Supervision by who? It doesn't sound to me like this dude even owns a socket set. Some people just gotta pay, as hard as it is for me to imagine being that way.

Yeah I wouldn't recommend doing major suspension work unless you know what you are doing.

You are putting more than just yourself at risk

My post was a response to GloryDayz. He said every young man should be able to diagnose and repair a bad starter.

Should my younger son (heck, even my older son) even need a lesson, would you consider letting them watch/participate? Realistically I think I've done about all I can do in a typical suburban garage, and one hell of a lot more than any neighbor around me, but there are time I'd love to make him watch/participate in some repairs. I know when his muffler broke just behind the "Y", but before the catalytic converter, the local MIDAS show was pretty cool about letting him see what was happening. And it's not like I have a welder to even consider such work, but if you could do those things, that's be something I'd pay more for, just to teach a kid a skill he might not get otherwise - at least not if it's not a career he's getting into.

"Diagnose" is one thing, teaching a kid to use the hammer you left in the trunk (along with the other tools he might need for a roadside repair!) to bang on a starter is more of an old trick than anything else.

Oh, and it worked perfectly BTW. All it took was reminding him what the starter way, what the solenoid is, and which of the two to hit. :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:

My kids don't give a shit about fixing a car. Good thing cars are a lot better than they used to be. I've been out in the driveway at 1 am putting a car back together just to get to work the next day. A joy they'll never know.

Help finding my son a new car
 

My roommate is the same way. Doesn't know dick about "being a man" and honestly doesn't want to. He says that's why they have automotive technicians/plumbers/electricians/etc.

Personally, I like to know how to fix shit to save money but I'm cheap as shit soooooo.....

That's a bit overboard I think. Cars aren't what I grew up working on, so I'd never really expect the same from an average kid in 2015 as I would have in 1979. That's the whole points and plugs deal... But I'd agree that is you can show them oil changes, and perhaps break pad replacement, that's a lot of what's still normal. Oh, and an ODB-II system... The fact that some of us had them out there to change the differential fluids and bleed breaks is another.

I did in hopes of teaching him something that could help, but is a great way to relieve stress from a long week at the office... I mean a great leather chair is helpful, but after a week of 16-18 hour days, working some grease under your fingernails and teaching them about Lava soap is awesome...

Same here, I've had my Dakota for 6 years and only had it in the shop one time, and that was for the rear brakes. **** those goddamn drum brakes and all their ****ing springs and wheel cylinders rusted to brake lines that you can't get free without ****ing up the lines. I'll gladly pay someone else to deal with that shit.

I'll be up at sunrise torquing a head, replacing intake /exhaust manifiolds, installing my Weber 2b, and then bleeding the brakes.

...if all goes well, my van will be back on the road...I have work waiting.

:rockon:

eh, i can turn a wrench or two but more often than not I'd rather pay to have it done not sure that makes me less of a man.

He literally doesn't know how to change a tire.

Shit, I'm far from a mechanic, but there are just a few things that I think every car owner should know. When to get an oil change, how to change a tire- that's basic shit that could save you thousands.

It's no wonder he's blown two engines in the past couple years.

I've dealt with some real bullshit mechanics.

Once I brought my car in and the tech said I had a massive oil leak. $1200 they quoted me. I brought it to a friend and he finds that it's only the front cover leaking (leaked all over the engine making it appear to be several leaks, apparently). Took him like 20 minutes to fix it.

Another time a dealership quoted me $500 to replace an O2 sensor. Bought the sensor for $120 or thereabouts, removed the exhaust manifold, plugged the part in. Fixed in 10 minutes.

Then I had my rear hub bearings go bad. $700 they quoted me. Bought the left rear for $80 and the right rear for $120 (ABS sensor). Fixed in 20 minutes.

I know they've got to make money too but if we're being realistic they're either marking up their parts like 500% or charging $400 per hour for labor.

Don't trust any of those ****ers.

Yes, my kid is 8 and not too interested in turning a wrench but I make him come out and watch me do the routine maintenance so he's familiar with how what the major parts of an engine are, how they work, and what you need to be looking for when working on them.