon a spark plug job on an Acura for many of the reasons stated in this thread : A Dieselhead (comically) recounts his experiences fixing FWD cars..

Was sure if I put the socket down in the abyss where the plug lived, it would never be seen again.

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1982 300TD 210K miles ("The Replacement" aka "The Anvil") - SOLD
1979 300SD 245K miles (never ending project)
2007 Pinarello F3:13
1995 Ducati 916 (SOLD, sniff)
1999 Ducati 900SSie (SOLD)

What I tell people when they ask me to "help" them work on their car is it will cost you $50.00 for me to fix it or $100.00 if you help me. If people want to hover over me and tell me what to do, they should be fixing it themselves.

You will soon find out how many friends you have that you never even knew about when word gets out your a mechanic.

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85 300sd SOLD ,85 745i,95 740i,1972 Suburban,1938 International

First rule: gotta be a Benz. I won't even work on my folks' Hondas (especially Hondas!), if I can help it.

Second rule: with 5 Benzs in the immediate family, I don't have too much car time left over anyway so other jobs have to squeeze in.
I do work on the '88 560SEL of my uncle. He's a retired doctor and he worked on ME for as long as I've been.

other folks Benzs: well, some folks I'm willing to help. Especially when they want to do the work and they want to learn. Sady comes to mind. That young man isn't afraid to tackle any job. Another case:I have what is starting to amount to an apprentice with a '79 240D. Young lady at work. Bought a California car for a decent price and wants to bring it back to most of its full glory (funds permitting). We are slowly getting it in shape. We did get it roadworthy and she took a several hundred mile trip in it with no bad events. She of course has a ton to learn, but is a quick study. Big plus is she thinks the car is one of the greatest things on earth. Oh, and her grandfather has an old 190SL in a garage somewhere. Told her she needs to impress him with how much she values and cares for classic Benzs.

Neighbors sometimes ask me to work on their Benzs, but I generally politely decline if they simply want me to do the work. I just can't do it for money and I won't do it for free. Does that make any sense?