VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[anthonyVO]

Long story short (yeah right), we recently bought an '04 Land Rover Discovery (the last Discovery before they made it all purdy like with the LR3.) Apparently, for the '03 and '04 model years, Land Rover didn't make the joints in the front driveshaft greasable, so they tend to fail eventually as the vehicle gets up there in miles. Well, I decided to rebuild it with new joints.

The question was, did I want to take it to a professional mechanic ($250-350 parts & labor) or, being somewhat handy around cars, did I want to do this job myself ($60-70 parts.) I decided to do it myself.

It's day two now, and I'm finally getting close to finishing the job. Three knuckles scrapes, one sore back, achy legs, and bruised palms later.

The challenge? The pro has better tools and experience allows him/her to more efficiently handle any problems that pop up during the process.

Lesson learned. The hard way. Ouch.

-Anthony

[Mandy Nelson]

Doesn't that just rub your sore knuckles? DH and I are very handy - we build, paint, fix, sew pretty much everything. But a few years ago I had to have a discussion with him about what our time is worth. I let him "win" the argument about a DIY project that should have been handled by pros, even though I dearly wanted to do the project, too. 7 years later and our front walkway still isn't fixed. It would take a pro 1 day to come in and make the fixes and they already have the tools. But then it comes back to the money thing. Around and around we go!
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[anthonyVO]

I could definitely relate to that, Mandy. I'm finally caving in to let a pro re-do our bathroom. I "started" the project 8 years ago. Sometimes it takes some level of impending doom or alternative inconvenience looming to get it done; I did our kids' nursery/room in a couple of days about 2 months before our first was born.

I can also understand the money issue - sometimes you just want to save or might not have the money. Unless it's crucial it get done ASAP (like the driveshaft - can potentially turn into a transmi$$ion repair if it fails,) it might be prudent to just wait to get the funds together.

-A

[Bish]

The ability to do "things", or being "handy" is a mixed blessing. I can, and do, fix computers... so I became the go-to guy for friends and family. Now they get upset when I tell them I don't have the time/energy/inclination to fix their slow Windows machine. I'll do my own computer stuff still, but I actually enjoy that part. I can, and do, work on cars... stripping and rebuilding engines used to be fun when I was keeping old bangers running or preparing a bike race engine... but now I won't touch them. The last straw was about fifteen years ago when my old Ford needed new valves. I lost too many days standing in the freezing weather pulling off the head and grinding them puppies in. Never again. The skinned knuckles were the least of it!

I'll tile, plumb, wire, build and hate every moment of it. I do it because I can, and resent paying someone else. If I didn't know how to do it, I'd happily pay to have it done... ignorance is bliss. I actually envy people who don't know one end of a wrench from the other... they have no barrier to getting a job done. With me, I can but usually don't want to... so I procrastinate.

I'm more mellow about it now... and some of that is because I'm now self-employed and have a better appreciation of a guy trying to earn a living. Capitalism at work... share the wealth. If I cut my own grass, then the local landscaper goes hungry. The next job is spring clean-up, and I hate power-washing... there's a kid down the road who does a good job for a reasonable price.

There's a lesson here. We all want a healthy employment market for VO professionals and groan when people go the DIY route. It's sort of the same thing really.
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I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[The Voice of Steve]

The problem I've always had with my DIY projects, is that the ALWAYS LOOK like I DID IT! Since that is not the goal, We typically go to a professional...unless we're building a popcicle stick bridge...those we still do ourselves!

[mcm]

Steve made me laff.

Bish has a point. When the budget is tight, though, I would rather quietly DIM than ask the professional if they would do it for copy and credit.

Then there was the time when we simply could not find a professional to do the job on our schedule - the job being to install a new heating system because hubby decided he didn't like our steam radiators and pulled them all out during the summer. And forgot that time marches on. That was the winter he stopped saying "I don't do plumbing" and I got to observe first hand how awesome he is at soldering.

I had occasion to haul out the receipts for that project recently. There was a 2-3 week period where he went to the hardware store every single day, and sometimes two or three times.

[Monk]

I do a lot of my own work, cars, boats, plumbing, drywall, wiring... etc.

My stuff comes out alright, but there is a point that I do hand things off to the mechanic and let them fight with it.

A driveshaft? I would replace the whole thing with a rebuilt rather than rebuilding it myself. That's an easier operation. Replacing a steering rack on the Volvo 850? Um. No. that's for the garage. same goes for any exhaust work.

Upside down on the driveway for hours on end... not anymore.

Pouring a concrete foundation? I'm hiring the guys with the big trucks.
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[Lee Gordon]

A few weeks ago I finally tired of keeping a bucket under the P-trap beneath my kitchen sink so I crawled under there and fixed the leaky plumbing myself.

Oh, did I mention that the leak was most likely caused by my own DIY disposer installation?

If my local plumber wanted to do his own commercial, I'd tell him he was crazy and ought to hire a professional. Hmm.
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Voice President of the United States
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[Diane Maggipinto]

of course, this is a lesson in having the client voice the spot instead of the pro.


or searching for the least expensive mechanic at landrover123.com
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[imaginator]

a few years ago i decided to be a responsible adult (big mistake) and stop being the only person in my family who couldn't make basic household repairs.

i even bought a book on plumbing so i'd know exactly how to replace the valve in a toilet tank.

first thing that happened: as soon as my screwdriver TOUCHED the bolt head was that it snapped off from unseen rust, and what water was left in the tank after i'd drained it came pouring out all over the floor.

several hours later i had the place dry enough to start again, got to step three in the book, only to find out that the parts and the tank i owned had not read the same book. whatever it said to do in step three had no basis in reality.

i called a real plumber (who, thankfully, didn't tell me what a hash i'd made of things), and had the job done right in less than an hour.

that's just one of the things i'd rather pay someone to do, the right way. my time is more valuable to me than the satisfactionof knowing i did it myself. and i don't have any self-inflicted injuries to seek medical help for, either.

it's a life-choice i draw upon when i'm tempted to let someone tell me my own professional services are something they can do themselves.

i also remember my very polite plumber when someone brings me a completely hashed-up job to fix.
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[bobbinbeamo]

I love the metaphoric atmosphere of this thread
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Bobbin Beam
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blog.bobbinbeam.com

[Yoda117]

Sometimes it's better to do it yourself.

Often it's not...

Experience and wisdom should be able to tell you which option is the appropriate one.

Family will forever remind you when it isn't...
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[tackerman]

BTDT Anthony. Good news that you're successfully completing the job!
I do most of the mechanical work on our vehicles but I've come to the realization over the years that the big jobs are better left to the pros with the training... and more importantly the tools.

[anthonyVO]

Heard of the golden touch? I think Rowell had the rusted touch.

Some great stories here (along with some hard-learned lessons.)
Thanks for sharing them!

I think I'll stick to oil changes and tune-ups and leave the heavy-duty mechanical work to the pros.

Metaphorical, Bobbin? Heck yeah. Now I have a story to tell some potential clients.

-Anthony

[todd ellis]

last week i got a call from an agency for whom i auditioned, and didn't get the job. i work a lot with these guys, but in this case i had the delivery they wanted, but not the on-screen presence - tall - dennis-leary-esque. i get it - that ain't me. however, the the guy that "fit the suit" & worked great with a boom floating gently out of frame absolutely sucked in the VO booth. they sent me a sample and asked if i could make him sound better. i sent back a quick critique that focused mostly on a complete lack of mic technique - too close to the 416, lots of popping & mouth noise, etc ... i charged them a session fee x2 to coach the guy through the, at times painful session, and we eventually got the tags finished. all in all it was a mostly good experience for me, and the agency learned that just because somebody can walk the walk - doesn't mean they can talk the talk.
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