Don't the high schools teach car repair any more?

DreadPirateRoberts · 04-09-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Betty

That jeep doesn't happen to be an 03 with a working back window zipper does it?

You could try Quadratec for soft top parts.

Ghoulish Delight · 04-09-2007, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreadPirateRoberts

You could try Quadratec for soft top parts.

Wow, I read that and thought, "Why would one need to go online for Pop Tarts that aren't stale?"

DreadPirateRoberts · 04-09-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Wow, I read that and thought, "Why would one need to go online for Pop Tarts that aren't stale?"

have NA try typing it 3 times fast

MouseWife · 04-09-2007, 02:02 PM

My experience has also been that it is the local community colleges have auto shops.

Too bad because the kids in school should be able to do some minor work on their cars.

Alex · 04-09-2007, 02:15 PM

You'd likely have to look to vocational schools for modern car repair programs.

Beyond the pedagogical priority and funding issues you have the simple fact that modern cars simply aren't amenable to the kind of manual repair and maintenance that you used to do.

There was a guy who called into Car Talk on NPR a few months ago saying he wanted to learn how to fix his newish car himself rather than paying people. They essentially told him that except for some stuff around the fringes you can't anymore. You need extremely specialized tools and computers for most things around the engine.

Even changing the oil is difficult on most modern cars. They're all safer, lighter, faster, and more efficient but at the cost of simplicity and ability to just hit at them with a wrench until everything works again.

So when debating whether to fund an autoshop class it is probably a decision made easier when it is would actually have to be a pre-1990 autoshop class.

MouseWife · 04-09-2007, 02:22 PM

Yep, this has been our problem. My husband used to do all of the work on our cars. Of course, these were pre '90 vehicles. He just didn't have the full time need to go out and purchase the tools needed. He did sometimes borrow them from the mechanics for a fee{special hexagon shaped tools, off sized mm tools} but then they quit that.

Well, he also got tired of doing it.

DreadPirateRoberts · 04-09-2007, 02:37 PM

It's a compromise, we've traded simplicity and ease of repair, for energy efficiency, durability, and ease of maintenance. (not to say the old cars won't last long too, but they require more maintenance to stay that way. I'm still amazed that cars today can go 100k miles on a set of spark plugs, they used to rebuild engines at 100k).

04-09-2007, 02:02 PM	#4
MouseWife Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da' Beach Posts: 2,957	My experience has also been that it is the local community colleges have auto shops. Too bad because the kids in school should be able to do some minor work on their cars. __________________ Summa' time....when the livins' easy.........
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04-09-2007, 02:15 PM	#5
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	You'd likely have to look to vocational schools for modern car repair programs. Beyond the pedagogical priority and funding issues you have the simple fact that modern cars simply aren't amenable to the kind of manual repair and maintenance that you used to do. There was a guy who called into Car Talk on NPR a few months ago saying he wanted to learn how to fix his newish car himself rather than paying people. They essentially told him that except for some stuff around the fringes you can't anymore. You need extremely specialized tools and computers for most things around the engine. Even changing the oil is difficult on most modern cars. They're all safer, lighter, faster, and more efficient but at the cost of simplicity and ability to just hit at them with a wrench until everything works again. So when debating whether to fund an autoshop class it is probably a decision made easier when it is would actually have to be a pre-1990 autoshop class.
	Submit to Quotes

04-09-2007, 02:22 PM	#6
MouseWife Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da' Beach Posts: 2,957	Yep, this has been our problem. My husband used to do all of the work on our cars. Of course, these were pre '90 vehicles. He just didn't have the full time need to go out and purchase the tools needed. He did sometimes borrow them from the mechanics for a fee{special hexagon shaped tools, off sized mm tools} but then they quit that. Well, he also got tired of doing it. __________________ Summa' time....when the livins' easy.........
	Submit to Quotes

04-09-2007, 02:37 PM	#7
DreadPirateRoberts Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,483	It's a compromise, we've traded simplicity and ease of repair, for energy efficiency, durability, and ease of maintenance. (not to say the old cars won't last long too, but they require more maintenance to stay that way. I'm still amazed that cars today can go 100k miles on a set of spark plugs, they used to rebuild engines at 100k).
	Submit to Quotes