Any DIY'ers in OC, CA want to help out a club member? I have never done any DIY, i have taken 1 year of autoshop back in the HS days but thats about it. I work 70 hour weeks so i dont have time to have my own set up in a garage but i was wondering rather than pay a mechanic 85+ hr labor i would rather pay a local member that can do it and i can learn from him/her the ropes? The DIY things i mean is Oil Change, brakes, belts, etc. If its not my cup of tea then i can decide without investing in equipment. Thanks in Advance..
You posted in the E36 subforum, which doesn't even cover your car. I will suggest a couple of things: Check the website of your local chapter and make some contacts there. Post this message in the proper 3 Series forum or in the DIY forum. Plan to invest in the 'equipment' you need for these jobs, anyway. All any of them involve is a good set of metric wrenches and a couple of screwdrivers. An oil change is a near no-brainer. I can do one on my 535 with a 17mm wrench (OK; and a jack to get it high enough for my fat *** to fit under.). That includes changing out a cartridge oil filter. Changing brakes takes little more and not much in terms of skill. Yes; having another experienced 'wrench' there for the first time is confidence-bolstering but, in retrospect, mostly a waste of good beer you could have had all to yourself. As for belts on your car, I haven't a clue ... but someone will. Good luck!
In that case, skip that other 3 Series forum. You're here. Do the other stuff, though. You will have no trouble learning to do regular maintenance & repairs on your E36. One more thing: I believe there is a Bentley manual for your car. Buy it first.