Within this group is a smaller subset. It's the gear heads. These guys repair and tinker with their cars.While the rest of the group is content to just like cars or to enjoy driving cars (and for the sake of this discussion, this includes trucks and motorcycles), the gear heads like to get their hands dirty in the literallest of senses. It's something about the mystique of the internal combustion engine or how all those parts work together in harmony that attracts guys to do their own work on their own cars, perhaps even venturing out to work on cars for others, personally or professionally. Right now, I'm thinking about the classic shade-tree mechanic, not the ASE-certified fellow. Actually, I'm thinking, more precisely, about myself.
My father was a do-it-yourselfer. He did his own repairs. I remember assisting on brake jobs and oil changes more than I can tabulate. His motivation ended up being my own motivation eventually: he could repair his own cars, so he did it to save lots of money. When you consider the cost of parts and don't have to add in the cost of labor, repairs are much less, and if you own a car for any period of time after the pay-off date, you will have repairs. Another motivation is that you develop a relationship with your car. You learn things you didn't necessarily need to know about it through fixing it and every repair better equips you for future repairs. It's experience that you're gaining in addition to just the repair itself.
Project cars are the best for young mechanics. I started with a project car. Actually, it was a 1964 Dodge pickup of dubious heritage. My dad bought it from a friend of his. Where his friend got it, I do not know for sure, but I believe it's origin is shrouded in mystery and perhaps a little dishonesty. It was well-used. It had been an Air Force vehicle in its original life, discarded after too many miles of hard use had befallen it. The first thing I did with this truck is I had it painted. Midnight blue, to be exact. Eventually, I put new wheels and tires on it, put a new transmission on it, and other minor cosmetic things here and there.
I learned to work on a carburetor with this truck, for the one on it had was plagued with chronic problems. I worked on its brakes, brakes being probably one of the easiest things to learn and the repair I've done the most over the years. I worked on the brake systems, i.e., wheel cylinders and the master cylinder. I repaired a heater that didn't work by blowing a wad of rusty gunk out of the heater core. I replaced the transmission with a very heavy 4-speed. Pour a little blood, sweat and tears into any vehicle and it becomes a friend.
Every car I've owned since the late '70s, I've worked on. Some jobs have been big, but most small. In addition to lots of brake jobs, there's replacing alternators and starters, water pumps, radiators, front end work (ball joints, tie rods, control arms, etc.), U-joints, CV-joints, clutches and the occasional O2 sensor. As I advanced in my skills and confidence, I tackled bigger jobs. I put a long block in a Nissan I owned. I put a new head and head gasket on a Honda.
With these repairs, I learned some things to avoid future repairs. Keep your oil clean and keep it filled. Don't let your engine overheat. Don't disregard leaks for too long. Remember to surface or replace the rotors on a brake job and the brakes will last longer. Don't believe what the manufacturer tells you about service intervals. Learn to drive a clutch properly and you may never have to replace it.
There are few vehicles I've owned that I've actually loved. Your first love sticks with you, so I still have fond memories of the Dodge. Also, I recently owned a MINI Cooper, and that little car enchanted me. I replaced a head and head gasket on it only to have a connecting rod start knocking. Found a used engine with 55K miles and put it in. That would have to be my most daunting automotive challenge so far. Then one day when I'm driving to work, a fellow rear-ends me hard enough that I see Jesus in the clouds. No more MINI.
What I've also learned is that cars are fickle mistresses. You can love it with all your heart, treat it like a lady, and it will still let you down when you least expect it. You can do all of the right things and baby it in such a way as to never give it a reason to fail, and it will do just that: fail. Cars are almost completely mechanical beasts. Mechanical things--things moving about at 3000+ RPMs--are prone to wear out, break, melt, stop up, unstop, leak, overheat, and even explode, often when you least expect it and at the most inconvenient of locations. I've had cars break down in parking lots, in my driveway and in the middle of a busy freeway. Gear heads take into account this fickleness and aren't undone by the surprises of such mechanical frailty. Earlier this year, when my MINI developed a terminal knocking rod condition, I was disappointed, but not really surprised. Cars will let you down and cars you love will break you heart. You have to develop an attitude that says, "Well, I guess it's time to get my hands dirty again", and on some days, "Well, I guess it's time to get a new car."
I'm often filled with gratitude when I hear auto repair tales from friends and associates. I'm thankful for my abilities and my knowledge that allows me to work on my own cars. Many of these folks find themselves at the mercy of mechanics. Most of the mechanics are honest and are just trying to make a living. Mechanical work is dirty and difficult and requires experience and knowledge in the field to perform effective repairs, so labor costs seem outrageous but are usually pretty fair. Also, cars are complicated things, so much mechanic work is guessing. This aspect makes it a lot like the work of doctors who look at symptoms, consider which of the systems is causing the problem and treat the problem using their own education and experience. This means there's often some guessing involved, and guessing never yields results that are 100% correct. Even the best mechanic guesses wrong from time to time, but experience tempers this and makes it rarer and rarer.
What I've found is that, at some level, I enjoy working on cars. What I don't enjoy is being forced to work on my cars. I suppose it's too much to expect them to fail when I'm willing or able to work on them, so I try to have a good attitude and remain grateful that I have the ability that gives me a choice to do it myself.
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