Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Re: [Phys-L] Car repair



two things here: first, my story is to relate that you cannot modify or repair a car now like we did back then. Few people even back then took a whole car apart, but the story goes to show that you could if you wanted to... that doesn't exist any more. Maintaining cars then meant the brakes (still can do), the carb. (who will tackle fuel injectors and the electronics that go with them??? not too many people can or want to do that.), alternator? ( can you stil take that off and restore it back in an hour like the guy in college? I doubt it.). The list goes on and on of things that we used to do fairly easily that simply cannot be done any more.... Take the radio. I could take an old radio out of my old Rambler, modify the dash to accept a new radio, install it, wire it, and listen to rock and roll in a couple of hours. Could you do that now?
Second: Well, among many young people the interest is still in cars, but they have realized that they cannot simply strip down a car like the old days. Sure I know two sons of friends who can do the brakes on their mom's Ford Explorer in the yard. But when it comes to engine work? They take it to their place of business... one works for PepBoys and the other works for a Ford dealer.. both are highly trained mechanics. They used to take apart and out together simple engines in their parents' garages, but now? They must go for training every six months to maintain a certification to work on cars at the shop.
Someone in this thread stated that the basics of the automobile are the same... yes, it's still the internal combustion engine and the brakes and steering. But I maintain that it has become so complex that if you screw up one thing the whole thing is messed up. If you want to study a manual and buy a bunch of equipment to find and replace a tiny chip that runs a whole engine.. fine, be my guest. I, for one, and thousands like me will find and take my car to a mechanic who is well trained, studies his craft, and can be trusted to do the job right and not leave me stranded on the turnpike because a chip malfunctioned.

On Apr 12, 2013, at 6:07 AM, Matt Coia wrote:

So, are we talking modifying or maintaining vehicles now? I think the things you talk about are still possible but the number of young folk who would actually WANT to yank their alternator from their car has dwindled. Where the primary interest of the youth in the 50's/60's might have been cars, today we could probably argue that the primary interest of our current youth revolves around computers/gaming/social media. It's a different mindset.