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And for the record, I am the big double nickle (55YO) and can set up my own router, and port blocking, and hidden network and IP blocking, so nobody is stealing my interwebs. I work as a printer/copier/multifunction device tech and do firmware updates, scan to folder, FTP, email, etc. So I am comfortable with tech and that carries over to my technology rich cars. Its not age, it's just lazyness, stubborness, or both.
It's never too early. You're lucky about Frozen. Every time a grand daughter comes to visit I have to endure that movie. And her singing the song. On microphone.
I see an awful lot of excuses here. And that's to be expected... people make plenty of excuses to keep their shiny status-symbols.
I didn't say everybody should be able to tear down a transmission (though I've done it several times and it isn't nearly as hard as people make it out to be). I'm just saying that it wasn't THAT long ago here in America that it was *common* for men to do all kinds of mechanical repairs on their vehicles. And that was without all the readily available information we have today. Odds are good that your father and grandfather did plenty of repairs on their own vehicles. Are ya'll not the men your fathers were??
There's no reason other than pride that your average person couldn't do moderate repairs like brakes, radiators, alternators, starters, etc. Have ya'll ever known people to work at places like Meineke? Lemme tell you... these are NOT the cream of the crop. And yet they do moderate repairs all the time. Lots of people of merely average intelligence can do the same... just as safely and effectively.
If ya'll are all making six figures per year- then good for you. This doesn't apply to you because you can afford the luxury of a nice vehicle. But your *average* American has a household income of $52k per year- mired in debt from student loans, credit cards, mortgages, medical bills, etc. I know everybody has different priorities and such... but it's hard to be sympathetic when said average American is paying HUNDREDS of dollars a month on payments for a shiny status symbol.
Man up and pay the bills. You're not too good to get your hands dirty.
This is the second time you made this ridiculous post.
I happen to do most of my auto repairs but I am smart enough to know that many just can't.
What is wrong with you that you just can't comprehend that some people are just not mechanical oriented. There are millions of them.
They are not lazy or stupid but they are smart enough to know what they can't do. I guess you haven't learned much about people.
I can tell by your posting you have yet to take the MENSA exam.
And another thing-most of the systems might seem more complicaed but really, they are not. Brakes in particular are far simpler than when I first picked up a wrench and tackled some drum brakes. Fuel injection? Go with the assumption it isn't the ECU/PCM cuz it rarely is. Compression, spark, fuel. I've spent a lot more time screwing with carbs than fuel injection. The list of stuff that really needs specialized equipment is short and not one item of scheduled maintencne that I can think of needs such intervention.
Very good point. When I first started working on vehicles with my father, we would rebuild master cylinders, carburetors, and wheel cylinders, etc. We would take apart alternators and replace brushes. There were wheel bearings to repack. We were always replacing points/condenser and using a timing light. Many aspects of working on cars has become much easier. I rarely have any issues with a fuel injection system. A scanner can point to a problem quickly. Brakes are much, much easier to work on. Front end work is easier. Struts can be removed quickly.
Do you also turn off your own "check engine" light?
Eh. I'd guess about 75% of check engine lights are because someone got distracted while refueling and didn't tighten the gas cap all the way. Unless the vehicle is making scary noises or throwing up additional error notifications, checking the cap to make sure it's tight and then going through a few cycles of start car, drive a little, turn car off will often make the check engine light indicator go away.
I cut my teeth working on carbureted vehicles. And yes they are a pain. I'd rather work on a fuel-injected vehicle any day. But people find new technology scary... and the change to electronic engine controls pushed quite a few old guys out of the shade-tree-mechanic hobby.
But in this day and age we deal with electronic stuff all the time. Plus nearly anything you want to fix has already been put on youtube a thousand times.
As for specialized equipment... yeah it's not nearly as big a deal as people make it out to be. Often requires a small investment that will cost LESS than the first repair you use it on. Air conditioning for example. For R134A systems, I have a gauge set, a can tap and a postage scale. That all you need. It's an investment of less than $100 (which is less than a single visit to the shop to have your a/c recharged). And I've fixed my own and my friends' vehicles with this for YEARS.
Even fixed my home a/c with a different set of gauges and the same postage scale
I agree with you the new cars are much easier to repair then the old carbureted and pointed vehicles. When I started doing this in the 60's there was no way to learn from a pro. But now almost any repair is on You tube. As far as AC goes it's not that tough. I spent about $300 for special tools to do the job right and I made the money back the first time I used them. I would much rather work on AC then to take the heater apart to replace the core or a valve. BTW if I take the heater apart I replace all the wearable items for almost nothing. A pro would never do this.
Specialty tools are almost nothing compared to 30 years ago and I can get most from Amazon. Most of these tools are actually cheaper then they were back in the 70's.
This is the second time you made this ridiculous post.
I happen to do most of my auto repairs but I am smart enough to know that many just can't.
What is wrong with you that you just can't comprehend that some people are just not mechanical oriented. There are millions of them.
They are not lazy or stupid but they are smart enough to know what they can't do. I guess you haven't learned much about people.
What I know is that I grew up in a time and place where MOST men did vehicle maintenance and moderate repairs. Major repairs were not uncommon. This was in the backwoods in Deepest Darkest Appalachia. Most of them were NOT educated.
So yeah, I'm gonna have a hard time believing that smart, educated people with all the power of Google at their fingertips can't do something that was COMMON in the backwoods in the 1980's.
Fact is that our culture is deeply biased against people who get their hands dirty... and IMO it explains a lot of what's going on here. People act like a car payment is a necessity- and no doubt it is for some. But for an awful lot of people, they're purchasing status.
I hear every day how middle class people are struggling with debt (I'm not). I hear how they have nothing saved for retirement (I do). I hear that they can't afford the cost of healthcare (I can). And while these problems are certainly more common than they were a generation ago... it's awful hard for me to be sympathetic when smart, able-bodied people are paying hundreds of dollars a month for silly status symbols.
What I'm suggesting here offers a SIGNIFICANT savings on the second largest expense that most Americans pay for.
Quote:
I can tell by your posting you have yet to take the MENSA exam.
You might be surprised.
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