According to a recent Wall Street Journal article 80 percent of Americans prefer to let professionals handle their automotive maintenance. Fewer DIYers was also the reason cited by Advance Auto as to why it’s closing over 700 stores in the US. So if you wrench on your own cars, congratulations, you’re in an elite minority in the US.
How did you learn about cars?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What’s a car-related thing that you should really get rid of?“.
The primary thing you need to get rid of, it should come as no surprise, is car parts, and in many cases for cars you don’t even own. ManifoldDestiny, speedie, and Lee L all mentioned this in some form. For Brian Trevan it extended to an entire Toyota Crown, and Land Ark mentioned jettisoning some actual cars as well. Jonathan P. summed up the entire dilemma of why we keep car stuff around — because you’ll never know when you need it, but it seems that many of you keep parts for cars you don’t even own.
Even when it’s not directly related to keeping a car operational, it’s amazing how much stuff we can accumulate. But we love the things we love, and for Dillon it was Hot Wheels. StreetSpirit added games on top of miniatures, and Fred Langille piled clothing on top of that. If there was a prize for the most cumbersome items Franxou would probably win for a collection of new car digests dating back 30 years. Similarly, for Taylor C. it was a collection of magazines. Brett thought life would be much easier if we simply dropped our love for cars, period.
The winner this week was Ryan, who has a spouse that weighs in on the situation, and who ended with a statement that we felt some heaviness in.
My wife accuses me of not being able to throw things away. She may be right.
A few parts that I have taken off of cars:
– Original headlights from my ’91 Miata. I replaced these dull lights with nice Hella ones, but didn’t throw the old ones away
– Factory wiper blades for my ’91 Miata. They have a 1990 date code on them, and certainly don’t work any more. Come to think of it, I can’t imagine the ones I put on there in 2015 work either…
– The original rear-view mirror from my Scion FR-S. I replaced that mirror with a frameless JDM mirror. I haven’t found a use for this mirror, but I still have it. I sold that car about 5 years ago.
– The toolkits and owner’s manual pouches from the two Jeeps that I owned have have gotten rid of years ago
– Free dealer-provided license plate frames for the cars I’ve bought over the years.I could keep going, but I don’t want to.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
I was about 7, I think, when one Christmas my parents made the mistake giving me a Design-A-Car set … along with a plastic Crashmobile (this was a toy car that you wound up, let it go and, when it hit something, it flew apart). Design-A-Car has different parts; noses, rear ends, tops etc. that you used to design your own car. These lasted well … I even had a Design-A-Plane to go with the car set … until I was old enough for the hard stuff … AMT models! I built up those things like you’d never believe! My first attempt to do up a nice model was for a car contest when ZI was in 7th grade. I won third place, somehow the car disappeared after the show. Jealousy, I think but, the top was our local hobby shops contest. I built up 4 ’49 Mercurys as The Story Of A Hot Rod. A stocker in a showrooom … being looked at by a plastic Instant People; the second in a junkyard with another Instant People looking at it then, in a shop with parts scattered around and, an Instant People working on it. (I painted these guys differently as they’d all look like brothers). Finally the fourth was a full custom at a show with a trophy … no Instant People, it was the car’s turn to shine. The whole thing was about 2.5′ and, on an unwieldy board. It won 2d place. By that time, I had been given my first car, a ’53 Kaiser-Frazer 4-door sedan. Never got it going but, the seeds were sprouting … and, they blossomed into a giant enthusiastic hobby. No more models, although I’ve done a few but, I now reserve my talents to the S-Cargo, which needs finishing and, our Merceds-Benz, which is now completed. The whole journey took 69 years and, Id do it again but, this time, would try to save those models … still have the trophies, though. They are on display with the 20+ trophies my cars have earned over the years … a nice one, too!
Back when I started driving (mid-’90s), S30 Z cars were about $200-300 for a non-runner. So, I picked up about 2 or 3 of those over the course of a summer.
My parents didn’t approve of them, so their going-in position was “you deal with it”.
So, I was forced to sink or swim on my own with those old Z cars. Ever since then, the circle of people I trust to work on my cars has been small.
2 things got me into cars: family (like most people) and Gran Turismo (also like most people). My dad was really into Nissans and Hondas and owned a few Z cars along with a 510 and a few Honda motorcycles. My mom’s youngest brother that’s about 10 years older than me bought his first car in 1997, a 1987 Nissan Maxima, that I thought was one of the coolest cars in the world because he put a dope sound system with one of those removeable head units and would talk to let you know you left the door open. He also played a ton of video games and introduced me to Gran Turismo and I spent hours playing my own save file when I would visit. The first car I bought in that game was an S13 180SX. I thought the car looked cool and knew nothing about what actually made it desirable, but I knew I had to have one. Fast forward another 11 years and my parents bought me a 1990 S13 fastback as my first car. I’d still have it today if it wasn’t stolen.
Click enter too soon, but tinkering around with my dad and an uncle to fix minor issues on the S13 when they came up and trying out drifting with friends made me want to learn more since I was on no budget and needed to learn how to keep the car running well enough to still get me to school Monday through Friday.
Sometimes it’s just genetic. Everyone’s born with some aptitude or passion that they gravitate towards.
Eons ago or back in the day, many public schools offered “shop” class. Anyone could learn basic skills in metalwork, woodwork, ceramics and more. For someone with a mechanical appitude or desire to learn new skills this was a great environment to learn the fundamentals.
If your lucky along the way you meet like minded friends, neighbors or relatives who serve as role models or mentors and generously share knowledge and time instructing you. The key is to never stop learning! At least that’s how it was for me.
Ultimately once the spark is ignited you gain new knowledge and profeciency and hopefully pay it forward to a new generation…
I suppose it began in a dirt patch under a tree in our front yard. My friend from across the street and I could spend hours on end with our Matchbox cars running around made up tracks in that dirt. Later, it turned to Hot Wheels on plastic tracks, push button starts with loop de loops and a flag dropping on the winner at the finish.
My natural progression took me to AFX cars and building models. Still remember covering the ping pong table with old blankets and stuffing tee shirts and towels underneath to create mountains and elevation changes for the slot car tracks.
Then there was seeing the movie Grand Prix for the 1st time. I would venture to bet, that movie ignited more passion for cars in young imaginations anyone could ever count. But to this day, I believe it all started in that simple dirt patch, outside, under the tree.
Well, I was the kid that always took his toys apart to see what made them tick, Made my mother crazy, but I always put them back together and surprise!! They still worked.
Did the same with my bicycles, then moved to 1/24 scale slot cars, made hundreds (literally) of model airplanes, then got into real cars and just continued my tinkering, did the same with my cameras when I was into professional graphics (way before digital), then finally made my hobby my career and have worked on cars for over 37 years now. The last 26 on classics in a museum environment.
Hot Wheels, the school library and the first neighbourhood I lived in as a child. Started getting Hot Wheels cars when I was 3 or so. Lot of them were hand me downs from the family or the thrift shop. For my 4th birthday, my birthday cake had green and blue icing to simulate grass and ponds, and a ‘road’ of peanut butter chipits. Upon which were sat 2 motormax cars,a red Chrysler PT Cruiser and a Blue Toyota Land Cruiser. As kid, I already knew from TV adverts brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Honda, Toyota, etc. Winnipeg’s Transcona neighbourhood at the time was an area where quite a few residents had classic cars. The car wash next door, which I could see from the second storey window was where I got to see plenty of older cars. As a lad, I always though cars from the 1950s were the coolest-looking.
Fast forward to when I was 7 years old. I was at my grandma’s flat. She brought out an old sewing box, inside were some old toy cars from the 1970s that belonged to my mum and uncle when they were kids. In among these was a gold Hot Wheels Datsun Z. On the hood was the word “DATSUN” on a blue diagonal stripe. When I entered my second year of school, (Grade 2 in the local vernacular) we in my class were old enough to borrow non-fiction books from the school library. I asked which section had the books about cars. (after I temporarily put my obsession with the Titanic to rest for a few weeks). One of the books I chose was about the Datsun brand. I saw it and recognised the word from the Hot Wheels car. Other books covered the Ford Thunderbird, Rolls Royce and Jaguar.
The movie ‘Cars’ in 2006 also played a role, but was more of a side note.
Jump ahead to when I was 11 and 12. For certain projects, we were given old National Geographic magazines to clip images from for collages. I….took the chance to harvest old car ads. Mainly got ones from the 1970s, and like 3 from the 1960s. (Such as a 1968 T-Bird ad). had averts from the Dodge Colt estate, the 1978 Honda Civic, advertised as the “Car designed around a shopping bag”. The Salvador Dali Datsun 610 advert, the 1971 Chevrolet Vegae Motor Trend ‘Car of the year’ ad with a cut-out section to mail away for a 1971 car of the year window sticker. I was already buying hot Wheels cars with my pocket change for display by this point. collecting for the sake of holding onto instead of playing with. (A habit that is now in year 16…)
Age 17 came another ‘burst’ of automotive obsession induced by some Youtube channels who posted English dub episodes of Initial D and Wangan Midnight. I was in foster care at the time and needed an escape desperately. So I turned my obsession to the cars I saw in the anime series. This was followed closely by my introduction to Top gear. Jeremy Clarkson became an instant hero for me with his humorous and entertaining presentation style.
So there’s the story about how I learned about cars, aside from the obvious, hours spent looking up random specs and stuff for whatever reason.
I learned from my dad. My dad was an aircraft mechanic, but always did all his own car work as well. I was brought up taught that all guys should know how to maintain their equipment and handle basic service. One of the earliest pictures I have is of me in a baby carrier, hanging off my dad, watching as he worked under the hood of our ’73 B210 2-door sedan. When I got my first car, he gifted me a Harbor Freight 3/8″ drive ratchet that I’d need in changing my oil. I still use that ratchet, and usually stick to basic maintenance, but have gone as far as pulling an engine. Now I’ve got a welder, and am tackling even bigger projects!
Witnessing car fixing was something normal for me since my early childhood. I’ve seen once, when i was about 7 YO, that my uncle repleaced a burnt-out pistion in his Audi on a parking lot between comunal blocks. In the early ’90s this was still common in Poland.
But when i got my first own car i din’t wanted to fix it by myself, ’cause i din’t feel that i have required knowlege and expirence. So i went to renowed local garage to make them do the cab belt repleacemnt.But since my car was a huge exotic (Daihatsu Applause A101) the mechanic refused, stating that he may do something wrong and damege the engine. He said he’l do it, when bring him engines workshop manual. So i went on the search for it in the depts of Internet. I’ve found it pretty fast, on Australian Feroza forum. But then some warning light started to flash in my head. I’ve decided to do this job on my own. For two main reasons.
#1 It was the time that i was fascinaded by Wangan MidNight manga, where Akio was forced to rebuit Aku’s Z engine on his own. That impressed me, and i wanted be like that.
#2 (and far more improtant then #1) was the story on Your site, JNC, made by one of Ypour editors – Kevin San and his legendary “Project Hakosuka”. You inspired me for learning about car’s mechanics to fix them with my own hadns, You Kevin, thought me to threat a car like horse, to know it inside-out, to feel it’s speak, to care about it like it’s a living beeing. And that’s how it started – my first job on a car was timing belt repleacement. “Because if He could do it, so do I”. With the manual put on the fender and minimum of tools i did it i a dark, wet garage, with only a flashlight on my forehead. Befeore i haven’t even repleaced a wheel. And started to like it. And begun to learn. From manuals, servicing books, Internet forums, YouTube videos, and lastly from proffesional mechanics, visiting various shops and lurking behind their shoulders. Over the years i’ve earned in my small town a rep of expireneced DIY’er and befrinded thru that way a lot of people.
So, once again – Thank Yoy very much Kevin San, You’ve showed how to spread my wings.
I moved to the U.S. when I was 15 & a half. I was dumbfounded when I looked at my class schedule that said “Driver’s Education” since you couldn’t drive until you were 18 in Japan. Cars weren’t even a thing for me. The condition put on me for my parents getting me a car was that I had to maintain all the family cars. Enter my new found neighbor Don, a Shipfitter from the nearby shipyard & car enthusiast. He patiently taught me of tools & cars, but the overriding lesson he taught me was doing big things with very little. You don’t or can’t buy your way solving problems with the tool of the day. This is a guy who made a living lifting the superstructure of an aircraft carrier. On a remodel project, we lifted the entire corner of a house with scrap wood, wedges & a sledgehammer. Indebted to this very day, thank you Don. My first car? A surplus Montgomery Ward delivery Ford Van. ’70’s, baby!
This was my favourite reponse. Also, some good wisdom about being resourceful and using the tool between your ears. Thanks for posting!
I blame my old man for this, soon as possible he was teaching me how to fix stuff.
It would always be the same, he’d pose a challenge that was just outside my comfort zone, i’d stumble through it and emerge on the other side heaps wiser, more confident and another step along the way to becoming the man I am today.
He’s a sailor and an engineer so most my lessons were centred around ships, diesels and outboards but when my interests went towards cars he got me a vehicle dynamics book and tiny me started studying suspension geometry before i could properly tie my shoelaces (or read the big words in the book for that matter).
then came welding, bodywork and paint, i might still use the double loop technique for tying shoelaces but i can build you one hell of a car if needed.
I apparently am a car-nut since before I can remember, playing with toy cars as a baby! I grew up a muscle-car kid, JDM teen and young adult, and now I am a well-rounded car guy. While I keep JDM real close to my heart, my nostalgic car is a lil’ british car. I was just lured by the appeal of simple ’50s tech in a ’70s car. But the engine is shit and I dream of a rotary.
My father was actually quite handy, but kinda lazy so he never did much more than necessary, so while I was curious, I was not taught as such nor did I get much experience for cars, small engines or house-reno. He is still with us by the way, just too old to offer much more than tips now.
So most of my car-related know-how comes from Youtube. It made me think I could handle a classic car. It has been a very bad influence!
I view this question from two perspectives: 1) How did I learn to become interested in cars, and 2) How did I learn to work on cars?
1) My first memory of car interest was in pre-school, where I always played with this white Hot Wheels truck. During playtime I would set up ramps to run that truck across. The little Hot Wheels had those springy wire “axles,” and I liked how it helped the truck glide across the ramps. In kindergarten I started appreciating cars that had an AM / FM stereo with cassette, as well as power windows, my definition of luxury. My parents’ cars obviously didn’t, as they had a base model Chevette and a base model Reliant. My parents bought me radio controlled cars, the simple ones you’d find from Service Merchandise, not the fancy Tamiya or Kyosho or Team Losi ones. When we finally got a Ford Taurus in 1988 (AM / FM cassette, still no PW), I started becoming more interested in cars because, well, the car constantly had problems. Although I wasn’t one to fix the car, I was gradually understanding the basics of the mechanisms, like why the transmission fluid smelled burnt. My uncle also started buying me Tamiya 1/24 model cars, and I liked the challenge of putting the pieces together (not so much with cleaning paint brushes after painting those pieces). My family and I went to the San Francisco Car Show over at Moscone Center, and my eyes just lit up as I descended down those elevators. I walked out of there with bags and bags full of car brochures like some crazy shopper coming out of Nordstrom. I’d read through every one of those brochures, and send in the “no postage necessary” post card to get individualized brochures. My dad started a Car and Driver subscription for me, and that August 1992 issue was wonderful: new Ford Probe GT, three sports sedans comparison (Maxima SE, Taurus SHO, Camry SE), cross country in a Ferrari 512TR, Olds Trofeo. Car and Driver, Road & Track, and maybe Motor Trend helped me gain so much knowledge on cars and car specs. I am not so good with today’s car specs, but I can fire off most of the power outputs on most 1990s vehicles. High school came around and, besides the typical F40 / Countach / 959 images, I started putting up posters of more-realistically “attainable” cars, like an FD, or a Q45, or that Probe GT. By now I knew I wanted to be doing something mechanical or automotive, and nothing was going to stop me. I experienced horsepower from my school friends who had powerful cars (Camaro Z28, or supercharged Integra GSR, or megaboosted Talon TSi). In college I was on the Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Team instead of Formula SAE or Future Car (the hybrid vehicle team) because I hadn’t taken the machining class yet. That’s fine, because I was also deeply into bicycles, and was just immersed in that vibe at UCDavis. Still, I always kept a copy of Car and Driver in my backpack for study breaks. Initial D came along, and a family friend made me promise I wouldn’t tell my mom where I got them from, but was given the entire First Stage VCDs, to which I was just glued to the monitor. I started learning how to fishtail with the Grand Voyager out on the gravel country roads outside Davis city limits. Of course we played Gran Turismo 1 and 2 constantly.
2) I learned to do oil changes on the Ford Taurus with my dad. I learned about evil transmission shops like AAMCO through the Ford Taurus and Plymouth Grand Voyager. I gained Japanese car appreciation through our salvage titled ’91 Maxima SE. In high school I got the Ford Taurus and learned to make extract as much of the 88horses from the 3-speed automatic as I could, Ownership was short lived as the car was rear-ended in my senior year. I got the Grand Voyager in most of college and, armed with Allpar.com, learned to install a radio, speakers, and replace the struts (without spring compressor too!). I learned to swap out instrument clusters (FINALLY had a tachometer!), and practiced my cornering apexes with that van.
I work on the cars my family and I own, but I truly learned a LOT a car mechanics with my NA Miata. A friend of mine got me Keith Tanner’s “Miata Projects” book, and I’ve checked off most of the projects. I’ve changed the timing belt at least three times now, dropped the engine to reseal the oil pan, changed the clutch, changed the suspension twice, replaced the brakes, radiator, radio (three times now), speakers, soft top, added roll bar, added a Nardi wheel, opened up the instrument cluster, replaced the bumper, added sound deadening, took it to the track many times. I’ve converted automatic to manual on my old Accord wagon, and replaced the head gasket on the Prelude, and upgraded the intake manifold on the M3, but I would say I’ve gained confidence from the Miata. I even recommend it to aspiring DIYers.
I’m far from an expert, or even competent for that matter, but all of my wrenching experience has come from owning cars (and bikes) that are too old or obscure for any shop to want to work on.
Trial and error. Oh sure, I read all there was to read before I could even drive. Hot Rod, Car Craft, the then “frowned on” (hot rods were the thing) sports car journals, e.g., Rodent Track, Car & Drivel. But then, a girl I was dating had an uncle that owned a’64 Impala that needed a head gasket and a valve job something fierce. “I can do that!” I volunteered. Most likely to impress him… and her.
TL;DR – six months later, car still wasn’t done. My dad’s friend came to the rescue and in a couple of days of him hangin’ over my shoulder while I re-installed the small block heads, 2v Rochester carb, etc., it was back together and running. Great first lesson.
Second lesson came in the form of a pair of journeyman mechanics at the Datsun dealer I worked at. I was the parts guy but they took me under wing and coached me through things. “Don’t rush, work steadily, keep an extra stock of 10mm sockets, ask questions, don’t cheap out on parts.” were the main takeaways.
Oh, and then Auto Shop 101.
40-some years hence after a long career in Tech, got bored in semi-retirement, so now back managing a shop and still learning. My mentors are long gone but the young kids I manage teach me lots of stuff because I ask. That never stops. In return, the 20-something techs love my old school stories of what it was like back when the chief tools of the trade were the brains and hands of those journeyman guys not OBD/diag scanners, TPMS, and electric drivetrains.
And I still don’t touch carburetors. Got a beautiful set of Solex-Mikunis on my SRL that could really use some help. Nuh uhh, no thanks, they got experts for that.