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DIY job library

Reference pages generated from the job catalog that powers BuildBay. A job page covers what the work needs before you start: the tools it calls for by requirement level, the hazards that apply, effort ratings, and where verified vehicle-specific data exists.

Published job pages

A job page ships only when the catalog carries effort or hazard ratings and a full tool list for the job. A page that could not say anything honest does not exist.

Engine maintenance
Engine oil and filter change
The service most owners learn first, and the one worth learning properly. This page lists the tools the job calls for, the hazards that apply, and the vehicle-specific data BuildBay tracks: oil spec, capacity, and filter details all differ by exact engine.
9 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 27 vehicle notes
Brakes
Front brake pads and rotors
A front pad and rotor swap is standard DIY territory with real stakes: the car is on stands, the fasteners are high torque, and the hydraulics forgive nothing sloppy. Here is the tool list, the hazard picture, and where verified per-vehicle data exists.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands
Engine maintenance
Spark plug replacement
Plugs are cheap, plug mistakes are not. The job needs a thin-wall socket and a low-range torque wrench, and the right plug and gap depend on the exact engine and its tune. This page covers the tools and the data BuildBay carries per vehicle.
7 tools · 9 vehicle notes
Cooling system
Coolant drain and fill
Cooling systems punish guesswork: the fluid spec is per manufacturer, the system holds pressure and heat, and many modern cars need a vacuum fill or a scan-tool bleed to purge air. This page lists the tools, the hazards, and where verified data exists.
7 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 3 vehicle notes
Brakes
Brake fluid flush
Brake fluid absorbs moisture and quietly degrades, which is why a flush is time-based maintenance. The work itself is simple; the consequence of getting it wrong is not. Tools, hazards, and per-vehicle notes below.
7 tools · Jack + rated stands · 3 vehicle notes
Wheels & tires
Tire rotation
Rotation is the cheapest tire life you can buy, and a good first job for a new set of jack stands. The critical steps are lifting the car safely and torquing the wheels correctly afterward. This page covers both.
7 tools · Jack + rated stands
Transmission, clutch & driveline
Automatic transmission fluid change
The service the phrase "lifetime fill" talks people out of. The work is mostly patience and cleanliness; the parts that are not are per transmission: fluid spec, fill procedure, and the level check, which on many modern units needs a scan tool and a temperature window.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 5 vehicle notes
Transmission, clutch & driveline
Rear differential fluid change
A drain and fill that rewards doing it before the whine starts. The mechanics are simple; the per-vehicle details are not: fluid spec and friction modifier differ by unit, and the fill plug comes out before the drain plug, which is the classic way this easy job goes wrong.
8 tools · Jack + rated stands · 4 vehicle notes
Brakes
Electronic parking brake retraction
Rear brake work on many modern cars starts at a menu, not a wheel. The parking-brake motors must release their grip before the piston can be pressed back, and commanding that reliably is scan-tool territory on most platforms. Tools and per-platform notes below.
3 tools · 4 vehicle notes
Brakes
Rear brake pads
Rear pads look like the front job with smaller hardware, and differ in the ways that bite: an electronic parking brake needs retracting first, and on many cars the rear piston winds back with a rotating motion instead of pressing straight in. Hazards and per-vehicle notes below.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 3 vehicle notes
Transmission, clutch & driveline
Haldex fluid change
The AWD service that decides whether the rear axle keeps getting power. The clutch pack lives on clean fluid, the service itself is small, and the pump screen some generations hide is the part people miss; what yours has depends on the Haldex generation.
8 tools · Jack + rated stands · 2 vehicle notes
Engine maintenance
Torque mount replacement
The mount that turns drivetrain torque into cabin clunk as it ages. Replacement is straightforward wrenching with the car supported once, and the aftermarket offers stiffness choices that trade comfort for control; what fits is strictly per platform.
10 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 2 vehicle notes
Cooling system
Water pump and thermostat assembly
On many modern engines the water pump, thermostat, and housing are one plastic assembly, replaced as a unit. The job is more disassembly than difficulty; the cooling system still holds heat and pressure, and the refill and bleed procedure is per engine.
10 tools · 1 vehicle notes
Transmission, clutch & driveline
Automatic transmission pan and filter
The deeper version of a transmission service: the pan comes down and the filter is renewed, and on some units the pan itself is the filter. Messier than a drain and fill; fluid spec, gasket type, and the level procedure are per transmission.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 1 vehicle notes
Engine maintenance
Ignition coil replacement
The other half of an ignition refresh, and the usual suspect behind a single-cylinder misfire. Coils need less tooling than plugs and share the same teardown, which is why the two jobs are often done together; which coil fits is strictly per engine.
4 tools · 1 vehicle notes
Suspension & steering
Coilover installation
The suspension job that ends at an alignment rack, always. Stored spring energy, seized fasteners, and one-time-use hardware set the hazard picture, and preload and height settings belong to your kit's own documentation. Tools and hazards below.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands
Exhaust & emissions
Downpipe replacement
The exhaust job with the worst access and the most heat-seized fasteners on the car. Clearance is tight, the downstream sensors need care, and it is an emissions-relevant part, so know your local rules before ordering anything.
10 tools · Jack + rated stands

Published job pages

A job page ships only when the catalog carries effort or hazard ratings and a full tool list for the job. A page that could not say anything honest does not exist.

Engine maintenance

Engine oil and filter change

The service most owners learn first, and the one worth learning properly. This page lists the tools the job calls for, the hazards that apply, and the vehicle-specific data BuildBay tracks: oil spec, capacity, and filter details all differ by exact engine.

9 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 27 vehicle notes

Brakes

Front brake pads and rotors

A front pad and rotor swap is standard DIY territory with real stakes: the car is on stands, the fasteners are high torque, and the hydraulics forgive nothing sloppy. Here is the tool list, the hazard picture, and where verified per-vehicle data exists.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands

Engine maintenance

Spark plug replacement

Plugs are cheap, plug mistakes are not. The job needs a thin-wall socket and a low-range torque wrench, and the right plug and gap depend on the exact engine and its tune. This page covers the tools and the data BuildBay carries per vehicle.

7 tools · 9 vehicle notes

Cooling system

Coolant drain and fill

Cooling systems punish guesswork: the fluid spec is per manufacturer, the system holds pressure and heat, and many modern cars need a vacuum fill or a scan-tool bleed to purge air. This page lists the tools, the hazards, and where verified data exists.

7 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 3 vehicle notes

Brakes

Brake fluid flush

Brake fluid absorbs moisture and quietly degrades, which is why a flush is time-based maintenance. The work itself is simple; the consequence of getting it wrong is not. Tools, hazards, and per-vehicle notes below.

7 tools · Jack + rated stands · 3 vehicle notes

Wheels & tires

Tire rotation

Rotation is the cheapest tire life you can buy, and a good first job for a new set of jack stands. The critical steps are lifting the car safely and torquing the wheels correctly afterward. This page covers both.

7 tools · Jack + rated stands

Transmission, clutch & driveline

Automatic transmission fluid change

The service the phrase "lifetime fill" talks people out of. The work is mostly patience and cleanliness; the parts that are not are per transmission: fluid spec, fill procedure, and the level check, which on many modern units needs a scan tool and a temperature window.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 5 vehicle notes

Transmission, clutch & driveline

Rear differential fluid change

A drain and fill that rewards doing it before the whine starts. The mechanics are simple; the per-vehicle details are not: fluid spec and friction modifier differ by unit, and the fill plug comes out before the drain plug, which is the classic way this easy job goes wrong.

8 tools · Jack + rated stands · 4 vehicle notes

Brakes

Electronic parking brake retraction

Rear brake work on many modern cars starts at a menu, not a wheel. The parking-brake motors must release their grip before the piston can be pressed back, and commanding that reliably is scan-tool territory on most platforms. Tools and per-platform notes below.

3 tools · 4 vehicle notes

Brakes

Rear brake pads

Rear pads look like the front job with smaller hardware, and differ in the ways that bite: an electronic parking brake needs retracting first, and on many cars the rear piston winds back with a rotating motion instead of pressing straight in. Hazards and per-vehicle notes below.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 3 vehicle notes

Transmission, clutch & driveline

Haldex fluid change

The AWD service that decides whether the rear axle keeps getting power. The clutch pack lives on clean fluid, the service itself is small, and the pump screen some generations hide is the part people miss; what yours has depends on the Haldex generation.

8 tools · Jack + rated stands · 2 vehicle notes

Engine maintenance

Torque mount replacement

The mount that turns drivetrain torque into cabin clunk as it ages. Replacement is straightforward wrenching with the car supported once, and the aftermarket offers stiffness choices that trade comfort for control; what fits is strictly per platform.

10 tools · Raise it — ramps are fine · 2 vehicle notes

Cooling system

Water pump and thermostat assembly

On many modern engines the water pump, thermostat, and housing are one plastic assembly, replaced as a unit. The job is more disassembly than difficulty; the cooling system still holds heat and pressure, and the refill and bleed procedure is per engine.

10 tools · 1 vehicle notes

Transmission, clutch & driveline

Automatic transmission pan and filter

The deeper version of a transmission service: the pan comes down and the filter is renewed, and on some units the pan itself is the filter. Messier than a drain and fill; fluid spec, gasket type, and the level procedure are per transmission.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands · 1 vehicle notes

Engine maintenance

Ignition coil replacement

The other half of an ignition refresh, and the usual suspect behind a single-cylinder misfire. Coils need less tooling than plugs and share the same teardown, which is why the two jobs are often done together; which coil fits is strictly per engine.

4 tools · 1 vehicle notes

Suspension & steering

Coilover installation

The suspension job that ends at an alignment rack, always. Stored spring energy, seized fasteners, and one-time-use hardware set the hazard picture, and preload and height settings belong to your kit's own documentation. Tools and hazards below.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands

Exhaust & emissions

Downpipe replacement

The exhaust job with the worst access and the most heat-seized fasteners on the car. Clearance is tight, the downstream sensors need care, and it is an emissions-relevant part, so know your local rules before ordering anything.

10 tools · Jack + rated stands