The Kids Just Don't Understand

[Twitch57]

Not all kids are lazy bastards- I'm still in high school and I just replaced three U- joints
a week or so ago- Darn near all the work on the truck gets done at home.

But I understand what you mean- I hate the spoiled brats at school driving the brand new car mommy and daddy bought them. They didn't pay sh*t for it, and they don't know sh*t about it. Its ridiculous that people let kids drive 20k+ cars when they don't know how to even check the oil.

 

[JohnnyO]

I have told this story here before.
A few years ago, snowy day, I'm driving up the road from my office and traffic is stopped. I get out to see if I can help since I have the Ranger and a tow strap. Lady in an S-dime Blazer slid off the road and halfway into the ditch. Left rear wheel is barely touching the ground and she's gunning it in reverse.
I tap on the window. "Put it in four wheel drive."
She says "How do you do that?"
I explain, and she backs right out looking like a miracle has occurred. Cue sunbeams, Jesus, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

I think the main thing is that cars and tires have gotten much more trouble-free over the last 30 years, so most people aren't used to having to fix little things that go wrong. Now they turn their own dang lights off. When I had my old Astro for work, at least twice a year one of the younger folks would kill the battery on a rainy day. They'd put the lights on but there was no dinger to remind you that you left them on. So they just didn't think about it.

Back in the day, when everyone was driving around on non-radial bias-belted tires, NO ONE went more than 6 months without a flat. Hell, now I go years without a flat tire. Also it was handy to know how to fix an automatic choke when they decided to be not so automatic, so you could get home. And dry out a distributor cap if it got wet and your car wouldn't run.

My son is not quite the gearhead I am but he's okay. My daughter is almost 15 and when she starts driving I'm going to MAKE her change a tire so she sees how to do it. She ain't gonna be happy about it either.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Not all kids are lazy bastards- I'm still in high school and I just replaced three U- joints
a week or so ago- Darn near all the work on the truck gets done at home.

But I understand what you mean- I hate the spoiled brats at school driving the brand new car mommy and daddy bought them. They didn't pay sh*t for it, and they don't know sh*t about it. Its ridiculous that people let kids drive 20k+ cars when they don't know how to even check the oil.

I hear ya! The high school I went to, I thought I was all cool the first day I drove to school. I had my brand new Ranger that I had bought and was making payments on BY MYSELF. I felt sick when I got into the school parking lot.... despite being new, my truck was pretty much the only thing in that lot worth less than 20K. Probably the only thing worth less than 30K. The huge lot was packed with BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, jacked up restored 4x4s, etc. And I never once saw any of them care about their vehicle or any others. I watched them slam into someone's car getting in a parking spot, back up, throw it in park, and leave. Nobody cared except me and maybe one other kid....

There was a kid who had a jacked up chevy 4x4 with one of those pickup dump bed inserts who was doin some lawn mowing. One day someone slammed into the back of his truck and didn't even back up, just left it parked there. When he saw that, he dumped the full load of grass clippings off on their hood and drove off.

 

[dirtsquirt]

im sure we have all see this but lets see it again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA8jEyaDY2w

stupidity is funny after the fact.

Oh my god lololololololololololo

 

[Danger06Ranger]

Not all kids are lazy bastards- I'm still in high school and I just replaced three U- joints
a week or so ago- Darn near all the work on the truck gets done at home.

But I understand what you mean- I hate the spoiled brats at school driving the brand new car mommy and daddy bought them. They didn't pay sh*t for it, and they don't know sh*t about it. Its ridiculous that people let kids drive 20k+ cars when they don't know how to even check the oil.

Not all of them are like that, I got my truck brand new in 06 a few months be for I graduated. I payed $24,000 for it, yes my mom co-signed but that was cause she has perfect credit through Ford, I've still got to make the payments but there just cheaper. The only things my truck has been in any shop for was because I payed for the LineX bedliner when I bought it so I had to drop it off for them to spray it in. But when I was in autoshop, at least 6 out of the 12 didn't know what they were doing, its sad really...

 

[Twitch57]

Im not saying everyone with a new car didnt pay for it-

but im pretty sure it was mommy and daddy who bought them their bmw

 

[Psychopete]

my truck was pretty much the only thing in that lot worth less than 20K. Probably the only thing worth less than 30K. The huge lot was packed with BMWs, Lexus, Mercedes, jacked up restored 4x4s, etc.

Nothing but beaters where I went. It was rare to see a student roll up in a new car. Caddies were like Gold, even late 80's (in late 90's early 2000s). I drove a 1986 Dodge Lancer (blew a head gasket), then a '89 Sundance. Both cars were pieces, but they got me from point A to point B. I don't know where you live, or where you went to school, but it's obvious there is/was a huge gap in classes! ($$$)

I'll say that kids are the way they are because of their parents. Yes, there are adults that are even more clueless than "kids". It's how their parents get through car problems, they just simply don't know any better. I am going to be 25 this year, I don't know if you would consider me a kid, though I look about 19.

I'd see my Dad working on stuff and wonder what he was up to. I had a minibike to wrench on when I was a kid, I learned a lot from Briggs and Stratton motors. Used to have a gocart, but my brother wrecked it into a tree one day after it had rained. I still have the minibike, it's had about 10 different engines over the years. I had one throw a rod out of the side of the block once. It was free, I took the governer off, didn't change the oil, blew up going down hill on an old country road.

I started to built a 206cc "stroker"/animal out of a 190cc Intek, but never finished it. Also got rims, tires, painted, etc, total revamp. Maybe I'll finish it this spring after 3 years... I miss riding that thing around, so much fun w/ the OHV motor compared to the old flat heads. Ironically it's a Sears Golden Pinto.

Pete

 

[OilPatch197]

I know how to change a tire....


But do you know how to change the tire when your spare tire hold down bolt is rusted solid and will NOT budge, and you only have about 6" worth of 3/8ths socket extrentions in the tool box.

Jack up the truck with the jack and twist off the hold down bolt using your foot.