Mechanically inclined? (Declined)

How good are you with a wrench?

  • I know the basics (change a tire, my oil, fix a leaky faucet)

    Votes: 5 71.4%

  • I use Mexicans for all auto/home repairs

    Votes: 2 28.6%

  • 100% self reliant. Rebuild an engine in my sleep

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    7
Reign in Acai

Reign in Acai

Of Elephant and Man
Jun 25, 2003
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Favela of My Dismay
I've grown increasingly interested in learning how to repair shit on my own lately. I can't speak for everyone but it's demasculinizing to pay some pupusa breath to change out a part as simple as a fuel filter. Twenty years ago it was a rite of passage to change a tire, nowadays AAA is one phone click away. Leaky faucet? Remove the head and change that washer! Broken wall outlet? Remove the cover and get to screwin'! The goal is to be as self-reliant as the lads from WitTR, without the barnyard animals. From this day forward, I'm building a tool collection. Ohh ohh oh ohhhh!
 
Ha ha ha, thought it might wind up a petrolhead, crikey though, no way to treat a new member who's clearly only pulling your leg ;).

I do agree with you though, I will also invest some time in finding out the car fixing basics when I get one.
 
Under normal circumstances I'd tell you to GTFOoRC, but we as a forum are in a recession, so welcome aboard.

This entire interest was burgeoned a couple days back when I replaced a buddy's car battery. As simple as this replacement was, it was extremely gratifying. This same type of gratification was felt earlier this year when I replaced a wall outlet. Next week going to help a chum rotate his tires. All rudimentary tasks, but you need to learn how to crawl before you can sprint.
 
Cheers, ;).

I do think people who actually know how to service their car is getting increasingly rare though. My dad and his generation usually know what to do, but I don't know a lot of current 20-30 year olds, male or female, who would confidently be able to repair their own cars. Most I've ever done, or had to do actually is change a mate's tyre. Some genius I was with thought the dent would just 'pop' out of it if he squeezed it...

I thought they were going to introduce basic car repair as part of the driving test?
 
Viridian Ice said:
Cheers, ;).

I do think people who actually know how to service their car is getting increasingly rare though.
Click to expand...

Aye, my buddy told me that when seeking advice from a co-worker on whether or not he should proceed and remove the battery himself, she advised him that he should take it to a service shop, as she's never knew anyone who did so on their lonesome. Seriously? It's three nuts and lift. Though it was a pain in the ass with a crescent wrench, hence the need for a proper tool set.
 
Seriously? Even I could do that. Though I just know the bare basics at present, but that's mainly because I don't have a car. Yet.

But, yeah, I definitely want to learn how to do a lot more myself when I've got my car, buying of decent tools included. I'm like that with everything, I hate calling in someone, always used to fix my ex's PC for example. But, like when we had a problem with the toilet, and we had to have a plumber in I still got him to show me exactly what the problem was and how to fix it in future. It'll probably never happen again, but if it does, well, I'm keeping my money and doing it myself!
 
I can work on anything BUT a car. Never bothered to learn the inner workings.

Granted, changing a hose or a battery... yeah, thats simple enough. Everything else? Nah.

Send me a thousand computers and a couple hundred machines full of them there gears and them there sprockets and them there circuit boards... I can deal with that.
 
Given the large amount of retarded summer jobs I've had throughout the years (plumbing/heating, boiler cleaning, asbestos removal, fire-retardant systems maintenance/loading running aircraft, misc.) I've learned the basics, but I'd be fucked if I had to work on one of these newer computerized vehicles. Fuck that shit.
 
i'm pretty clumsy with a lot of practical things but on the other hand i hate asking for help and think i can do everything myself so i guess i'm pretty good at nig-rigging shit if nothing else
 
Most stuff is pretty simple really if you just try to remember in which order you took it apart. Clean/replace/fix broken part, do it all in reverse. With cars and other motorized vehicles, I learned from my dad who used to be a car mechanig for quite a few years, but as stuff gets more and more computerized it gets increasingly difficult to do shit without the appropriate computing devices. My car is a '99 though so still no worries, but I fear the next one might be a great big plastic hood WARRANY VOID IF SEAL IS BROKEN.

A lot of these things have to be fixed by professionals if insurances are to remain and stuff, so that screws things over. Still, I think of myself as at least decently handy. Change tires, diapers, buttons, oil and wall outlets myself!
 
My old man's a diesel mechanic by trade, I'm a boiler maker by trade, and I spent a fair chunk of my earlier years helping him out at work, so I learnt the basics. I service my own car (oil/fuel filters, air cleaners etc), I've had to replace a diff and water pump in the past, I divereted the power steering pump on my 4WD when I was stuck in the bush.. I know the basics. As Mike said, so long as you remember what came from where it's relatively straight-forward.
 
don't have a car, but I can do most simple repairs around the house and on my bike. If I had a car, I'd make sure I could do all the standard stuff. I already can change a tire, and from what I understand, changing the oil isn't all the hard, its just dirty.

Does mechanically inclined also include building practical shit out of stuff you have on hand? Built a sauna at our camping place with 3 tarps, some string, some sticks, a big hole and some rocks to heat up. We also built various other items around the camp site over the course of 2 weeks. (aka: perfect camping spot just as we bug out).

the next bike I get I intend to build from scratch myself and acquire all the tools to never have to take it in to the bikeshop to get shit done, unless there is something bizarre or really advanced, in which case the shop probably can't help me either
 
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