Yes, DoD civilians can use the local auto hobby shops- I'm a DoD civilian, too- and yeah, they're pretty much fully-stocked open garages that anyone can use Most of the tools are free, and the equipment fees are cheap, like $3-4/hr. They've got a tire balancing machine, tire mounting machine, professional grade oil pans and stuff- I am most definitely going to change the oil in my Boxster S there when it comes due.

I haven't been to the one at NOB yet, but I hear it's pretty nice, and the lifts are easier to align than the ones at NNSY, which you pull into at an angle. The one at NNSY is in the Scott Center Annex off Effingham street/George Washington highway in Portsmouth, which is a few blocks south of the navy yard proper- turn left immediately after you go through the gate, it's right there. They made me take a short test before giving me a card and letting me use the shop; it wasn't very hard, and mostly just talked about safety and shop etiquette. I only got one question wrong; I think it was about the proper way to clean off brake dust. (IIRC, the *right* answer was brake cleaner, lol...)

FYI, military and DoD civilians can also rent sailboats and motor boats from MWR at NOB for kick-ass cheap. (Well, the tests are far more difficult than the auto hobby shop test, so you may have to actually take the class.) And campers and trailers and all kinds of other shit too, from the various bases. MWR is a GREAT resource


Here's my car on one of the lifts at Scott Center: They have a few of these, and a a drive-on lift.