I was real proud of myself when I replaced a heating element on a dryer. There were two. A week after I replaced one, it was time to replace the other one. Why didn't I do both at the same time? I didn't know any better. There was no YouTube in those days.
I was stupid and forgot to mix the whatever kind of stuff with the gas in the can marked "leaf blower". Fouled the motor and had to buy a new leaf blower.
I was real proud of myself when I figured out why the mower wouldn't start after sitting unused for three years. A filter, some carb cleaner and a spark plug later, presto!
In vocational school we were required to work on our own cars...to keep us honest, I guess...and the first class I asked the instructor if working on my own car would void the warranty. He just rolled his eyes.
I was real proud of myself when I rebuilt a carburetor on my 1978 Plymouth Volare. The rebuild kit was $10+ and came with about three zillion gaskets. How hard could it be? Laid out everything on a tarp on the living room floor. Had a dishpan with gas in it to clean parts. Easy peasy, right? Just take it apart, replace gaskets, put it back together in the same order as I took it apart. Zowie! 125 miles on a quarter tank of gas! Except that as soon as I braked for a stop sign, the car died. Raise hood, disconnect fuel line, pour some gas into a cup-like lid from a can of something aerosol I had in the car, then pour the gas into the fuel line, reconnect fuel line, and good to go until the next time I needed to stop. Rinse and repeat. The big problem seems to have had something to do with the venturi tube, but I can't remember exactly what it was. The mechanic who fixed my "rebuild" charged $85. A lot of money back then. And the house stunk to high heaven of gas for a couple of weeks.
After that experience, I limited myself to changing my own oil.
What I learned: when you don't know what you're doing, hire it done. Too soon old, too late smart.
