Originally Posted by
donh54
Even a lot of qualified mechanics nowadays are nothing more than parts fitters. [bigwhistle]
When I was teaching at TAFE, I used to have lunch quite often with the Mechanical teachers. The older ones were despairing about where their trade had gone in such a short time. One said he spent the first 12 months of his apprenticeship doing nothing but cooling systems - re-coring radiators, putting new bushes and seals in water pumps, doing welch plugs, etc. Nowadays, they do a couple of 40 minute modules on cooling systems, and most of their tests are open book. [bigsad]
It was like when the wifes' Hyundai carked it in Brissy one day. (I was in Melbourne) I told her to ring the RACQ, get towed to a workshop, and tell them it needed a fuel filter. The mechanic at the workshop plugged in hyis OBD reader, and decided that the Fuel pressure regulating switch was reading out of range. $200 worth of switch, and the car crapped itself 10 kms up the road. This time she stood on her digs, and told them to put in a filter. Car hasn't had a problem since.
The bloke knew how to use the reader, but didn't understand that the reason that sensor was reading the way it was, was because the filter upstream of it wasn't letting enough fuel through. Just slavishly following what the reader said, with no actual trouble-shooting skills whatsoever.
I think it's becoming MORE necessary to do your own mechanical stuff, especially if you run something a little bit out of the ordinary (like most of us do) [biggrin]