Mechanics React to More Awful Tiktok Repair Hacks

We asked real mechanics to break down some of the worst and best car repair hacks from Tiktok.
Huge thanks to our experts!
Steph -- / radical_steph
Sandro -- / mirandas_shop_
Real Mechanic Stuff is a channel from your pals at Donut! We feature all kinds of automotive experts, every week.
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[@kevinpfeifer8220]

Do an episode where Sandro showcases his own hacks in the shop and the boys judge em. That’d be great.

[@DaOneJoel]

This

[@focusedraider]

Yup Im in on this idea!

[@heawin88]

This is an amazing idea.

[@kristofvincze653]

Great idea!!

[@LuisGomez-su7kf]

A tour of his shop and daily ops at least!

[@chrishalemusic]

Sandro in the thumbnail it’s instant 👍🏼

[@bz5301]

D Rider

[@connerday496]

@@bz5301 how about you go listen to more of your violin worship and stfu

[@jankington216]

​@@bz5301 is that what jesus would say?

[@Jesusxpalermo]

Keeping this SHOW AFLOAT

[@j3lly069]

Sandro and Angie are clickbaits

[@TheDersEffect8]

Nolan acting like a high school boy working on a project with his crush 😂

[@joel9002]

I think he is annoyed by her, i understand him she is the most annoying woman on earth

[@kuklok1989]

you know they smashing

[@TheDannydoe]

As a Car mechanic I feel like Sandro is the only one thats 100% honest about his experiences. So relatable

[@ozzybloke-craig3690]

Exactly. I was a tyre fitter and TA. Serviced, repaired and even did special services, like replacing Bushes, brake pads, etc. on Semi Truck Trailers. All that good fun stuff. I would not take my vehicle to anyone here except Sandro. Possibly also the guy with him in this video. But defs not the other two.

[@thehoodedteddy1335]

They’re all honest enough, it’s just he’s a lot more forthcoming with all of his stories

[@leightonmoreno3855]

Highly specific about the bushing job vs radiator support lol

[@NoelCo-yd1gu]

Sandro the bi snitch that charge 1000 percent and not work on ish and break parts of your vehicle and charge you lot fees holding your car over weekends

[@Slop_Dogg]

@@NoelCo-yd1gudamn you hate him lol

[@bobbytabernacle]

Everybody else: "WTF?!?!?!" Sandro: "I've done that"

[@outseeker]

and the dude next to him is looking at la noire dialogue options lol

[@GrainGrown]

Haha Sandro is the realest. :D

[@deman5864]

I remember when Sandro used to apologize for cursing now he just lets it rip lmao 😂

[@sorrytodisappoint]

Well... they can just censor them all in post. It's just a little more work for the editor. 🤣

[@FWDSUXARSE]

Way of the road Ricky. 😂

[@Jim-Stick]

It is wonderful. Just getting natural language the way people talk is great. He is just comes off as a thoughtful guy.

[@garrett9562]

​@@Jim-StickI personally love it. It just goes to show you the passion he has for vehicles. Like what person do we know that absolutely loves to work on vehicles that doesn't cuss em out every second lol

[@beardsntools]

Sandro and Justin at same table is the best. Both charismatic and Justin is hot AF... The other table is the exact opposite tho, especially that annoying chick.

[@sjgoff]

Socket paint hack - Use a bright color and a paper towel with a very light grip. The microfiber with a strong grip will dig into the grooves and remove the paint. A folded paper towel will stay flatter and have less of a change at removing the paint from the grooves.

[@stinkycheese804]

You're overthinking it, plenty of paint will still stay in the grooves but the secret is that you only use a little bit of solvent, and that the paper towel is slightly abrasive, and that the hack was done on a smooth oxide socket, not matte finish.

[@BryanHecht]

This. And less solvent! I did this on my sockets years ago and on a couple guns too.

[@leightonmoreno3855]

​@@stinkycheese804dissecting intricacies!

[@SullenSecret]

It's also possible to just wipe of the surface paint before it completely dries. That way, no solvent is applied.

[@wbfaulk]

Or use Lacquer-Stik, a product designed expressly for this purpose.

[@EricHonaker]

I knew a guy back in my twenties who worked on the big rigs. He could do something similar with transmissions, it was freaky. He also compressed my brake calipers by hand while we were changing my brake pads. He'd have been terrifying if he weren't the sweetest guy you could ever meet.

[@dustyc324]

I can press back small rear calipers by hand. a co worker was like what are you doing? I do that all the time. I can't squeeze front tho

[@MichaelWilloughby]

You used a terry/microfiber towel with the carb cleaner. The hack used a paper towel, which had more contact on the surface, and didn't have any nap to reach into the stamped lettering as much as your towel did. Just a thought.

[@000622477]

Also it was just the tiniest spritz of carb cleaner. They soaked the sumbitch

[@0Rookie0]

@@000622477Also, also, their sockets are the matte finish kind, the TT guy had smooth shiny ones. The paint will come off much cleaner on the smooth finish ones.

[@Go2scout]

came looking for this comment. thank you.

[@wisconsineaglesfan7925]

Lack of contrasting color did not help either.

[@pittbier7597]

however, that socket needs to endure much more than that. if the engraving cleans that easily, it ain't a good hack

[@nittojoe136]

Homeboy picked that transmission up like it was Styrofoam

[@000622477]

I definitely thought it was just a housing at first

[@dimitar4y]

he made me feel absolutely insufficient D:

[@XxM3TALGUMxX]

I definitely think Justin could pull that off too

[@emindeniz6471]

he is the right job for the tool

[@NotFluplaxio]

Bro turned the gravity setting off

[@dinnsplay3457]

STEPH'S SMILE IS CONTAGIOUS!

[@BioFake1]

Hydroponics are also used to grow lettuce and tomatoes indoors ;) When I was in college studying biology, there was a lab fully dedicated to studying hydroponics (it was in France, near Paris in 2009-2013) and refining the technique. I was friends with someone studying and working in this lab, he once brought tomatoes that were grown there after making sure they were ok to be eaten. These were among the tastiest, most perfect tomatoes I've ever eaten. I now live in southern France where homegrown tomatoes are known to be fabulous, these hydroponics grown tomatoes are still among the best I've ever had. For those wondering what hydroponics are, it's a way to grow almost any kind of plants out of the ground, on a fiber substrate soaked in water and nutrients. And yes it's also used to grow "aromatics". Actually, "aromatics" growth shares a lot with tomatoes...

[@jannickliche7080]

Sandro on the thumbnail, I click. Brother knows what he’s talking about

[@edthomas6548]

Yep him and Angie I’m clicking. Them too together. You know it’s a good video

[@ALoneFox24]

The punch a hole in the filter to drain it first is an amazing trick for diesel engines. They tend to have enormous filters and a bunch of oil in the filter. So you end up with way less mess in the pit or driveway. I've done it for decades on diesels and particularly annoying and messy filters.

[@HighSierra1500]

7.3L Turbo Diesel or 5.9L Cummins B Series Engine.

[@azwolf0429]

I was a diesel tech for ten years, some of those 9, 12, 15 liter engine’s oil filters hold literally a gallon of oil so that makes it so much easier to deal with.

[@teddirobinson9303]

Was just about to say that even dt466e's and 6.7 cummins in the freightliner chassis

[@mrcrusha829]

You've hit the filter on the head! Majority of us are doing this in our driveway and not on a lift. The less mess I make the better the driveway looks.

[@drippingwax]

I think that it makes sense to take a precaution to minimize mess. I only work on my own cars with 4-cylinders, but I try to get as much oil in the drain pan and jug as possible--and clean up as little as possible. They once tried the solo cup trick--but didn't use a solo cup. ChrisFix promoted the Oil Udder. I bought it, but it wasn't big enough to catch all of the oil from my Camry filter. However, a solo cup worked a treat.

[@darkinertia2]

that paint trick is actually super legit, though i do it with nail polish and non acetone nail polish remover. it also works great on guns too if you want the engraving to pop

[@TheRealElmoSkateTeam]

I did that on my s&w haha

[@REDSIX]

Wanna guess what the make nail polish remove from?

[@jlo7770]

Depending on how much paint you introduce into the "engravings" of your gun you could end up with a felony charge... you can look into Kyle Myers aka FPSRussia, he got hit with some charges for "defacing" serial number after he sent out some of his to get cerakoted. It was bs and I can't remember if those charges stuck but they hit him with them anyway... thats why I just build my own guns and they don't have engravings on them *wink wink. Unconstitutional

[@idiocracyBonanza]

We need more of that girl. She is totally legit. Very knowledgeable funny and straight to the point.

[@2wheeledwandering]

You’ve found some proper legends in Sandro, Angelina and now Steph. They could have this channel all to themselves.

[@19ShilohK]

Eh idk about Steph

[@unknown_individual7050]

​@19ShilohK Angelina is more analytical about things (makes sense because she teaches) but Steph seems like a fun cohost too. Doesn't hurt that she's beautiful too lol.

[@19ShilohK]

@@unknown_individual7050 I just don’t like her demeanor, seems like she is trying too hard to be funny and her jokes fall flat. Sometimes it seems like she doesn’t even know what she’s talking about, but it’s all opinion I suppose.

[@PikkaBird]

@@19ShilohK Comparing with the first videos they were featured in I think both Sandro and Angelina have grown with the task a lot, and Steph is new enough that I don't judge the awkward moments too harshly. Heck, even Justin was waaayy more quiet in his early days with Donut and he's really become a great entertainer.

[@19ShilohK]

@@PikkaBird Perhaps, personally tho I am not a fan of her personality. Really, to each their own, but I feel like even in the early videos Sandro and Angelina made it enjoyable to watch and always gave me a few chuckles. But I do not share the same feeling with Steph. Again, all personal opinion, but shes been featured in a few videos and I just dont see it getting better from this point.

[@xenalin1]

Try the vacuum hack w/ the oil sensor! I'd like to see what it's like trying to get the suction strength/fit right.

[@CredibleHulk]

We used to do that at the oil change place where I worked as a kid. It's not rocket surgery. Just throw the vacuum on the oil filler and let it rip.

[@REH86]

@@CredibleHulk Did you mean rocket science? Brain surgery? Either way, if you've done it... point proven.

[@brentlloyd7908]

We used to the same trick to change out stripped valves on heating oil tanks. A soot vac will hold 300 gal back no problem.

[@knurlgnar24]

Just put the vacuum in the oil fill and let it rip. The quality of the seal isn't important so long as it'd decent. Perfect seal, partial seal, good enough.

[@TraceyAllen]

You can get fancy and use shop air too.

[@coltdavis256]

The hole to drain the filter, not something I would do on small filters, but as a heavy diesel mechanic, definitely worth while on filters on 85L V16 engines. A lot of the filters have drain plugs on them to save you having to do this. The vacuum also is a good trick for small engines, basically a home-made transducer, another tool I use regularly to swap out hoses and such without draining 1000's of litres of oil from a hydraulic tank. (Again, sometimes come built in on the machines). Greay video, Steph is a good addition to the Sandro, Angelina stars! 👍🏻

[@JonnyThrash_]

Sandro makes a good point about tutorials. even surgeons look through instructions before going through a procedure. no shame in a quick refresher

[@UncleRJ]

Donut casually flexes one of their own is a scientist that has met a couple of legends.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Legends? You mean the Epstein Island VIP and now known predator Stephen Hawking? He is no legend, he's just another Nonce.

[@deedraak]

not a great time to be seen with Stephen Hawking

[@HawtDawg420]

Yeah, that was a surprise! Very cool!

[@jawide626]

I'm surprised Jerry hasn't got any photos of him with any big science guys seeing he has a biomedical engineering masters

[@sterlingodeaghaidh5086]

@@deedraak If your referencing Epstein. That book doesn't tell who did what, it was just who he met with and when, the dude was an adviser and money manager so he talked with people for multiple reasons.

[@ExcessEnergy]

I had a chemistry teacher in hs that allowed open book labs; as she reasoned that real chemists aren’t going to 100% rely on memory every time they do something the first time. Smart lady.

[@CREEKSuff]

I used the vacuum trick all the time working at Jiffy Lube back in college many many years ago when we needed to change out an oil drain plug and / or oil drain plug gasket

[@Helmsy1212]

On heavy diesels with massive oil filters this hack is great 5:50 It makes the filter so much lighter and easier to control it and get it out from under the truck

[@dexterehrenzeller2669]

PSA from a friendly nerd. The torque wrench to hand wrench trick will always over tighten. You will always be adding that extra leverage from the distance of the center of the torque wrench to the center of the hand wrench. This will always be over-tightening from the torque wrench setting. Cheers, great video.

[@jimmyguy428]

I completely agree that this is absolutely true. I was looking to see if anyone commented this before I did.

[@gordowg1wg145]

Technically, it's possible it will be greater, the same, or less - depending on how it's used/placed on the spanner. Play around with some vector force diagrams, and how the resultants apply to the moments, and you'll see.

[@bedlamite42]

@@gordowg1wg145 yep, depends on geometry.

[@caseyhart9916]

It'll still probably be closer than just winging it.

[@gordowg1wg145]

@@caseyhart9916 Nothing wrong with the old "tighten it up until is snaps or strips, then back off a quarter turn" technique 👍😉

[@valengreymoon5623]

I've used the punch a hole in the oil filter trick with inverted filters, so it drains down into the pan, instead of all over whatever components are nearby.

[@davonmulder8458]

I'm using that next time!

[@ironnwizzard]

My crossbar thanks you for pointing that out. Then again, I live in the rust belt, maybe the oil's good for it. /shrug

[@valengreymoon5623]

I've seen people use a mixture of bar & chain oil and beeswax, sprayed on the undersides of their cars to help prevent rust.

[@MrJimmy9800]

I had a service advisor come out and start a Subaru that I had punched the filter, racked, and lifted a couple inches. They later had to come out and scrub off 4 toolboxes. Moral of the story? Teach your advisors which cars they are allowed to mess with and what means "no touchy"

[@corpzerosss2438]

I always feel bad when I see people's oil filter in a place that causes it to spill everywhere. I have an 04 pathfinder and it has a drain pan built into the crossmember below the filter so it catches and flows into one place. One of the few times the engineers were actually looking out for mechanics

[@nollienick1121]

Loving the addition of Tony. Cool to have someone who knows the science behind some of these weird things means. Keep it up RMS

[@crisbivolaru819]

This series is getting better and better

[@TractorsNStuff]

I did all my sockets after seeing THAT video on TikTok. I did metric in yellow and inch in white. Worked well.

[@sagemaster6814]

Soapstone works well, and you can wipe off the excess with your finger. Does not last long. It's usually easier for me to find Soapstone than any other writing instrument.

[@SilvaDreams]

My great grandfather taught me that trick, he did it with all his tools that has the size engraved into them. (course a lot of older tools use to come like that)

[@ytmadpoo]

Yeah, ditto. I used some colored sharpies (blue and red for metric/sae) so it's not as long lasting, but easy to reapply as needed (and easy to wipe of the excess with just a dry paper towel). I've thought about using some more durable like nail polish but I'd have to see how easy it would be to wipe off the excess... I think one trick would be to wipe it before it's totally dry, and just lightly so you're not getting into the etched marking. Whatever the case, it's fun, pretty cheap, and no matter what it'll look better. :)

[@blechtic]

@@ytmadpoo I would assume you can remove nail polish with nail polish remover (i.e. acetone). Since you're painting the etchings and that protects the paint, the paint doesn't have to be super durable, but it sticking on the metal somewhat would still probably help. Any acrylic paint or spray or a metal primer would probably work fine as long as you make sure you can still remove the excess. I think you can get them off with acetone, isopropanol or paint thinner at least if they're not fully dried.

[@m_ism]

I wrap my socket tips in 5 different colors of electrical tape and just re-tape ones that get worn down every few months. Red for 5/10/15 etc Yellow for 6/11/16 etc Green Blue Purple for 7 8 9 respectively in the same pattern It's super readable no matter the angle and can quickly glance when they're all on the rack which is which.

[@mandi8345]

The paint pen trick works for electronics too when you cant read the chip number. Just rub some thermal compound (anything you can full the low spots with) and rob it off. BAM! Now you can read that proprietary part number that is just a few off from the public numbers datasheet......

[@Enderman13]

Guns too same way sometimes takes 2 coats though

[@balinorgryffudd2963]

I think donut messed up with one the color and two the amount of carb clean. The toker said "a little" and they soaked that rag instead.

[@kevinmitchell766]

​@@balinorgryffudd2963I agree. They also shouldn't have used a microfiber because you don't want something that will get in the engraving. The guy in the hack used a paper towel.

[@stinkycheese804]

Except that many chip numbers are not recessed so that won't work on those.

[@stinkycheese804]

@@balinorgryffudd2963 They also screwed up by using matte finish sockets instead of smooth like in the video.

[@sonei985]

I know 9:16 is an ad for the podcast, but I want to share my VG reliability story! I bought an 85 300ZX with 240,000 miles for $300 ($1 per Z) sort of running, sort of driving. It had no power until basically redline. Turns out that half of the cylinders had severe loss of compression (30-70 PSI on starter crank) due to bad piston rings AND someone took out an intake valve, ground it down to the size of the exhaust valves for some reason, and slapped it back in. The cams were also severely out of time, every sensor was bad, loose wires disconnected all over the engine bay, and it had no vacuum. Despite all of that, it ran like a champ! I even had it running with only 3 spark plug wires attached.

[@1985FieroGT]

For that first hack, I had a much more extreme version, I was trying to drill some mounting holes on the engine cradle, and only had wood drill bits and an old single speed drill, after the first half of the holes, I discovered that I could lower the CAR onto the drill (braced on pavement), and exert as much force as I wanted without tiring myself,

[@robsolf]

1:20 Oh Lord... us D&D nerds knew this hack since the 70's.

[@MikeLeonard]

lol. yup. Got a game tonight!

[@rasmus1600]

Not just for D&D players, but also anyone that has tried to engrave stuff. I use it regularily on flat surfaces. Just use some paint and a thin brush, paint in into the letters and wipe over it.

[@PaperScarecrow]

Dollar store nail polish works really well for color filling letters. Swap the carb cleaner for a little acetone and bam. Used to be the go-to hack for cheaply filling stamped text in firearm receivers and such, and it should be more durable than the paint out of a pen.

[@kaffall]

But don’t use a cloth to wipe! The fibers scoop the pain out, Use your fingers or a paper towel.

[@wwiiinplastic4712]

Remember when they were putting the cheaper dice in the box sets with the crayon to rub into the numbers? That did not work.

[@richardsalaverria9363]

4:41 is very useful on cars with spin-on filters that are on the top of the engine and face down (2016 Subaru Crosstrek, for example). The punctured hole allows the filter to "breathe" and disrupts the natural vacuum inside the filter, allowing the oil to flow back into the crankcase. No oil puddle/mess to clean up after removing the filter.

[@mrtickles5982]

Rarely at work someone forgets to install new filter after poking a hole in the old filter. Oil geysir! And the customer gets a free engine bay clean! They're happy about the clean engine bay usually

[@Redbloodroadrunner]

It’s great for diesels, filters can hold almost a whole quart and trying to wrangle them out is a nightmare.

[@taylorsova2594]

I do this on my 924S and it has worked on 3 out of 4 oil changes.

[@drheaddamage]

it'll work, but you can also get metal shards into your oil in that case. I'd not do it.

[@mrtickles5982]

@@drheaddamage Usually the filter housing just shears and no loose metal fragments separate. Whole different story with a rusted filter (very rare, but seen those too😅)

[@ericbrennemann7474]

0:30 yeah... weve done this also a few times as an emergency solution, when the alternative was "forget it, throw it away". works pretty well for that.

[@getinthespace7715]

My Auto mechanics teacher used to tell us to hit everything we were going to be working on with penetrating oil every day for at least 3 days before working on it to give it time to get in there break up rust and do it's job. Makes a huge difference working on vehicles with 200k plus miles and over a decade of salty winter driving in Northern MN.

[@joshm3484]

I would not punch a hole in an old filter until I know the new one fits. Trust me on this one.

[@SilvaDreams]

If you buy the right filter... It's not an issue. I've never had an oil filter not fit. (Most parts stores even have a book dedicated to oil filters for cars)

[@luismooney3715]

Big facts brother

[@Sharpey187]

@@SilvaDreamssame & if the threaded parts the same size it’s usually the same internal thread aswell, just the size of the filter that’s the difference, if the sealing rings the same size it doesn’t matter, only so many people make the oil filters & car manufacturers know this to keep cost down

[@kittyhawk9707]

@@SilvaDreams erm .. NOPE .. I had a 1.4 Nissan Sunny sedan .... Car store .. looked up filter for said Sunny ... and gave me one FROM THE BOOK .... Nope .. what i needed was the filter from a Nissan Primera !!!

[@EvrttGrn]

@@SilvaDreams A couple of times I've gotten the wrong filter in the correct box. It happens, luckily I have a second vehicle to go get another one even though it is inconvenient.

[@kh_trendy]

You should do questionable KZbin car advice!

[@baronobeefdip2]

That's an entire season's worth of episodes lol

[@frankthechemist]

An episode on the boldest Scotty Kilmer "facts". That I would watch

[@texastwitch]

​@frankthechemist while I would love to see them just drag that dipshit and his terrible advice through the mud, I wouldn't be able to make it through more than a few minutes before I stopped watching out of rage!

[@realmechanicstuff]

Hell yeah! That episode topic is now currently slated for production. :)

[@tjfaulkner7897]

The vacuum trick is awesome, i work on heavy equipment and we do this often for hydraulic repairs. Then you don’t make a mess with oil. The oil filter trick with the punch is good too, also used it heavy equipment applications. Some of the filters used hold over a gallon of oil so it’s heavy when they are full so to prevent a mess we drain them out like that.

[@bghoody5665]

"Then everything sucks, and you're mad." Sandro sums up my life in a sentence.

[@CG-tk6ck]

Love how Sandro was excited to do arts and crafts 😂

[@blainebigger8332]

Used to use the vacuum trick on gravel pit equipment, rock trucks, excavators etc..... had to swap regular drain plugs for quick connect drain plugs.... don't have to drain and replace over 30L of engine oil, and more hydraulic oil..... clean process, saves alot of money on wasted oil

[@asterisk4424]

Always love the whole cast for these videos. It can be any of ya'll, I'm watching, these videos are always great.

[@brianjones4365]

I have lifted a transmission into place like that but he got me when he said about under the steering wheels thats is my weaknesses😂well played

[@undetermined_user]

Sandro really obsessed with people's hands in this one 🤣🙌

[@FastSS02]

He judges real mechanics by the condition of their hands!

[@cenciende9401]

I wear grips when working out precisely so I don't get rough hands which I don't want, nasty lol

[@J_vb]

We need a special episode for every hack Sandro commented on „I’ve done that“ 😂

[@erickdorsey556]

I've been a mechanic 40 + years, bikes, motorcycle, vehicles, helicopters and airliners. You guys are bomb. Ive only build motorcycles in my early riding years they make them plenty fast now, i never do anything without a manual. I am a snap on guy myself.

[@RashaKahn]

That one guy put together that car like it was made of legos.

[@jackt883]

11:30 - I am sure that will be throwing the torque reading off as it's adding another few inches of leverage.

[@degusa1]

He was pulling down and the open ended wrench was vertical. Should be close.

[@Christackleberry]

Anytime you change the angle you are pulling, you change the torque. T=F x D x cos(angle) Everybody calculates torque as Force x Distance (pound x feet or ftlbs) but assume you are pulling at 90deg to the wrench. When you add the adapter and change the angle, you reduce the torque. If you do that and have the angle wider than 90, you can over-torque the fastener too.

[@rasmus1600]

As long as the wrench is exactly 90 degrees to the torque wrench it shouldn't do much. Any other angle it'll either increase or decrease the torque value.

[@degusa1]

⁠​⁠@@Christackleberry This isn’t a NASA rocket. As Rasmus said, if you keep the direction of force aligned with the open ended wrench it will be close. Congrats on the trig

[@fools_opinions]

Close enough to do the job, but my thoughts on that hack were - but crowsfoot wrenches are cheap and turn your torque wrench into a big spanner for that sort of situation.

[@ek2013_]

Poking a hole in the oil filter is a good idea in my case since my Excursion has such a big filter. It usually has about 2 quarts of oil in it so poking a hole makes is a lot easier to remove.

[@FWRXTER]

Nolan feelin a lil giggly around Stephanie lol I love it

[@zthebeast]

Sandro!! Passed by the other day not knowing it was your shop , didn't know you guys were so close 🤘

[@losg90]

Sandro is my spirit animal 😂

[@TheBrickbuilder1]

the oil filter punch hack is super useful on certain semi truck and industrial engines. the filters are heavy af when full and punching them loses so much weight it just makes it easier imo

[@tommyburgin854]

Any video with Sandro is always a hit!

[@SamuTheFrog]

Ive done the paint marker socket trick. Not only does it make it easier to read but you can color code them. I had my common used wrenches in different colors for example.

[@shag139]

Definitely done the Jack and a wrench. Have also used a ratchet strap tied around a wrench and other end to a structural part on an ‘84 Chevy G20 van to get some bolts loose.

[@maddawgnoll]

There's a lot I couldn't do without the ratchet strap

[@BigAdam2050]

The shop vac trick, also works for changing filters on diesel tanks, wouldn't suggest it for inline petrol ones tho.

[@spercwolf2985]

That fender spring is cool if you're not traveling while turning because it's the tire pushing out the fender, and if traveling at speed, it will catch and rip the fender off.

[@Slakbury]

Punching a hole in an oil filter before removal is more useful when it's mounted up the other way so it drains into the engine instead of all over the place while you're unscrewing it. I learnt this trick when I bought an SW20 MR2.

[@mesk412]

It's great that they all loved the "what no way" guy

[@dwaynne_way]

Great to see Sandro 🎉 love watching these videos.

[@TimnParks]

Embossing sockets like that works, but there's really an art to getting it right. I usually just run those crusty PIttsburg sockets on the drill with a gray abrasive pad to clean up the BO finish on it, and the engraving usually shows up better afterwards. Fun fact, most shop presses are just a bottle jack in a frame.

[@timbit2006]

I did the first one on a brake caliper bolt way back when and it seriously was the only way without an impact driver. For strange underbody bolts that you cant put your body weight on the breaker bar end it really helps.

[@jasonjohnson4803]

We see Sandro, we click. Simple.

[@russellstyles5381]

Eric from I Do Cars used a forklift to hold a junk block (no heads), and a front end loader to operate a 3/4 inch breaker bar to remove the harmonic damper. Needless to say, it worked.

[@tysonparker7403]

I have used the hole in the oil filter trick on big boy oil filters where it saves you from making a huge mess. International DT466 has huge oil filters where they place them usually causes you to turn it to get it out causing oil to spill.

[@kerrybanks7740]

I work on diesel engines and quite often do oil changes. I pop oil filters every time. These trucks come in off route and are at operating temps when I get them in my bay. I pop the filters first thing and let them drain, then pull the drain plug, then get my parts and do my paperwork for the job. By the time I pull the old filters they are empty and cooled off.

[@teslanaes4587]

This was a super fun and cohesive episode, great job!

[@AsmodeusMictian]

Y'all are so much fun to watch. Thanks!!!

[@justinbryan2995]

I did my bushings with a DeWalt clamp, the kind with the tensioning trigger. Worked just like that car jack hack, but way more stable.

[@TOOL_TECHNICAL]

I was doing some suspension work for someone and on hondas built 3-4 inches off the ground. The lower ball joints are SO close to the axle you have to release the bolt and nuts from the control arm holding the ball joint on first just to get the castle nut to clear and there's no way to get a socket on to torque it to spec. I tightened it as hard as I could by hand followed by a new cotter pin but the little wrench to socket adapter at 11:27 would've been clutch 2 days ago.

[@LS1Endrance]

Donut hires an insane amount of extremely smart people lol. Engineers, physicists.... guys....

[@throttleproneandoregongrow5703]

Yeah the guys are always really smart

[@jamesengland7461]

gals

[@throttleproneandoregongrow5703]

@@jamesengland7461 lol okay bud. She said the more extensions changes the torque…… no it doesn’t

[@Windballs]

​@@throttleproneandoregongrow5703 I can't believe how many people believe this

[@joshuatriggs2941]

I don’t even read the title. I see Sandro, I CLICK

[@marcusaurelius652]

Get off his nuts

[@scottinWV]

Sandro is just chill as hell!

[@stalelemonproduction]

That second one i did with my tools at work, instead of using a drill to clean it though i just put a drop of ethol on a wipe and just had it dry for a little less

[@thiago4santos]

Love Steph, Sandro and the donut bois!

[@powertothesheeple5422]

Dude lifted an empty aluminum housing got people thinking he’s the Hulk 🤣

[@tehcheezman7471]

LOL when you can see through the vent hole there's no torque converter and that guy does not have nearly enough ATF on him.

[@redmesa2975]

5:09 if you’re changing oil in a semi truck. Punching a hole in the filter is a big help ! Trying to unscrew and lower a hot filter with almost a gallon of oil in it, is a spill waiting to happen.

[@tommychew6544]

Great video! That transmission stick reminded me of something I did as a young determined 16-year-old when I was in high school back in the early 80's summer. I got tired of dad putting off helping me install a Muncie rock crusher 4 speed we had gotten at a salvage yard in my 56 Chevy Pickup. I wasn't a big kid, maybe 120 lbs. at the time. I layed under the truck legs toward the front and managed to roll that tranny up onto a small piece of plywood over my stomach used my feet and legs to lift the front and arms to lift the back to stick that bad boy in there! Dad couldn't believe what I told him I had done when he got home from work, till he saw it in place, I had managed to do it all by myself without a jack. I had helped replace many transmissions by that age and I knew how to do it. It took all day and many failed attempts but, to that point in my life it was about the proudest I had ever felt. Looking back though, one wrong move and I wouldn't have had 4 kids in my later years of life! True 100% I swear! Young people were different back then, not all of them but I was, when you don't have money, you make do with what you can think up.

[@charlestona3865]

This is cool. I will say, idk if kids these days are so different, but sadly most of us are having to learn even the basics of this stuff on our own. It’s hard to be inspired if you don’t even know what’s possible. I wish more people my age knew that feeling of pride you’re taking about. I think that would change a lot of things. That feeling is why I became a handyman and I’m looking to get my master electrician’s license. I wanna solve problems for people.

[@greenbassboosts8872]

Biggest trans I would ever lift in by hand these days would be a little civic trans. Body hurts too much these days to do much messing around haha

[@tommychew6544]

@@greenbassboosts8872 Yeah. I couldn't do now what I did 40 years ago, wouldn't even try! I've got a bad shoulder and could even dream of doing something like that now, I couldn't even reach up with left arm to take out a starter! Sucks to get old but that's the way it is.

[@greenbassboosts8872]

@@tommychew6544 I'm only 28 but I'll mess my back up doing anything like how I did it 5-10 years ago.

[@paburrito]

i think the hack at the end didn't worked as expected cause you used a microfiber towel instead of the papertowel, the tiny strings of the microfiber towel i think went into the scored marks and cleaned them off which the paper towel didn't do on the original video

[@unicyclingistheshit]

plus the guy in the clip said "a little brake clean". did you see how much those fuckers sprayed on that cloth?! lol

[@Ranfla64]

In the oilfield, I've used the back bump on my picker truck to hold the 48" back wrench and the picker to pull the 48" pipe wrench on well heads before

[@rodx5571]

I used a version of the vac trick today to change a temp sensor on a system i just filled with coolant. On the REbead, i take the vavle core out and use starting fluid. Much much less starting fluid. As it expands it makes a cool whistling noise, and it contracts it does it again.

[@DBerwick]

That spring fender is a solution to a problem that shouldn't exist.

[@cyborgrat]

Ive got a feeling it flaps at certain speeds.

[@__-vb3ht]

Wait wait wait are you telling people to raise their cars???

[@bene5431]

​@@cyborgratYou think this car is going that's kind of speed?

[@DBerwick]

@@__-vb3ht lowering a car is fine. Lowering it to a point where it does damage to itself, things around it, or becomes unsafe and unusable is just dumb.

[@__-vb3ht]

@@DBerwick I mean it depends. For a show car it's fine. Now you could have a philosophical debate about cars that are just art objects, but I still think the spring is neat. It might be useful for drift cars with a lot of steering lock. You don't want the tire to rub against your arch in every corner, but for edge cases where the wheel really is at maximum lock and the damper is fully compressed, when the last millimetres of clearance you built in disappear...I mean I'll certainly never need the spring trick, but I'm just in awe of it

[@evanhale6893]

Love Sandro love Steph great video

[@Culvey]

That dude putting in the tansmission, uhg the painful memories. I was on my back under my 91 Chevy Silverado, bench pressing a 700r4 transmission into place as my mechanic buddy did the work... We had to remove the support bar just to get it in there and I had to keep it pushed until he was able to slip the bar under and throw a few bolts in... then had to press a few more times to remove the weight from the bolts so they wouldnt strip on the way in. I hadn't done that hard of a press in years lol.

[@amadeov11]

A trick for the chemical tire inflation, you could see in one of the clips that the sidewall over inflated for a moment before it cut away. I remove the valve stem core to keep this from happening.

[@desert7868]

yeah...... being big and a mechanic kinda suck. I'm a suspension mechanic and i'm 6'8". i made poor life choices. for pure dumb labor, being a giant is great. for reaching thru the engine bay to pick something up off the ground, also great. Underdash and tight enginebay work is hell for me. i often find myself in situation where i need the middle of my arm to bend or threading stuff via fingertips or long needle nose pliers.

[@Papolucho702]

I feel you, I’m not a mechanic but I did tons of mods, body work and all the maintenance on my 4Runner and some things were just not pleasant, at all. 6’8”, hit the gym so I’m already looking a brick house too. Threading things in tight spaces was always the worst! Take care of your back as much as you can!

[@raenkord7881]

Counterpoint, sometimes I fit my skinny ass in places I have no right being and need the brick house to wrench me out.

[@FastSS02]

Picturing a TRex as a mechanic......

[@therealnynetynyne360]

I've bench pressed a transmission into place but standing that shit was crazy

[@nephicus339]

Can confirm what Sandro said; after only a few years of bodybuilding and strength training, I couldn't even use a tool to get the oil filter off on a Miata. lol I had other uses around the shop I worked in. 😛Hefting a whole transmission and putting it into place bare handed was not one of them, though.

[@BioFake1]

Tony was lucky enough to meet both James Bardeen and Stephen Hawking, at the same time ?! I hope he is interested in black holes ! Must have been fascinating getting the chance to talk with such geniuses. You lucky man !

[@Sir_Cactus]

What do you mean you can't get torque specs with an impact!? Brrrt= 35Nm | Brrrt Brrrt =50 Nm | Brrrrrrrrrrrt = 80 Nm

[@estebanquesadas.4983]

😂😂😂

[@derekp6636]

count the ugga duggas.....

[@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261]

I do believe the correct ANSI specification is measured in uggaduggas.

[@derekp6636]

@@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261 that and the german standard of "gutentight"

[@Eagle3302PL]

@@theundergroundlairofthesqu9261 I can't stop laughing, dude.

[@blakejohn8374]

Not gonna lie Steph keeps me coming back to these videos 😂

[@hannahkeith1860]

Sandro’s comment about arts and crafts is everything about this series 😂😂😂

[@HappyHippie333]

hey thanks for the video! new subscriber here and donut podcasts! 🙂

[@MTee1212]

I love watching these videos when I come back from high school ❤❤❤

[@cardkoda]

Stop flaunting your youth to us

[@allenlope2030]

Steph and Sandro perfect for this

[@slammedb18a1]

I had to press a wheel bearing on my 2002 BMW 330 I didn't have a press or a local shop but I did have my box truck from work full of chimney cleaning and masonry tools LOL the exposed frame really helped and I'm happy to say I got my wheel bearing in. That was five years ago and I even swapped the whole knuckle assembly to my 2004 BMW and she's still solid😅

[@AreUmygrandson]

Used the vacuum and hole in the oil filter all the time when in the shop. Mostly just punctured the filter with to drain the oil to prevent a mess with large filters

[@allhonesty848]

If you do that socket engraving hack with the paint, you can just wipe off the paint before it drys so you don't need to use solvent on that rag (Carb cleaner is mostly just acetone). Just be gentle and try not to let the rag get pushed into the engraving. They use this technique on "How It's Made" in manufacturing processes (see the episode where they made Curling Stones if you need an example).

[@AlwaysCheckmateNeverStalemate]

You also do this with nail polish and stencils. You wipe off the access with a hard plastic after applying the nail polish to the stencil of your choice.

[@allhonesty848]

I will have to try that