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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think they NEED to teach car maintenance at school?

392 replies

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 28/01/2023 15:50

Today my car tyre popped on a piece of metal left in the middle of the road, and I had no idea what to do.
I've been driving since I was 17 and I'm in my 30s and never had an accident touch wood or anything wrong with my tyres.
I instantly panicked as it happened in the middle of a giant hill and knew I couldn't do it there, thankfully a really kind man ran out and helped it be pushed to the side & changed my tyre for me.

I had no idea how to do it, or what a space saver tyre really was! Luckily I got it home driving very slowly & onto my drive and have my breakdown cover coming out next week to change the tyre.
But I just had no idea about any of it. Im aware I sound like a helpless woman, but im usually quite independent but this knocked me for six!

AIBU to think they need to teach car maintenance in school rather than pushing maths (which lets face it isn't anywhere as important) onto students till they turn 18?

OP posts:
adriftinadenofvipers · 27/10/2023 14:07

That's what the AA and RAC etc are for!!

Plus there are mobile tyre fitters.

Many years ago, my local car dealership ran a car maintenance course (for women!!!!!) that I went to. Still wouldn't change a tyre!

stargirl1701 · 27/10/2023 14:10

Nope. Join the Scouts and do the car maintenance badge.

https://www.scouts.org.uk/scouts/activity-badges/mechanic/

DuesToTheDirt · 27/10/2023 14:13

CecilyP · 27/10/2023 14:06

Fair enough, I didn't know how much Halfords would charge as they didn't a achieve it. They didn't charge me anything to 2 of them having tried and failed. Kwik Fit charged a tenner for what turned out to be a quite complex job and that included the bulb!

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Had to change a headlamp bulb recently - DH and I both failed to do it, it was just quite inaccessible. I went to my local garage where they did it for free (though it's not the first time they've done things for free for me, so I felt a bit bad and gave them some money lol). That garage has now been taken over by Halfords, sadly, so probably they don't do small jobs for free any more.

Survey99 · 27/10/2023 17:19

DuesToTheDirt · 27/10/2023 14:13

Had to change a headlamp bulb recently - DH and I both failed to do it, it was just quite inaccessible. I went to my local garage where they did it for free (though it's not the first time they've done things for free for me, so I felt a bit bad and gave them some money lol). That garage has now been taken over by Halfords, sadly, so probably they don't do small jobs for free any more.

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It took Halford 3 goes to change ds's headlamp last year to get it right. This was allegedly trained people who do it regularly!

Kids learning at school might be fun but it will also be a waste of time as all cars are different. ds's car needed the headlight unit removed to fit properly (first two attempts they tried to do it the lazy way without removing the unit and why there were problems).

CesareBorgia · 27/10/2023 17:53

SoupDragon · 27/10/2023 13:14

a spare wheel is often an optional extra so the gap will be there but, in my case, home to the emergency inflation kit!

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We bought the 'get you home' wheel when we discovered the emergency inflation kit was completely useless in the event of a large puncture.

TheBabylonian · 27/10/2023 17:56

YABVU

What do you think it was like before people had mobile phones? The world and society itself survived without everyone knowing how to change a tyre.

TeenLifeMum · 27/10/2023 17:58

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 28/01/2023 15:58

Right fair enough, but who even teaches how to change a tyre?

Google is great but it's not a actual teacher in front of you teaching you. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a parent or loved one to teach us this skill.

My parents taught me the day I bought my first car. Schools cannot teach everything and parents have responsibility plus personal responsibility when you’re a driver.

Sigmama · 27/10/2023 17:58

How about bicycle maintenance, you have a very car-centric view of the world

Polis · 27/10/2023 17:59

Had to change a headlamp bulb recently - DH and I both failed to do it, it was just quite inaccessible.

My husband changed the side lamp bulbs on my car recently. He had to take the front of the car off to do it.

Moonshine5 · 27/10/2023 18:10

Most new cars need a computer to update them. Mechanics roles have changed considerably over the past decade.

Natsku · 27/10/2023 18:23

NeverDropYourMooncup · 29/01/2023 22:29

This is how people know about it (or did at least prior to the Internet)

haynes.com/en-gb/car-manuals/car-makes

You are very mistaken if you think everybody has somebody to teach them.

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Still how people do it. I'm at school learning aircraft maintenance and the teachers don't actually stand in front of us teaching us how to do things, they just tell us to find the manual and get on with it. Changed the tyre on a learjet just from reading the (very annoying and confusing) manual.

LlynTegid · 27/10/2023 18:31

I disagree that it should be something at school.

Have a test additional to the theory test that has to be taken before you can take the main (practical) driving test.

BlackForestCake · 27/10/2023 18:41

Kids should be learning that it's selfish and irresponsible to drive a car, not be taught to be dependent on one.

Ariela · 27/10/2023 18:53

There's enough videos on You Tube...

When I had a puncture at the side of the M4, I got my spare out, loosened the wheel nuts, jacked up the wheel, and was just about to take off the nuts when a 'kind' gentleman stopped and said' let me help you' in a very mansplaining way 'Oh you should have loosened the wheel nuts..' and promptly let the jack straight down before I could say I already did that. So he started to jack the car back up. The police then arrived (I swear they could see on CCTV how agitated and annoyed I was with this chap taking over) I said I was fine till this chap took over, but as he wants to get his hands dirty I'm letting him. So we stood and watched...

adriftinadenofvipers · 27/10/2023 21:34

BlackForestCake · 27/10/2023 18:41

Kids should be learning that it's selfish and irresponsible to drive a car, not be taught to be dependent on one.

I take it you live somewhere with decent public transport then!!!

Hilarious.

IgnoranceNotOk · 27/10/2023 22:26

YABU - have you had a look at any school curriculum overviews to see how much the government makes them teach?
There is no space.

BlackForestCake · 28/10/2023 22:51

I take it you live somewhere with decent public transport then!!!

I take it you imagine what has happened to Acapulco, Brechin and Chesterfield will never happen to your town.

Sigmama · 28/10/2023 22:55

Not everyone owns a car or drives, and that number is going down, maybe we should all learn life saving techniques, given we all have bodies

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/10/2023 23:20

BlackForestCake · 28/10/2023 22:51

I take it you live somewhere with decent public transport then!!!

I take it you imagine what has happened to Acapulco, Brechin and Chesterfield will never happen to your town.

What’s that got to do with living in an area with poor public transport? 🙄

maddening · 28/10/2023 23:27

My dad did teach me 28 years ago and I do have the car jack and wheel nut tool but that was pre alloy wheels and I am not sure if my tool would work, I probably will check that out. I do know how to jump start a car and have done and carry jump leads and have changed bulbs and wipers etc as well as checking and adding oil and coolant etc but beyond that it is to the garage with me.

WiddlinDiddlin · 29/10/2023 04:47

I do think schools should teach this sort of thing, yes.

Not because every kid will need to know how to change a tyre though, more as a practical way showing the application of a variety of things that are already on the curriculum.

Theres science and maths, map reading or location finding, PSE type stuff (ive no idea what the current version of PSE teaches)... who to contact, how, when...

Basic DIY, painting, wallpaper, wiring a plug or changing a lightbulb, learning what you CAN do yourself and what you absolutely fucking shouldn't attempt...

All beneficial stuff that with some thought and sense could be far more valuable than molecular equations and the French for 'where is the supermarket' or 'the monkey is on the table'.

So yes.. but it ain't about the tyre and anyone who thinks it is seriously lacks imagination, nor understands how demoralising it is to spend time learning a bunch of pointless stuff, or stuff that seems pointless as you can't see where it will ever be useful.

WiddlinDiddlin · 29/10/2023 04:48

Oh and yes its easy to say parents should teach this shit but we're now well into a generation of kids whose parents ALSO didn't learn anything like this at school and thus haven't the ability to teach their children.

CocoKenny · 29/10/2023 07:54

madnessitellyou · 28/01/2023 15:53

No.

Secondary school aged children cannot drive. Some will never drive. At some point, people have to take responsibility for their own lives and knowledge and not rely on school to fill every single gap.

This is spot on. The curriculum is overcrowded as it is.

SoupDragon · 29/10/2023 08:59

WiddlinDiddlin · 29/10/2023 04:48

Oh and yes its easy to say parents should teach this shit but we're now well into a generation of kids whose parents ALSO didn't learn anything like this at school and thus haven't the ability to teach their children.

Basic car maintenance/DIY was never taught in school, always by the parents who were taught by their parents. The fault lies with parents, not schools.

I learnt these things from watching my dad and being taught by him. I've taught my children some basic skills as and when it's come up.

CecilyP · 29/10/2023 09:28

Basic car maintenance/DIY was never taught in school, always by the parents who were taught by their parents. The fault lies with parents, not schools.

It doesn’t! My parents didn’t drive, never owned a car, just like many of their generation. I do some of the basic things to my car but wouldn’t change a wheel as I doubt my physical strength. You can just read the manual for most general stuff. You can also learn some things that immediately become redundant - my first car, over 30 years ago, needed frequent spark plug changes - no subsequent car has ever needed that. I also had one car that needed the battery charged and own a charger- which has sat unused in the cupboard for 20 years.

My parents didn’t DIY either. No need. Surely, anyone can teach themselves basic painting and wallpapering.