Obsolete Skills

[jeffnc]

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For instance, when I was growing up, my dad used to change his own oil, repair his own truck (most any type of repair), he built a tractor barn and a storage shed, lay bricks, landscaped his yard, repaired his own plumbing, tiled his shower, built his own deck, added stonework to his house, installed electrical wiring, repaired his own lawnmower, built a hydraulic/gas engine combo wood-splitter, etc. etc.

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I do almost all that stuff myself. I enjoy learning, if I don't already know how to do it. Plus, I almost always do a better job than the "professionals". Not only do they not know as much as they should, but I just care more than they do.

Having said that, after I've experienced some things, I make a call based on practicality. If it costs $40 to change my oil, I just have it done. It's very inconvenient for me to dispose of the old oil. Plus the damn Japanese cars are so sophisticated, that it's very tight under there. There's not a lot of space like there was on cars from the 60s. I burn my arm half the time I try it because it's so tight in there, and have to really twist to get the cap on. The lube garage has a big advantage with the lift, or bay, where they can walk under the car.