my fault or the schools

[Philip_G]

Re: my fault or the schools

Its also is a sign that MANY 16 year olds dont need to drive or be near a car....Let them travel through the internet until they can understand what a car is. I would give him a copy of the repair service manual for the car and require him to read it at least 2 times real slow. This would be a start amd maybe come in handy because this model has many owner complaints and someone may be opening the hood and doing it often im afraid.

if you had to know hiw ti fix a car to drive- the roads would be empty.

 

[hog88]

Re: my fault or the schools

Today's kids have short attention spans and if it's not immediatly interesting their gone. Our 22 YO was made to help on the vehicles, boat around the house repairs ext, not always willingly and sometimes with alot of fussing and fighting. This past year it was all worth it, he is living with 4 other guys in a house by campus and over the past year he has made some comments like "I can't believe Johnny can't change a tire", or "these guys are worthless, no one knew how to change a fluid master and the toliet ran all weekend".

He generally thinks his roomates are worthless when it comes to general knowlege and it just brings a smile to my face, he did learn something....

 

[rivermouse]

Re: my fault or the schools

if you had to know hiw ti fix a car to drive- the roads would be empty.

This is true,but there is no reason any person who can read does not take a few minutes to UNDERSTAND the basic way a car works. Its the issue of this not being inportant enough to do that is the problem. I say again anyone who has so little interest in how a car works as to not even be able to check the oil or know what a spark plug does should not be allowed to drive. These same people can learn every funtion there is on a computer /cell phone but could care less about the operation of their car. Its not a bad thing all together because the mechanics will laugh all the way to the bank when they have a tire leaking air or need a little oil a or maybe a wiper blade replaced....this will cost them BIG money.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: my fault or the schools

if you had to know hiw ti fix a car to drive- the roads would be empty.

This is true,but there is no reason any person who can read does not take a few minutes to UNDERSTAND the basic way a car works. Its the issue of this not being important enough to do that is the problem. I say again anyone who has so little interest in how a car works as to not even be able to check the oil or know what a spark plug does should not be allowed to drive. These same people can learn every funtion there is on a computer /cell phone but could care less about the operation of their car. Its not a bad thing all together because the mechanics will laugh all the way to the bank when they have a tire leaking air or need a little oil a or maybe a wiper blade replaced....this will cost them BIG money.

 

[Philip_G]

Re: my fault or the schools

This is true,but there is no reason any person who can read does not take a few minutes to UNDERSTAND the basic way a car works. Its the issue of this not being important enough to do that is the problem. I say again anyone who has so little interest in how a car works as to not even be able to check the oil or know what a spark plug does should not be allowed to drive. These same people can learn every funtion there is on a computer /cell phone but could care less about the operation of their car. Its not a bad thing all together because the mechanics will laugh all the way to the bank when they have a tire leaking air or need a little oil a or maybe a wiper blade replaced....this will cost them BIG money.

Why? Understanding how something works has little or no impact on ones ability to operate it. Who are we to say someone should or should not do something or take an interest in something?

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: my fault or the schools

May you all relish the day of shock as much as i did :

When your 20+ year old come up to you, and out of the blue says
" Hey Dad,,,, You know,,, Your not as dumb as i used to think you were" !!

 

[jeeperman]

Re: my fault or the schools

When they have to pay the bill at the auto repair place, or the tow truck driver to change a flat................they will then maybe want to know how to fix at least the minor stuff.
But more likely they will only gripe about what they were charged to have someone fix those minor things.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: my fault or the schools

Ugh, I feel your pain bud, my 19 yr old son(step son actually but to me he is my son) really couldn't care less about anything but video games and smoking dope, drives me nuts but at some point all I can hope for is he figures it out. My three daughters though are doing very well two in college and one in High School in AP classes and on the cheerleading squad so while I know the difference they have to have the desire and drive to be successful, I'm just not sure how a child figures that out, maybe its girls I don't know!!

By contrast my Cousins 4 yr old son(not his biological son but at 4 years old Jay has no idea) never leaves my side, if I am under a car or helping his family move he never leaves my side, his mother and father never should have had children they are among the most dysfunctional family I have ever seen first hand in my life, Jayden(the 4 yr old) openly favors me in front of his dad and mom, accepts my discipline over theirs and eagerly does what he is told(by me) knowing I will reward him with more attention and love then his parents do, last night I was taking him to his dads house and he asked me if there would be any yelling. I tried talking to my cousin and he simply said Jay's not my son, how freaking sad, I almost knocked my cousin on his backside.

Be the best father you can glen there aren't enough of us out there, I found out I have a D-Bag in my family but I feel fine being a father to his kids since he has no idea and doesn't care to learn from one who's most important mission in life is to be a better Father. He would rather work on a POS car then be a dad, and his children are nothing more then a little person that just gets in his way.

Last night I taught Jayden how to eat sunflower seeds, NO HANDS!! How cool is that!

I say............your a good man to be his "Dad".

 

[rivermouse]

Re: my fault or the schools

Why? Understanding how something works has little or no impact on ones ability to operate it. Who are we to say someone should or should not do something or take an interest in something?

Well if this is so I guess its no ones fault when someone gets killed with "an unloaded gun"..case n point

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: my fault or the schools

I think it all comes down to if a person has the mentality of "I'll do it myself" or "I'll get someone to do it for me". I was taught from an early age to be somewhat self reliant when it comes to maintaining/repairing anything. My dad taught me everything from electrical, plumbing and carpentry to auto mechanics. I was lucky, I had a good teacher and an interest to learn. To this day, if a problem comes up around the house or with a vehicle, I'll do my best to figure it out. I even have learned things that he doesn't know. Always puts a smile on my face when he calls to pick my brain about something. Some people have no interest in learning a new skill, no matter what it is. All we can do is give our kids the chance to learn some of the things we can teach them. If they have no interest, then so be it. Someday they may regret not learning the things we had to offer and they may even realize that they may have missed an opportunity to hang out with dear old dad.

 

[korygrandy]

Re: my fault or the schools

When they have to pay the bill at the auto repair place, or the tow truck driver to change a flat................they will then maybe want to know how to fix at least the minor stuff.
But more likely they will only gripe about what they were charged to have someone fix those minor things.

This is soo true. I laugh at these people as I am running the cost for them to pay, vs the parts it cost me. Lets just say my cost is usually a lot lower, and I am complaining only while working on it, and not long after when I go to buy groceries and put more gas in my toys.


At first I would say the schools if there is an easy answer. But then the more I think about it, I took tradesman classes in school but even those didn't have the resources to bring real life examples to my education.

My dad slowly got me involved in the work he was doing, mainly when it was just "the boys" at home. It started with pumping the brakes, and holding the tools, and more and more I found myself growing independent of my dad. Computers only strengthened my desire to learn on my own. Some people have this, some do not.

For me it's a simple matter of being the best I can be. I cannot be the best at maintaining my car, even if all the maintenance is handled by a mechanic, it still requires some knowledge. That knowledge just grew into a thirst for more knowledge.

Did I want to swap an engine when I was 18...HECK NO! But I didn't have the money and I needed a car, so I got my favorite chevy hat out and started cranking. Now...fast forward 10 years, did I WANT to swap out the transmission in my truck, heck no, but I now know the value of a dollar so it doesn't make sense to pay for it, oh heck no, not when I am confident I know how to do it myself.

Nowadays I find my dad is the one torqueing down the final bolts for me...what a LOVELY shift of power.

 

[Philip_G]

Re: my fault or the schools

Well if this is so I guess its no ones fault when someone gets killed with "an unloaded gun"..case n point

one has nothing to do with the other.

furnaces are very simple machines for the most part, I suppose we shall force everyone to go to HVAC school before being allowed to purchase a house then too, right?

anyone can paint, lets ban house painters too

and appliance repairmen, one should take an appliance repair class before purchasing that blender or washer and dryer.

the simple fact is some just don't care to know, and they probably value their free time more than the cost of repair. I make more money at work than I do cleaning my house, therefore I hire cleaners, because I don't care to do those tasks just as others don't care to repair their car.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: my fault or the schools

one has nothing to do with the other.

furnaces are very simple machines for the most part, I suppose we shall force everyone to go to HVAC school before being allowed to purchase a house then too, right?

anyone can paint, lets ban house painters too

and appliance repairmen, one should take an appliance repair class before purchasing that blender or washer and dryer.

the simple fact is some just don't care to know, and they probably value their free time more than the cost of repair. I make more money at work than I do cleaning my house, therefore I hire cleaners, because I don't care to do those tasks just as others don't care to repair their car.

The only point I am really trying to make is that far too many people know nothing about their car other than how to crank it and point it one direction as they give it gas. I think that all drivers should know that when their brake pedal starts to go further and further down when they stop that they need to stop the car before trying to keep on going. Many dont. If they go to get in their car and notice a large pool of oil coming from under it that just maybe they have a mechanical concern..Many have no clue. Everyone should be able to give their car a quick safety check just to be safe. The people that say this is foolish are risk takers.

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: my fault or the schools

i know im going to get the "cars leaking" phone call. but its no fun to tell him that its just the a/c drain so im going to tell him that all cars do this to mark there teritory like the dog does. come hell or high water i am going to show him how to change a tire, check oil and how to pay for gas (that one will make him cry a little). already had to explain to him that it wont start in gear after he was asked to move it and he came in and said it was broke. hes proberly on a forum telling his friends that the old man couldnt work out how to unlock his new smart phone. he had a little smirk showing me what i was doing wrong

 

[JoLin]

Re: my fault or the schools

Yes, my kids know how to change a tire, check the oil and fill the tank, but that's about it.

IMO, most of us grew up in the 'mechanical age' and wanted/needed to know the operation of mechanical things to function in our daily lives. Well, in the same way that I didn't need to know how to set the magneto and spark advance before hand-cranking the engine, my kids don't need to know how to prop the carb choke open with a pencil when it floods. or replace a shock absorber (now it's a strut, and pretty much impossible to do with hand tools, anyway).

Mine are great where computers, electronics and 'how electronic things work together' are concerned, whereas I'm an idiot.

I can picture the father a hundred+ years ago shaking his head and complaining that his kid couldn't shoe a horse if his life depended on it...

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: my fault or the schools

Why? Understanding how something works has little or no impact on ones ability to operate it. Who are we to say someone should or should not do something or take an interest in something?

STRONGLY disagree.

Read a story on the car forums about some college kid who ended up stranded on the side of the road somewhere when the mini cooper his parents bought him 'just quit working'.
As the story went, he called daddy, who tried to help diagnose over the phone. At one point asked if there was enough oil in it, and the kid responded something like "It came with oil in it", discrediting the diagnostic advice.

Long story short, he ran the thing 30-50K miles w/o an oil change, cooked it all off, and seized the engine.

Running your brakes clean thru the rotor to the cooling fins is another case of "shouldn't be allowed to drive".

Your ignorance about the mechanics of how your car doesn't pile into the one in front of you, or a kid on a bike could end up causing you to pile into the car in front of you, or a kid on a bike.

 

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: my fault or the schools

theres things in life that you take for granted. if the kids go to school then they must be learning something. i could rebuild a motor at the age of 12. i could name all the parts way before that. my 16 year old son is smart as a button and great on computers but hes thick as 2 short planks when it comes to engines.

we just bought him a 05 dodge neon my wife says its a bit uneven on tick over so it might need a tune up. so i get a can off seafoam a set of plugs and tell my son to come help.
"son put the seafoam in the gas tank and dont spill it".
son "dad it wont go in" me " use a funnel to push the flap out of the way"
.......urrrrrr.....watching him push the flap with the funnel and try to pour the seafoam down the gap beside the funnel. son " ok whats next....yawn"
me " time to put plugs in"
son confussed look" do i just drop them in"
me "do what?"
son " do i just drop them in or does the white bit go first"
me " are u kidding me"
son " hur"
me " seriously do you think the plugs go in the gas tank"
son " i dont know"
me " what do they teach you in school"
son "nothing"
me " son the plugs go under the hood"
son "is this going to take long"
me "no son go back to what you was doing i got it........"

so is this my fault or the educational system

My son is the the same way.. Makes you want to throw a wrench at him.. He'll be a mechanics best friend....

 

[Philip_G]

Re: my fault or the schools

STRONGLY disagree.

Read a story on the car forums about some college kid who ended up stranded on the side of the road somewhere when the mini cooper his parents bought him 'just quit working'.
As the story went, he called daddy, who tried to help diagnose over the phone. At one point asked if there was enough oil in it, and the kid responded something like "It came with oil in it", discrediting the diagnostic advice.

Long story short, he ran the thing 30-50K miles w/o an oil change, cooked it all off, and seized the engine.

Running your brakes clean thru the rotor to the cooling fins is another case of "shouldn't be allowed to drive".

Your ignorance about the mechanics of how your car doesn't pile into the one in front of you, or a kid on a bike could end up causing you to pile into the car in front of you, or a kid on a bike.

you don't have to be a mechanic to realize when your car makes a funny noise you take it in, nor to take it in for maintenance clearly laid out in the manual. Both are just plain laziness not necessarily ignorance.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: my fault or the schools

First, I don't think 'fault' is the word to use here...one way or the other.
Second, necessity is the mother of invention......so,
Our Grandparents (parents?) and perhaps us had to learn this stuff very soon and early because they (we?) did not have the money to simply hire out lifes responsibilities to a shop or skilled tradesperson.
Now, fast forward to today-ish and.....a massive percentage of the new generation was not raised this way and knows nothing of this financial responsbility and balance backstory.......yet.
All of their cell phone, laundry, tuitition, first car, clothes, cooking and meals, laptops, trips, etc, etc bills and primary responsibilities are done by the parents up well into their 20's now. Why would they know anything different than that kind of facilitation?
If they were on their own....they would quickly figure it out...particularly once the bills started rolling in, like they have for the rest of us. That is not a trend or a trick...that is life and unfortunately many of the new generation are not getting the message and full true training package early enough and strong enough.
The downside is they are going to be 'hit by the responsibility bus' when they realize (in there 30's??) that this stuff and these skills don't grow on trees and it will be pay up....or give them up.
My two bits.
BP

 

[kfa4303]

Re: my fault or the schools

I think it's also a matter of interest. No one in my family is a tinkerer and I didn't start until late in life. Plus, I think it may be generational. I know people my age and younger look at the internal combustion as a bit of a living dinosaur. They realize motors of the future will probably be electric in some for of fashion and will have 1-2 moving parts at most. Remember, they live in a world of digitization rather than mechanization, where even the iPod/Pad are completely non-mechanical. Not a single moving part in them and certainly nothing you could fix for yourself, should something go wrong, so why bother learning how to. Plus, everything is disposable nowadays. Things don't last, were never meant to last and therefore never will. Not to mention that everything is now essentially obsolete the day you t buy it. They're even seeing sharp drop offs in 16 year olds getting drivers licenses for similar reasons. They can travel to Tokyo via Google Earth and never leave the house and see every new movie in HD for free.Oh and forget about a good 'ol American road trip that we got to take. Nah, not with $4-$5/gal. gas and insurance premiums on young drivers that are through the roof. I'm afraid the 20th century, mechanical world is over. Now comes the virtual, digital age for better, or worse.