Sacramento County Says It's Illegal to Work on Your Own Car in Your Own Garage

[wdb]

https://jalopnik.com/sacramento-coun...own-1836085130

"The chemicals involved in major automobile repair can pollute our neighborhoods and endanger the health and wellbeing of our residents. Furthermore, this kind of activity increases vehicle traffic and the visual impact can negatively impact property values.​"

[MetroMPG]

Fortunately, these types of bylaws are generally only enforced when the city receives a complaint from a resident.


I'm pretty sure outside car repair is illegal in my little city (I suspect it is in many cities). As is outside parking of vehicles that aren't in use.



If you're conscientious and good with your neighbours, nobody will complain.

[samwichse]

Had, repairing cars outside is illegal in my city too, yet...



Never had any troubles.

[Xist]

What did your Insight ever do to you?!

People comment on Watch JR Go's videos on YouTube that his neighbors must hate him for using power tools after dark. He says he has an ongoing feud because of their dog. People also regularly complain about him working under his car without jack stands, but he just says they are already under a car.

I have offered to order him a pair of stands, but he has not responded.

I would not start any car repairs outside that I could not complete that day or at least latch the hood and lock the doors.

I would be much worse off if someone messed with my car.

If someone was always working on a car it would indicate they are a mechanic and\or dealer and I would understand issues with cars in constant states of disrepair, but what difference does working on your car in your garage make?

Maybe if you need to keep the garage door open and you have parts everywhere or some other mess, but how would it go down?

[banging on garage] "Open up! We know you are working on cars in there!"

Are they allowed to look through your garage windows?

[redpoint5]

I tend to work late on stuff, so that's a concern of mine. I'll close the garage door, which should go a long way to reducing noise, but the garage is very close to other houses.

[LeanBurn]

Sooooo glad I live where I do.

[MetroMPG]

What did your Insight ever do to you?!

[slowmover]

What a load of crap.

OTOH, nothing like Third Worlders for the need to create such a law. Examples are endless. Dump coolant in street and then remove water pump. Saw that again just last week at a WalMart with a big truck. (I’ll bet he got store manager approval, huh?). Same for oil changes. GALLONS and GALLONS of oil per OFL. At LEAST a gallon spilled every time DIY with no real equipment to contain.

[redpoint5]

The oil drain bolts on my Prius and Acura don't line up well with the cutout in the plastic, so spillage is unavoidable unless you remove the entire plastic, or somehow secure a funnel/hose under the drain bolt. Then there's the oil filter mounted horizontally, which is impossible to remove without it spilling half the contents onto the axle and various other suspension parts.

I lay a large piece of scrap cardboard under the car when I do oil changes, and that usually contains the massive amounts of spillage.

You'd think something that is to be performed regularly should be easier to access, with less spillage.

[Xist]

Years ago someone gave Mom a business card for a mobile mechanic. He drove some huge old car.

He flushed her radiator by draining it into the gutter.

I used to have a cookie sheet oil pan and I keep saying that I am going to buy another one because I always spill, although I feel this is user error.