AIBU to think basic DIY and car skills are being lost?

[Thechaseison71]

Are skills being lost through the generations?

Following on from the battery thread, when I was younger usually a friend of family member would show a youngster how to go basic car maintenance and then they then know. Yet it seems the ability is being lost the amount of people insisting it's a paid for job . Not just batteries but bulbs )( I know some are a pig to fit) wiper blades etc

And stuff in the house Mum taught me how to plumb in washing machine, hang wallpaper etc. Dad taught me wiring plugs and fitting ceiling lights. These are all examples. I then taught my kids to do all this stuff

Yet it seems many people have never been taught or bothered to learn, therefore they can't pass skills down

Eventually will it get to the stage that unless you train in a trade no one will be able to do basic stuff? Surely people would want their kids to learn stuff rather than having to pay others constantly

The diagnostics are different now that cars are computerized. Auto technology has moved on and you need more specialized and expensive equipment than on old vintage cars.

Not on all cars How would that affect a wiper blade anyway.

And house diy?

I was a 70s child and as handy as my parents were, every high street was choc full of repair shops.

TV repairs
Lawnmower repairs
Electrical repairs
Tailors for clothes repairs

Not everyone did their own DIY but broadly speaking I agree there seems to be fewer skills passed down.

Probably due to the throwaway world we live in.

unfortunately many of these items are now designed to be unrepairable with standard tools, many car things require resetting of diagnostics, the headlight bulbs are impossible to reach without removing X , y and Z, Cars used to come with manuals for repair not just info on where the windscreen fluid goes. At one time changing oil was a messy but uncomplicated job , now you would need to buy a special tool to drain oil they are not things for standard botls and adjustable spanners I know because DH does do his own servicing and the tool to open oil tank to drain in a toyota is like an uneven hexagon you have to buy the tool it doesn't fit other cars so different make different tool

They say it's safety but it's not, in my fathers generation many men would do things like oil changes, tyres, replacing brake discs and pads, spark plugs, even exhausts themselves

Most plugs are fused so at best you can change a fuse but they can't be rewired as you can't get into them. They are made complex with non standard screws etc for a reason and that is so you will buy a new one as too expensive complicated to repair

Some tasks like hanging wallpaper and painting and decorating can easily be learnt from you tube

I think there's an impact from young people having to rent, instead of being able to buy a place as in my generation. All the DIY store are closing or shrinking in number so there less opportunity to make your mark.

They surely should be learning this stuff before they are old enough to move out though?

I change my own wiper blades.

That wasn't taught in school.

There's tons of YouTube tutorials for home stuff. The person has to want to do it instead of outsource it though. Some things require specialized and pricey tools.

Of course it wouldn't be taught in school. It's general life skills

Like I learned to wallpaper when I wanted to decorate my room age 14. So was taught then. When we bought a new ( well secondhand) washing machine my dad explained to to plumb it in, and it was me who could get easier into the space while he gave directions. Taught plug wiring at about 8 or 9. Obviously dad checked it was correctly done before putting into the socket.

I want my kids to be capable of doing stuff. Thought that was the same as most parents

I can change a wiper blade. And do the tyres. Not needed to do anything else. I was a bit gobsmacked when my friend who has originally worked as a mechanical engineer, got me to put air in his tyres and had no idea what pressure to stop at!

All electrical things come with a plug now?

I can’t service my car because I’d need a computer thing

My dad was a mechanic. As soon as I started to take driving lessons he would spend the day teaching me car maintenance. I can still do basic car maintenance. But modern cars I struggle with 😏

I honestly think schools should teach kids “life skills” like this. Other examples are how mortgages work.

My beloved old car - changing a headlight bulb took me less than 5 minutes, including the time to get the new one out the packet.

My current car - I tried changing the headlight bulb once and it required special tools which I didn't have, cost quite a bit of skin, and took me several hours. It now goes to the friendly local garage which has the requisite kit.

It’s a purposeful decision that they don’t teach children how Debt works because they might not want to get into so much debt if they knew
And then capitalism wouldn’t continue at its current rate of growth

I actually think youtube makes so many things much more accessible now than in the past.

Though plugs are all pre-wired these days.

I passed my test in 1990 at 17. I am useless - I have never learned how to change a tyre. I wouldn’t even know how to put air in them as I’ve never done it. I had a puncture recently and it was a surprise to me that cars no longer even have spares. But who maintains or fixes their cars nowadays? I called AA for my puncture, all sorted.

My husband however, can turn his hand to anything and he’s taught our kids so many practical skills. He’s outside now repairing our lawn scarifyer. And cooking - thanks to him, they’re experts. I’m someone that has to google how long it takes to boil an egg (I did this yesterday). As I said, (happily) useless.

Many things back then could be repaired
Now a lot of things are sealed units so you can't get into them even if you could I would imagine sourcing parts would be nigh impossible.

I think alot as been lost.

A lot of moms and dads now don't have those skills. They're both working and usually have commutes.

Also, some of the home electric work done in older homes by those diyers, ummm, it's like something out of a horror film. A lot of home diy is substandard because they're not professionals.

Lol what's working got to do with it? My parents both worked full time as did I.
Yes done stuff is sealed etc but not everything You do know you can cut the lead on a sealed plug, strip outer coating and wire it onto another one?

Thats an interesting point but I have paid far far less money on my mortgage over 20 years than my bestmate has in rent in a similar area and house. She will pay til she dies and I will pay my off by 54.
I am much better with money than her and my lifestyle has not funded landlords to get rich.

I never knew.

my parents didn’t teach me.

i’m 49

I do all my DIY - have taught myself and learn through experience - purely out of necessity .
No one else to do it and can’t afford to pay anyone .

A lot of people now either can’t be bothered or choose to pay … nothing wrong with that either. Some people do more harm than good if they are poor at DIY!!

I’ve done wallpapering but I taught myself from the internet, my parents have never done it. Sometimes it comes down to mindset and need, I was a single mum and needed to save money.

Completely agree OP. My dad taught me so many life skills, and as a teenager we all tinkered with cars. My ex is now teaching our son the basics of car maintenance (older car so it’s still possible to do a lot with it). DS phones me when his boiler breaks in his uni flat or the heating goes off and I talk him through what to look for. I’ve already shown him how to build up flat pack furniture so he can do that himself.
I bought a new electric toothbrush recently and it had a continental plug on the charging station so I cut it off, stripped the wires and added a 3 pin plug from the local pound shop so I could charge it up. Most people don’t have the first idea how to do this.