I’m a self-confessed city boy. When it comes to being out in the country, I look as out of place as a 4-H prize sheep would look on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons I don’t have any real background in auto mechanics. I feel like I could have saved myself a lot of time, money and embarrassment through the years if I’d been raised around cars and engines, but I now have no one to blame but myself.
I’m able to do a few basic repairs with a screwdriver or wrench, and I’m smart enough to keep a handful of tools in the trunk — especially as a car gets older. However, I have no patience for anything mechanical that takes real brains, rather than brute force, and thus have never mastered the science of vehicular problem-solving.
We seem to have moved into an era when a sufficient amount of shops, trained workers, support industry and proper waste disposal that means most of us don’t need to service our own vehicles. Those who work with or on vehicles for a living most likely live on property where they can work on cars and trucks themselves, and many told me they prefer to take care of most things themselves.
Meanwhile, those of us who barely know a gas cap from a gas gauge are at the mercy of mechanics, parts stores and distributors and dealerships. No one is going to feel sorry for us; it’s not their fault we never took the time to open a manual or a Wikipedia page and learn the basics of automotive science.
Once in a great while, my resourcefulness saves me a buck or two, keeps my car out of the shop for something super-basic, and helps avoid getting stranded by the side of the road. However, by and large, I’m basically the kid who can help sweep out the shop, or help lift or lower an engine, but is otherwise useless for anything requiring patience or perseverance.
There are a few folks who have taken the time to either bring me up to speed on pricing or technical issues, in addition to fixing my vehicle.
Bob McCormick, of Cappy’s Auto, along with the rest of the hard-working Jasper County automotive people, would rather have their customers be knowledgeable. I often feel like I only show up at their desks to be part of the problem, rather than simply reading, planning ahead and being part of the solution.
It’s not as if there’s a lack of information in the world. AutoZone.com features an instructional video dedicated to the specific goal of helping customers decide between new or re-manufactured alternators; most parts store clerks can explain a part’s difference that edifies as well as informs — even if they’re upselling a more expensive option.
So, here I stand, at the crossroads between the self-pity of a lack of engineering skills and the motivation to try and make up for lost ground.
I’m not sure if it’s a gender issue, and men are expected to know at least a slight amount more about cars than women, but I think a bigger factor is whether someone grew up in household that discussed fixing cars itself. This amount of “we’ll-do-it-for-you” approach (which is happening at the same time home-improvement stores are trying to make everything a do-it-yourself job) reduces motivation for any of us to learn how to analyze brake-pad wear ourselves.
Someday, I’ll walk through the front door of a Napa store and ask for a high-tech part known only by a long series of digits and letters. But knowing my luck, someone will pull a “Tommy Boy” moment, repeating David Spade’s line “Did I catch a ‘niner’ in there?”
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com