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Thread ID: 65585	2006-01-23 08:36:00	Mechanically minded...........	beetle (243)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
423597	2006-01-23 08:36:00	Not meaning comps, but cars, vehicles, automobiles........ How many people feel confident to do things on the vehicles they own? like basics...pump petrol? check oil? add oil? Do you get petrol attendents to do this? or do that stuff yourself? or a friend / family member do this for you? How many people no nothing of a vehicle? inns and outs? How many here could strip a motor and put one back together again no probs and get it to go at the end? things i once took for granted about vehicles have since changed and im floundering around learning new territory..... things i never was concerned with before now worry me because of lack of knowledge.....and mechanical ability.... Things i relied on, are no longer an option and with my great history of electrical and mechanical items im destined to kill all vehicles i have contact with now and in the future..... also i find because i am female, and go to garages or car dealers they are just ready to pull the wool over your eyes and when i walk away they dont care..... even tho they lost a potential customer..... :waughh: is it a female thing or a life in general thing? hope some of this makes sense.....more likely not beetle	beetle (243)
423598	2006-01-23 08:50:00	strip it, tweak it, put it back together and make it go even better . . . . . . . . . but then again i'm a guy :) i have to ask . . . . . . . . . how on earth do you drive without knowing what the clutch, brakes, motor and gearbox are?? i think its funny ow some people will wait forever for some dumb gas station attendant to pump fuel into their car when they could easly do it themselves . also gas station attendants often don't know anything about cars anyway! i've seen so many stuff ups its not funny .	tweak'e (69)
423599	2006-01-23 09:02:00	My first job was in a Garage, so I learnt the finer things in vehicle maintenance in the correct manner. Still do all my own vehicle work, however the newest vehicle has a 4 year full service warranty which includes all servicing, maintenance, WOF etc. So it will not be done by me on that one. I simply cannot bear to have anything that I do not understand how it works, with the exception of SWMBO (who I do not "own" and could never understand how she works anyway). My motto is "pull it apart when it's new, then if you break it you carefully reassemble it and take it back under warranty". Never failed yet (apart from the above exception on which there is no return policy anyway). I also do all my own electrical, appliance repair and most plumbing work, building maintenance etc. Mainly because I am too mean to pay anyone, also partly because I am qualified in most of it. There are good people out there though, but not the ones you describe. Its a matter of finding them.	godfather (25)
423600	2006-01-23 09:03:00	well past history has taught me otherwise and have been told incompetent enough times that makes you think you are . I can pump petrol i never said i cant, but i do watch if an attendant pumps because at one stage they filled our diesel ute with petrol and made us pay for both and the privalge of keeping their forecourt blocked while we got the 70liter tank pumped . to empty the blasted thing, a very expensive day had by all . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and i was rather pregnant at that stage and very sick from the stress and continous petrol smells . . . . and they blamed me, when i hadnt even pumped the petrol to start with . . . . . i never take anything for granted now . but when it comes to adding oil im wary . . . . . . . never no how much or little or what type to use . . . . . . . . . . . LOL As long as i dont blow anything up, or crash it i consider im doing well . :waughh: :lol: Oh and this last vehicle is the first i own that is auto . all the rest have been manual, and im good at double clutching when i had my bambina on the road . . . . . . . broke 3 axles on that, and numerous tow jobs, and yes i do not consider myself of good mechanical knowledge . . . . . . . . but i spose now if im really stuck i can read a manual to fix simple things and i can change typres as long as they not too tight to undo . . . . . or to heavy to lift . :waughh: beetle	beetle (243)
423601	2006-01-23 09:05:00	I had a Subaru B4 turbo where the attendant couldn't find either the dipstick or where to pour the oil in, also had a bit of trouble trying to check the radiator level so I suggested he fill the wiper container instead :) . I admit that under the hood it was stuffed with 'foreign looking' bits of metal and not much room left over . I'm happy to let them put the gas in as it gives them something useful to do! Best was when a mechanic suggested that have the engined tuned and looked puzzled when I said that it was done by the computer .	Shortcircuit (1666)
423602	2006-01-23 09:14:00	Godfather, I have heard that SWMBO's are relatively (sic) easy to maintain. Every 50,000ks get them tanked up, throw some flowers their way and toss in a few diamonds... works wonders and they are then good for a few times around the clock :D	Shortcircuit (1666)
423603	2006-01-23 09:15:00	I reckon the owner's manual gives you an idea of what yo should know. How often to change oil etc. Often cars need a lot of diagnostic and specialised equipment to be reapired these days. Yip, you should able to pump petrol. A friend found it quite funny how people would expect you to do it for them (espite being the only one in charge at night, so he couldn't leave the till). I wouldn't pay for diesel, when you were after petrol.	gibler (49)
423604	2006-01-23 10:01:00	i have to ask . . . . . . . . . how on earth do you drive without knowing what the clutch, brakes, motor and gearbox are?? Same way people fill up the dishwasher without the slighest idea of exactly how it works . Or watch TV . But I do the basics, can replace spark plugs, chnage oild and filters, fix the coil on the Cambridge . . . er, no, we don't have the Cambridge anymore . Trouble is most modern cars you open the bonnet and theres all this plastic hiding everything and all these wires! Except for my Toyota of course, I bought it casue it has NO power steerring, electric windows, air con etc etc . Unnecessary complications .	pctek (84)
423605	2006-01-23 10:03:00	Except for my Toyota of course, I bought it casue it has NO power steerring, electric windows, air con etc etc. Unnecessary complications. Yeah I love my '89 'rolla. Its just you and pure car, none of this computer crap. Simple to run and fix.	DangerousDave (697)
423606	2006-01-23 10:18:00	I do oil changes etc, can do everything that's done in a service and replace easy things like spark plugs and the air filter etc. Nothing inside the engine though...	george12 (7)
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