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I have sometimes ordered the parts, but I don't think I am very handy, and sometimes cause more problems than I had originally! I prefer to buy the part if I can find it pretty cheap, and then have a professional do it!

If you really wanted to fix it yourself, you would find out how and fix it, and that would be great. It seems like you're not comfortable with this task so you hire someone. That's great too, not everybody is inclined to take things apart and see how it works.
So I would say your probably better off paying someone else. That's a lot better than getting in over your head and ruining a good mower eh?

Manny said:

I prefer to buy the part if I can find it pretty cheap, and then have a professional do it!

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I'm curious; how well received are you when you ask that work be done using parts you've purchased elsewhere? What kind of shop do you use: dealer or independent shop? Who does the problem diagnosis? Do you pay for the estimate? What happens if the replaced part doesn't fix the problem?

I think that many, if not most, shops count on a mark-up on parts as a portion of their profits in their business model. Without that parts mark-up, the shop has to either accept less profit, charge a higher labor rate, or get imaginative in their labor billing.

I think that is worth it for you based on all the problems you have had. Plus, it's not like it's going to cost you that much more money. That's a great idea.

jhwentworth said:

I'm curious; how well received are you when you ask that work be done using parts you've purchased elsewhere?

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I was kind of wondering about that myself...
I can see it if you are using some specialty or exotic part that is a custom piece... BUT other than that its sort of like bringing your own eggs and bread to the diner and asking them to cook and toast them for you... usually frowned on...
:smile:KennyV

KennyV said:

I was kind of wondering about that myself...
I can see it if you are using some specialty or exotic part that is a custom piece... BUT other than that its sort of like bringing your own eggs and bread to the diner and asking them to cook and toast them for you... usually frowned on...
:smile:KennyV

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You hit the nail on the head.........its taking profits away from the repairers........like they are having a hard enough time with a Disposable products.
You buy a new toaster......you do not repair!
Buy a cheap whipper snipper......then throw it away when it breaks.......and get a new one........in Australia they are getting the cheap throw away imports........people buy them!

lizard said:

..in Australia they are getting the cheap throw away imports........people buy them!

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That is the same everywhere...
The shame is people usually throw out a very well made older piece ... not realizing that they are replacing the older one with a 'temporary' new, not worth repairing one...

The older one would have been always worth repairing ... the replacement usually is never worth repairing ... But by the time that is discovered the original is long gone... :smile:KennyV

I agree that quality, older equipment is worth fixing.

Another reason to DIY: consider the time it takes to haul the equipment to the shop then fetch it when it's ready. Often, it would take me longer to do the transporting than to just fix the thing.

KennyV said:

That is the same everywhere...
The shame is people usually throw out a very well made older piece ... not realizing that they are replacing the older one with a 'temporary' new, not worth repairing one...

The older one would have been always worth repairing ... the replacement usually is never worth repairing ... But by the time that is discovered the original is long gone... :smile:KennyV

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Thats why you buy old gear...as long as you still get spare parts or make them.......they will see you out for Life!

lizard said:

Thats why you buy old gear......they will see you out for Life!

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That is very true...

and like Two-Stroke said... taking equipment in is very time consuming & generally is a second trip to retrieve and at times even more to get the rework done...

I will usually always do it myself, I'll know it's right... if it's something I am not familiar with I will become familiar with it so as to be able to do the job right... but then I am not on a time schedule and I enjoy most all things mechanical... :smile:KennyV

Manny said:

I have sometimes ordered the parts, but I don't think I am very handy, and sometimes cause more problems than I had originally! I prefer to buy the part if I can find it pretty cheap, and then have a professional do it!

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I feel this way about cars. But I'm not sure if buying a part and letting the professional do it works for me. Most often, I consult the professional and they tell me what to buy, and then I buy it. If in doubt, I would ask other professionals.

What happens is, I get expert advise. Second, cost goes down because these professionals know where to buy the best deals. Third, a few times I get something for free or half the price. They happen to have a spare item that gathers dust and they want to get rid of it.

Well, it is worth it because everything is a learning process. It all centers around interest because you do not want to hire someone all the time and neither do you want to keep on not doing something wrong.

What matters is, are you adding value to your mower?

Every time you fix something yourself you are one step closer to really understanding your equipment. What you learn by fixing your mower can then be applied when your snowblower (or ATV or chain saw) has a a similar problem.

I'm thinking that maybe if I buy a new one, it wouldn't hurt to "tinker" with the old one. And if I get it working, woo-hoo, I have a back-up! And may have learned something new in the process...

I try to study up on it,ask Questions and advice on different forums and buy a manual and study it before I go into something I haven't done before.I also like to take pics. during the take down process in case I forget when I go to put it back together. russ

173abn said:

buy a manual and study it before I go into something I haven't done before.

I also like to take pics. during the take down process in case I forget when I go to put it back together. russ

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You can never have too many manuals ....
And the BEST addition to the mobile phone was the CAMERA... tooooooo handy. :smile:KennyV

I've always thought this is worth it, because it saves you a ton of money in the long run. Good for you for doing it on your own I personally don't have the patience.

If you are capable of trouble shooting and finding what part you need . I would think you are also capable of replacing that part, diagnois is usally the hardest part of the repair. Also you need to be able to determine what made the part go bad in the first place. Just replacing parts can get expensive if you don't fix the real problem. That is what you pay a dealer for. Also in my shop the repair is warranted usually for 90 days including labor. If you purchase your parts elsewhere how much warranty is on it and who replaces it for you. There's not much difference in parts pricing anyway from one place to another.
Example; ignition swicthes, 90% of them have 5 prongs on the back of them but if youlook closely you will find a letter on each terminal(that letter means something). Just using any 5 prong switch can possibly burn out an ignition module or damage the charging system.
I would suggest you to start a relationship with your local dealer. It might be a little more expensive but it will be cheaper in the long run I promise