Are people becoming useless

[David2452]

I hear from a mate in the trade that even when a bulb is replaced in some cars, it won't work until the computer is reset to clear the fault.

Recently had a headlamp replaced as part of a small accident repair on Mr Shogun and the body shop had to take it to the main dealer for a reset to get the lights working.

 

[oldgit]

The owner's manual for a Smart Roadster doesn't even attempt to give directions for changing headlamp bulbs; it simply tells you to take it to a service agent. There is no access to the headlamp fitting without fairly serious dismantling.

Bring to me.Will have the entire shebang out bulb replaced and back in 5 mins...and you can replace those self coloured front wings in about twenty mins.
Somebody reversed into me just in case your wondering.

 

[oldsaltoz]

No, they are just lazy, some of the requests I have had recently are ridiculous.

I am less than 30 minutes from most jobs but some take only minutes to complete.

The really odd thing is that no one seems care about the cost.
Time poor and full pockets perhaps?

I spend more time driving than actually working.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Time poor and full pockets perhaps?

That's the key I think... why would I want to struggle fixing something that a professional with the right tools can do in a third or less of the time?

 

[GrahamM376]

That's the key I think... why would I want to struggle fixing something that a professional with the right tools can do in a third or less of the time?

Many people say they can earn more money than a tradesman charges so it makes sense not to do their own work and that's fine but, some never learn enough to cope when a problem crops up, one boatowner asked me where his galley seacock was located in a boat he'd had at the time for 7 years!

I took the opposite viewpoint. By doing the vast majority of my own work on boat, house and cars, my outgoings were/are far less and I managed to retire at 53. If I had payed people over the years for every job, then I would have had to work for more years or, as someone else commented, not have the boat we have. DIY is also a good remedy for boredom although I must admit I don't ever want to scrape the antifoul off back to gel again.

 

[RupertW]

I often pay for simple jobs on the boat as well as the more complicated ones. I work myself for an hourly rate so every day off sailing costs me and the boat is a plane ride away. So things which stop me sailing tend to get paid for, e.g. engine service, putting sails on and off at either end of the season, halyard replacement, even refuelling occasionally (there can be an hour wait at the marina pump if a mobo gets there first). If I am not untied and off within a couple of hours of the plane landing, I feel I've wasted a day. Other things can be done at anchor in between beers and swims so I will do those myself, e.g. servicing and fixing heads, replacing windlass, cleaning and polishing.

If I had more time I would do more, but it suits me to sail whenever I have spare time, not do DIY.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I often pay for simple jobs on the boat as well as the more complicated ones. I work myself for an hourly rate so every day off sailing costs me and the boat is a plane ride away.

I paid to have my stern gland tightened this year. Partly that's because I am a large chap and getting at the thing means taking the head off the engine but mainly because I'd have had to take a day off work, drive two hundred miles and spend an hour on a ferry to do it. The yard went out to the mooring, fetched my boat in, did the adjustment (they have a skinny mechanic), ran the engine in gear for an hour to check the drip rate and put the boat back on the mooring, and I was happy to pay the thirty five quid they charged me to do it.

 

[NOHOH]

I remember a time when my friend and I were trying to explain to his wife how a car engine worked. When it got to the bit where the petrol was vaporised, mixed with air and exploded inside the cylinders, she laughed and wouldn't believe us..........

Whenever I have to explain to a woman how a car engine works I just tell them about SUCK....SQUEEZE....BANG...AND...BLOW......Usually works

 

[rob2]

Wow, all this brings back some memories! One guy in the year above us regularly made fulminate of mercury and painted things the teacher would touch, so every gesture was accompanied by a bang. One day, he made too much so painted it round the door frame. When the teacher slammed the door behind him the frame blew out of the wall... an amnesty was agreed after that.

My mother had three electricians come around and each spent hours with a mega looking for the fault that kept blowing light bulbs. Eventually I persuaded her to tell me the whole story and it transpired that it always blew when she was coming into the house. I checked the nearest light switch and found the loose connection. It took five minutes including listeing to the tale. I have tio assume that the "qualified electricians" didn't know what a mega is for.

When I bought my boat I found a sheaf of bills from the marine engineer for winterising, recommisioning and servicing the engine every year. Apart from the fact that half the cost was for a part which seems to be non-existant, the engine was horribly unreliable as the engineer had not opened his eyes and noted that the fuel lines needed replacement. It wouldn't run for more than a few minutes before the air leak stopped it again.

Just a couple of reasons why I will do every job myself rather than pay someone else to get it wrong. On a mate's boat we had to rebuild everything as it had laid ashore for years. The result was that everything worked and we knew how to fix everything. In the club's yard we used to spend as much time helping others fix things that had been sorted by professionals - usually at little of no cost.

Rob.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Bring to me.Will have the entire shebang out bulb replaced and back in 5 mins...and you can replace those self coloured front wings in about twenty mins.
Somebody reversed into me just in case your wondering.

Don't have it any more . But to their credit, the local Smart garage did it for not much more than the cost of the bulb (which was eye-watering enough!)

 

[laika]

Certainly there are forgotten skills. I was going to book my daughters Citroen C1 in for a service at 25,000 miles.

Wow. Not being able to book a service for your own vehicle is taking useless to a whole new level....

 

[Kale]

For cars having lights in crumple zones and running everything through the computer makes doing your own work on them impossible. Unless in the trade you just done have the specialist equipment.

For home DIY, it is partly people showing they have cash to get others to work for them. There is also another problem - council enforced standards. I have been doing a house renovation aiming to sell it on, and its amazing how many things require having the right piece of paper to be allowed to do. And without you dont pass essential safety checks for sales. You can at added cost have qualified people check some of it, but any doubt and the council can demand it to be removed and replaced by their approved people you of course pay for the removal, reinstallation and potentially fines. It scares you out of doing some work you know you can do.

 

[Actionmat]

Started a thread in similar vein a year or so ago. I blamed the decline of Meccano.
.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Also, parents doing everything for their children rather than teaching them must have something to do with it.
I use to treat my dads tool box like a toy box. Some kids are natural tinkerers and it needs to be nurtured.
Years later, I fix my own engines and paper my own walls. Cheers Dad.

 

[oldbilbo]

Tomorrow, I have a 'Surveyor' coming to assess what work is needed to re-install a gas service to a new gas hob some 5m from the existing/old hob. There are two obvious ways a) cap off the existing supply and run an extension feed horozintally from 'old' to 'new'. Test, and Bob's Yer Uncle. b) run a wholly new supply throught the undercrof, from existing gas inlet pipe-work around some 5m to vicinity of new requirement. Test, as above.

30 years ago, I could do this myself. And did.
20 years ago, I could do this myself, and have a certificated pro check and 'sign off' as safe. And did.
10 years ago, I could go to jail if I interfere in any way with my gas supply. Gas pros are booked up months in advance.
Today.... the fellow cannot say when 'someone will become available' to do the work......

 

[JumbleDuck]

Tomorrow, I have a 'Surveyor' coming to assess what work is needed to re-install a gas service to a new gas hob some 5m from the existing/old hob. There are two obvious ways a) cap off the existing supply and run an extension feed horozintally from 'old' to 'new'. Test, and Bob's Yer Uncle. b) run a wholly new supply throught the undercrof, from existing gas inlet pipe-work around some 5m to vicinity of new requirement. Test, as above.

30 years ago, I could do this myself. And did.
20 years ago, I could do this myself, and have a certificated pro check and 'sign off' as safe. And did.
10 years ago, I could go to jail if I interfere in any way with my gas supply. Gas pros are booked up months in advance.
Today.... the fellow cannot say when 'someone will become available' to do the work......

Are you not in UK? As far as I am aware. diy gas work is still perfectly legal if competently done, and you don't need a certificate to prove competence, although people after you money for either (a) certification or (b) gas fitting will do their best to assure you that this is the case. I wouldn't try to fit a boiler or heater myself, but changing the position of a hob shouldn't be rocket science.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

It surprises me that youngsters aren't getting more into DIY car maintenance, given the availability of very cheap CAN bus interfaces with Bluetooth, that can link to virtually any smart phone, and any car made in the past 10-12 years. I can only assume that's due to lack of widespread awareness of the technology.

I agree but I think there's a fear of getting things wrong or breaking things that my (our?) generation didn't seem to have. I remember my first overhead cam engine - I just took the head to see what was going in inside as I'd never seen one before. The idea of my lad plugging a laptop into his beloved motor is almost unthinkable - he'd have a fit if I even suggested. Maybe it's because people buy such expensive things so young these days.

 

[Avocet]

It is a real problem. We still have all my old Meccano (and indeed, my dad's!) at my parents' house and I try to encourage my 9 and 11 year olds to play with it when we visit. Part of the problem (apart from everything being in imperial units in the instructions!) is that you have to work for a very long time to get your satisfaction. In the same amount of time, my 11 year old will have "built" himself a whole village in "Minecraft land". They're just not prepared to wait as long for gratification as people of previous generations.

My daughter is 16 and will be 17 in March. She's slowly having to come to terms with the fact that her first car ISN'T going to be a brand new Mini Cooper... yet it's amazing how many of her friends ARE getting new (or nearly new) - and quite upmarket cars! I mean, what is the world coming to when a 17 year old is worrying about invalidating the manufacturer's warranty on their first car???!!

 

[Lakesailor]

She reckoned she had a puncture, I could tell by the 3 magnificent distortions of the inner rim that she made a habit of hitting Sussex potholes and it was asking too much of the tyre to maintain pressure against the rim.

You are not trying hard enough.....

Were you at school in Yorshire with me by any chance?

We knew our days were numbered even in the 60's when our elecrically triggered explosive experiments featured in the local paper. At our next "bomb club" (I kid you not!) meeting deep in the woods an adult voice suddenly rang out "OK lads, we've got you surrounded". One of the gang shouted "split" and we all scattered in different directions. We knew those woods like the back of our hands and, luckily, the police did not. When we met up later we had all got away but that was our last meeting.

Richard

Ah yes, sodium chlorate and sugar. We used make them in a copper pipe with a bit of fuse wire between two cable ends crimped inside. A car battery set it off.

We gave up after a mega attempt in the middle of a friend's parents grass tennis court. Soil and sods seemed to rain down for minutes.................

 

[oldsaltoz]

My daughter is 16 and will be 17 in March. She's slowly having to come to terms with the fact that her first car ISN'T going to be a brand new Mini Cooper... yet it's amazing how many of her friends ARE getting new (or nearly new) - and quite upmarket cars! I mean, what is the world coming to when a 17 year old is worrying about invalidating the manufacturer's warranty on their first car???!!

Hi Avocet,
One of our Grand daughters was looking for her first car,great kid.
The wife was not looking for new car despite the old (22 years) Toyota Corolla Hatch back / shopping trolley.
I decided it was time to get a safer vehicle for the wife and pass the old Toyota onto the grand daughter.

Well they both fell in love with their cars. though the pink hart the grand daughter put on the Toyota looked a naff.

So what if the first car is not new or near new, neither of these precipitants complained, ecstatic probably best describes their reaction.

Neither had any clue what was planned so It was a complete surprise to both and hint of any expectation.

PS. The wife loves the new Kia with all the bits and bobs, cruise control, 6 speed auto, blue tooth, navigation, independent rear suspension, the speedometer goes to 330 kph but I have not got even close to that on a run, restricted to 110 kmh here in Oz. speed limit, not the car.

Good luck and fair winds.

PS. What's the latest with the yacht?

 

[nimbusgb]

Hi Avocet,
One of our Grand daughters was looking for her first car,great kid.
The wife was not looking for new car despite the old (22 years) Toyota Corolla Hatch back / shopping trolley.
I decided it was time to get a safer vehicle for the wife and pass the old Toyota onto the grand daughter.

Well they both fell in love with their cars. though the pink hart the grand daughter put on the Toyota looked a naff.

So what if the first car is not new or near new, neither of these precipitants complained, ecstatic probably best describes their reaction.

Neither had any clue what was planned so It was a complete surprise to both and hint of any expectation.

PS. The wife loves the new Kia with all the bits and bobs, cruise control, 6 speed auto, blue tooth, navigation, independent rear suspension, the speedometer goes to 330 kph but I have not got even close to that on a run, restricted to 110 kmh here in Oz. speed limit, not the car.

Good luck and fair winds.

PS. What's the latest with the yacht?

Got to love that! Caring grandparents palm off 22 year old death trap on inexperienced driver so they can justify buying a safer car for themselves!




Daughter is 22 and on to her *second*, off the showroom floor, new car.

Son at 19 moved from a 10 year old Seat Ibiza to a Hyundai coupe. Both needed work and we have been under the cars together sorting out a variety of things.

Same household but they come at life from opposite ends of the spectrum!