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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 1:56 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 1:46 pm)Shell B Wrote: (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.
Same here. If I wanted to, I could certainly invest the time to learn automechanicalology and lay out the necessary money for the tools and equipment to do these things myself. Having the wherewithal to leave it to the professionals, however, this is an expense I'm happy to bear.
I seem to recall a standup routine in which the comedian related a story of how, whenever he flushed the bog, poo water would bubble up in the bathtub. The plumber who fixed it started going into a long, involved litany of everything he had to do to get the problem corrected - clearly just trying to justify the bill - when the comic interrupted him.
'Wait, wait. Just tell me - is the shit out of the bathtub?
'Well...yes.'
'Is it likely to happen again.'
'No.'
'Here's your money.'
This strikes me as a good way to live life.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 1:52 pm)Shell B Wrote: (October 30, 2019 at 4:38 pm)onlinebiker Wrote: I have had to correct what "mechanics" have hosed up too many times to put trust in their ability.
When I do the job - it gets done right....i am not in a hurry.
I actually use a torque wrench on lugnuts fer crissakes..... For a reason....
....
Proof - my SO drives a car that I have overhauled and serviced, back and forth to work daily - 42 miles one way - in a 23 year old car, with no problems.
Care to try it?
I use a torque wrench on lug nuts if I have one handy. It's not that rare a habit. It's how I was taught.
Do you know why?
Hint - it's not to make sure it's tight.
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm
There is something to be said about hiring a professional to do certain repairs and maintenance. But there is nothing wrong with someone who has the skill to do some of those things themselves and who derive a certain level of pleasure from accomplishing such tasks. Dad had quite a collection of tools and other gadgets for both mechanical work and woodworking. They were nearly as neat and clean as his surgical instruments. And, by god, he knew if something was out of place and there was hell to pay for whoever put something away wrong or dirty.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:12 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm)onlinebiker Wrote: (October 31, 2019 at 1:52 pm)Shell B Wrote: I use a torque wrench on lug nuts if I have one handy. It's not that rare a habit. It's how I was taught.
Do you know why?
Hint - it's not to make sure it's tight.
I do know why. It's for even distribution of weight.
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:13 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm)arewethereyet Wrote: There is something to be said about hiring a professional to do certain repairs and maintenance. But there is nothing wrong with someone who has the skill to do some of those things themselves and who derive a certain level of pleasure from accomplishing such tasks. Dad had quite a collection of tools and other gadgets for both mechanical work and woodworking. They were nearly as neat and clean as his surgical instruments. And, by god, he knew if something was out of place and there was hell to pay for whoever put something away wrong or dirty.
There's no shame in either way of living. If people didn't hire other people to do things, we'd all be experts in everything and no one would have any money.
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:14 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 2:12 pm)Shell B Wrote: (October 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm)onlinebiker Wrote: Do you know why?
Hint - it's not to make sure it's tight.
I do know why. It's for even distribution of weight.
Nope...
.....
It's only necessary on most (US) vehicles after 1975 or so...
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:15 pm
(This post was last modified: October 31, 2019 at 2:16 pm by Shell B.)
(October 31, 2019 at 2:14 pm)onlinebiker Wrote: (October 31, 2019 at 2:12 pm)Shell B Wrote: I do know why. It's for even distribution of weight.
Nope...
.....
It's only necessary on most (US) vehicles after 1975 or so...
Yep. It's so the tires/brakes don't wear unevenly, or at least that's what I was taught in the trade school that I attended. But, hey. What do they know?
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:15 pm
It's to prevent run-out on your brake rotors IIRC.
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:17 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 2:15 pm)Jackalope Wrote: It's to prevent run-out on your brake rotors IIRC.
Because of uneven distribution of weight.
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RE: I don't know how they do it.
October 31, 2019 at 2:19 pm
(October 31, 2019 at 2:17 pm)Shell B Wrote: (October 31, 2019 at 2:15 pm)Jackalope Wrote: It's to prevent run-out on your brake rotors IIRC.
Because of uneven distribution of weight.
Torque, but yeah basically.
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