So, I grew up in 1960s/70s Southern California. On a Saturday morning, you could walk up and down the block and see dads and their sons (sexist, I know), working on their cars. I tried the same with my kids (boy AND GIRL) and despite my effort got little buy-in in the early 2000s....was it just me or the era of kids? Anyway, I guess an old geezer sort of thread (I'm 57), but now that my kids are in their mid - to - late 20s I am seeing them coming back to dad and wanting to know how to change oil, filters, wipers, etal. Any feedback....
I try to drum up interest wherever I can, but yeah, it seems less interesting these days than the allure of virtual worlds. -Chap
I'm 31, and my dad often tried to get me to work on the cars with him. I would usually do it (and learned some things) but in general I don't enjoy it. The funny thing is my 2 year old absolutely loves working on anything and he has the biggest time when I go out to pump up tires or check oil or anything like that, which makes me enjoy it more. Kind of the reverse experience. I am wondering if he will turn even me into a working on the car kind of guy!
So, might it be that 40/50 years ago, a car was one of the biggest status symbols of the household. That you even had a car. And, now, they are, hmm, a consumer commodity? Don't know, but glad that MY dad showed me the basics (even though he was not all that secure on the basics himself).
I'm in my early 60s and our son spent 8 years in the USAF as a crew chief on F-15s. I can do simple little things (cosmetic, cabin filter, etc.) but he is so far advanced from where I'm at I just let him take care of things while I play with our grandson. Or, I take the car to the dealer.
My oldest son and me do oil changes together, a few other services too. Usually hang out in the garage for a beer too. Other times he's busy, leaves it all to me, maybe borrows the Prius. When I was a kid seems like I was always enlisted to wash the car.
My dad tried to get the children interested in car repair. We were not. At all. Now that I am away from home and have my own car to maintain, I wish I would have worked with him on it. Yes, for the car repair know-how, but also for the comradeship. Too late now. Now he gets phone calls from me asking him how tight is tight enough for the oil filter! My parents avoided having us wash the cars, seems like they emerged at least as dirty as they were before we started. kris
i had no interest when my dad was working on the car. he was an aircraft mech in wwII, so he could do anything. he even built a pit in our garage so he could stand up and work under the car. i must have picked it up by osmosis, because i was pretty good in my teens, building gas powered bicycles, then working on cars and motorcycles. but i gave it all up when i made enough to pay someone else to do it. by the time we had kids, cars had changed so much, i didn't have a clue except for changing the oil and filters, and rotating tyres.
My father was a dodge guy so we had plenty of opportunities to bond around the garage. Fondly remember replacing the engine in an Aries K car down at his neighbors. I moved away and now when he comes out, I usually save up some vehicle maintenance to pass the time ( he's not the sight seeing type). I am usually under the car, but still enjoy the time wrenching or working on home projects. When I go back to visit, he still has an old J10 and D200 plow rigs that we always find something to fix. My 5 year old son will find a way out to see what we are up to. Nothing beats 3 generations hanging out in the garage.
my father, my son, one of my daughters and myself, all enjoy wrenching the top off our beer bottles. now that's togetherness.
