Why is it that some people think because they own a pair of pliers and a screwdriver they can work on cars???

Question

Most all the "help me" questions here clearly show they are lost under the hood? should we mechanics be happy for the increase of work they cause?

Answer 1

In order to repair vehicles in today's world, you need to be an electrician, plumber, welder, and very computer literate. People don't realize that vehicles are not the simple air, fuel, spark machines that they used to be. Vehicles now are computers on wheels, with very complicated and sometimes delicate systems that control everything. Simply turning on the radio may involve at least three different automotive communication networks, and lets not get into powertrain control! I give breaks where I see fit when repairing a vehicle, especially working in a dealership. I personally could not afford our labor rate where I am employed. If I find that my customer is having problems, and cannot afford the repair, and really has a genuine need for help. I am glad to tell my service advisor to just stub me .3 tenths of an hour on that job that took me and hour to complete, because you are just down on your luck, or genuinely need some help. I will get my satisfaction in knowing that I just repaired your vehicle, and you are happy and I am too. BUT, if you come in on a tow truck, with a bucket of parts, and half the dash in the floor, because you thought you could fix your no start problem on your own, and want me to clean up your mess. I will charge you top dollar, and not feel bad about it at all. With every bolt you took loose, you knew you were getting in over your head, and didn't stop till you hit the firewall! Why? I could have repaired your problem in 15 minutes. This is not your father's Oldsmobile. What were you thinking? Bet you won't try that again without a trained technician.

Answer 2

because they like to make it interesting for you when you buy a used car after one of them has owned it.

For example, my 1993 Mustang, had a (shorted out) wire going from the wiper motor to the radiator fan. Instead of changing the necesary sensor, they ran a wire to somewhere else. Worst of all, they took the time to take off the wire shield and tape it to the wire bundle with black electrical tape, and did such an excellent job wiring it that I didn't notice there was anything weird about the wiring.

Whoever did that, had no business under an opened hood, unless it was being slammed on their head.

Answer 3

Too many people are under the impression that mechanics or technicians have an easy job and that " anybody can do this".
Ironic that you go to college for 4 years and get a degreee but A.S.E. certifications are only good for 5 years and you hav eto re-test to kep your certifications. Not only that, but the tests keep up with today's technology, so if you don't continue to go to school and learn, you won't pass the recert tests.
Our profession is a highly technical one and requires not only intelligence, but patience and physical skills as well.

Answer 4

I just read thru some of the answers here and am still laughing...some good ones guys. But honestly I guess with the price of repairs today who can blame a person for trying to save a buck or two. I like to help here if I can but there are a lot of questions I won,t touch but I pick one here and there and hope I can help someone out .

Answer 5

what it is ,,most people want to be able to say i did it myself,,not realizing that they may be actually making the problem worse,,i do this for a living,,so imagine how i feel when i get one of these cars in my shop to work on,,do-it your self is alright,,as long as you know what your doing,,but i agree when some people work on them,,they make it harder for us mechanics to repair,,and then get mad because it cost more,,i have owned my shop for 35 yrs,,and have seen some stuff that would scare you in to not driving a car again,,yeah that bad,,but overall it dangerous when some people work on their own cars,,especially serious things like brakes,,it,s kind of scary,,you never know,,any way,, i had to answer this one,,and another thing,,some of the answer,s i have seen on here really don't help ,,they just confuse these people more.

Answer 6

To answer your first question it is the same reason most drunks think they can sing. I am not usually happy when we get a car that a do it yourselfer has been working on because a) they know what the problem is and what it should cost to fix. b) normally you have to fix their "repair before diagnosing problem. c) when trying to explain the problem with their car they usually disagree.

Answer 7

People always think that they know more than they actually do. I can also say the same thing about some mechanics that I have met in the past.

Answer 8

People who think they know how to fix their own car, they just don't know how HIGH TECH !!!!!! that they are now. No more just engine blocks,carbs,distributers!
They work on todays technology and they are lost....mess things up and it is harder for us Technicians to fix. (usually because the customer doesn't give ALL INFORMATION of what he/she has done to the vehicle) JUST TO BE CLEAR....this doesn't happen all the time...some customers are actually truthful of what the did.
It makes me frustrated when people work on their cars who don't know a thing about it!

Answer 9

I agree, most people are lost when it comes to cars. What is really scary is when these same people start answering car questions on here!

Answer 10

Geee
I only have a pair of visegrips

Hmmm
Maybe cause I drive a Chevy
Once my steering wheel fell off so I used the visegrips to steer me home...