(October 30, 2019 at 7:47 am)onlinebiker Wrote: I recently ran into a guy who drives, owns a car and he admitted to the fact that he knows nothing about car maintenance. He doesn't even check the oil and seemed strangely proud of his ignorance.
Really? It seems pretty dumb to me to be totally at the mercy to a mechanic's honesty.
I do virtually all the work on our cars. (We have 9 running) There is only a few things - like wheel alignment or changing tires off rims - that I don't do. (The necessary equipment is too expensive)
But I do know what those jobs take - and know what they should cost.
To me -going to a mechanic with no knowledge of the internal workings of a vehicle - it is sort of like religion. Trusting somebody (who has a profit motive) to handle part of your life and expecting to not get ripped off.
Do you own a computer and know everything about how it works and maintaining it? It's like that. Some people don't have the time or interest to devote to the topic. For me, I know the basics and a few less basic things, but I send my car to a mechanic because my time is worth more than the money I'd save at the moment. Of course, I wouldn't need a tow if my tire blew, but I don't even do my own oil changes.