Just don't get it

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Being retired, my time is free as long as I enjoy working on something. My time is only worth something when I am working on something for someone else and then only sometimes is it worth anything and then it's not worth much.

Being retired my time is much more valuable than when I was earning a very good living. Then I could always make more money. I'm 68 and cannot make more time.

[Philos3]

I think it has something to do with what you know about RVs, what you expect from them, and your interests. One owner attempted to put me in my place, so to speak, when I was encouraging owners to get some formal RV skills training...simply told that most owners don't have the time for that...they want to enjoy their RV. Well, ok, each to his own. Fine, agreed, there are many experienced RV owners who just want to be provided a unit that always works and want to stay above the details.

It seems that many newer buyers are the most frustrated and have the most complaints when problems develop as their dealer, warranty, and service experiences range from great to horrid, and some have experienced a lot of off the road time with their new unit.

It seems like those of use with DIY inclinations are able to more easily take advantage of good deals on used units. If we do buy new, tend to do some of the warranty work ourselves and are kind of relaxed about the maintenance and repairs...no big deal...just get er done.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

I suppose this was/is a miss-quote. What I should have said is...

My money is tight and if I can save electric, fuel, GS, camping, labor costs etc monies then it is a win/gain for me. I was born poor, raised poor and live poor. It is reflected in saving money where I can. People at work laugh at me for being tight. It's O.K. cause I know what my checking account looks like.

I know what you mean.. I started out with nothing and after all these years I still have most of it left...

[tony5oh]

I like this conversation. Although I'm a DIYer, some just do not have the aptitude and are better off farming the work out. I do agree that some basic understanding of operation does enhance the enjoyment/usage, but it's still not for everyone. Age and valuing your time are also important.

I'm going to replace the front lower control arms on my wife's Mustang in the near future. It will take 3-4 hours and won't beat me up too bad 😁, but I also enjoy wrenching. So, yes it does cost me time, but I get satisfaction from the time spent (and knowing the job is done right!)

My ex-FIL used to say, "Be good at what you do, so you can pay others to be good at what they do". It's a good expression.

[Jeff_and_Abby]

We are lucky to have a great mechanic and when we rolled back from Frogtoberfest, our water pump gave out as we were backing the TT into the driveway (it had been noisy for a while ....) Called him in the late morning next day ... mechanic sent his truck before 13:00 ... got the call at 08:30 following day, new heavy duty water pump was done deal, when can we come get it. Worth every penny of it ... we rolled to our next camping reservation two days later with no problems.
We'd still be cussing out that water pump if we tried to do it on our own.
But on the flip side ... the S-2 (aka Robertson) Screwdriver lives in the silverware drawer on purpose.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by tony5oh

I like this conversation. Although I'm a DIYer, some just do not have the aptitude and are better off farming the work out. I do agree that some basic understanding of operation does enhance the enjoyment/usage, but it's still not for everyone. Age and valuing your time are also important.

I'm going to replace the front lower control arms on my wife's Mustang in the near future. It will take 3-4 hours and won't beat me up too bad 😁, but I also enjoy wrenching. So, yes it does cost me time, but I get satisfaction from the time spent (and knowing the job is done right!)

My ex-FIL used to say, "Be good at what you do, so you can pay others to be good at what they do". It's a good expression.

I don't think the point of this thread is who elects to work on their RV's and who doesn't.

The point is who is CAPABLE of working on their RV (whether they do or not - many of us are capable if we need to be, but elect not to for a lot of reasons).

So the real point is that the percentage of capable people (DIY'ers) is dropping as time goes by. Forty to fifty years ago, I would say a "majority" of guys (something >50%) could do at least minor maintenance. I would say today that it is now a "minority" of guys (something <50%). We can certainly argue how far on each side of 50% we started at and have dropped to, and we can argue about the causes, but I don't think there's any argument that the percentage has dropped.

[Iwannacamp]

My ex-FIL used to say, "Be good at what you do, so you can pay others to be good at what they do". It's a good expression.[/QUOTE]

My old boss used to say..."Each man to his trade...." He had the money to call the next man. His business pretty much ran itself...veteran help.

[KatanaPilot]

Originally Posted by TonyD

There just seems to be an overall lack of mechanical aptitude in men today. My subdivsion supports half of the handyman industry in my city it seems.

I taught both my son and daughter how to change a tire, jump start a car (properly) and change the oil. My son enjoys that kind of thing, my daughter does not. They both make enough money to have it done for them - so my daughter chooses to have it done (or frequently bring it to Dad's garage). They both soloed airplanes and drove race cars growing up.

I think your attitude is a bit behind the times...

[OKI Marine]

It's a lack of know how, little to no tools, and maybe a fear of creating more problems and having it stuck out on the road in front of there house. It's not like you can pull it into the garage. I try to do all of my own work. I figure that the people you pay to fix things had to learn it somewhere, sometime. Dealers want to much labor $$$ per hour. This forum is a great tool to hear from others about same and or similar issues. I've learned some things from here on fixing issues I've had and I'm sure I have saved money.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by KatanaPilot

I taught both my son and daughter how to change a tire, jump start a car (properly) and change the oil. My son enjoys that kind of thing, my daughter does not. They both make enough money to have it done for them - so my daughter chooses to have it done (or frequently bring it to Dad's garage). They both soloed airplanes and drove race cars growing up.

I think your attitude is a bit behind the times...

My attitude is that we have too many men who have no mechanical inclination regardless of whether or not they choose to work on stuff...they are just clueless.

Can think of several instances where mechanical aptitude saved my butt and salvaged a vacation. I make enough money to hire others but there are been instances where hiring someone or doing to a mechanic would not have been practical.

Had a thermostat on my tow vehicle fail closed on a remote mountain pass while towing a 27' bumper pull. I carry a toolbox on every vehicle and used it to remove the thermostat. I gutted the housing and reinstalled it. Vacation saved!

Generator didn't put full power out. Removed generator cover and found bent linkage that caused choke to be partially on when it shouldn't have been.

Last tow vehicle lost power suddenly. Codes pulled show over and underboost. Found stuck turbo actuator. VNT in turbo was sticky and disconnected the actuator and manually got everything loose and moving as it should. Reconnected actuator and salvaged trip. The actuator eventually failed.

Several plumbing leaks fixed while camping. Nothing a hose clamp couldn't fix. Seems easy but neighbor has same occur and flooded his entire Class C motorhome. It was a loose twist fitting on the water pump. He didn't even know where the water pump was or how to get to it. He's so frustrated, he's done camping and put it up for sale.

Generator died while camping. Gutted spark arrestor which was clogged up. Very basic repair for me but a definite trip to generator repair shop for many who wouldn't know how to diagnose the cause.

Clogged oil filter from bad fuel in TV. I carried a spare and picked up another on the way. Required two filter replacements but we kept on trucking to our camp site.

Numerous flat ST tire incidents. Easily fixed...several instances occurred where there was no cell phone service.

Took Jeep on a 4x4 where I shouldn't have during a camping trip. Each tire got a penetration flat. Took me about 90 minutes to plug all tires in the field. We were in the middle of nowhere and will not get too close to abandoned mine buildings again...littered with nails.

Tow vehicle exhaust filter got clogged and wouldn't clean during first camping trip with it this year. 2 week wait for appointment at dealership to even look at it. Vehicle was 60 miles from home when it went into limp mode. Discovered that the vehicle was overserviced with oil which caused the oil to blow into the CCV system, get burned in the engine, and caused excessive soot generation. Drained excess oil, disconnected RV, reset CEL, drove 2 hours to get exhaust cleaned down to 20% full level. Reconnected trailer and continued trip. The oil service was performed at a dealership and it was a freebie that I got for purchasing the vehicle from them. I never used the remaining free oil change coupons I got from them again.

Prior to purchasing ATVs, I put a small motor on a mountain bike and road it for years in the backcountry. Throttle cable snapped about 14 miles from campsite. Removed front brake cable and rigged it to carb so I could limp back home.

Just several examples over the past 10+ years. Perhaps I just have bad luck.

[Iwannacamp]

When I was young I went fishing a remote area... I was driving over limbs (1960 F-100) where trees had been cut... pulled fuel line off from flex connector(in cab fuel tank). Stole some hose from non-critical source(vacuum wipers) and cut up a coat wire hanger for clamps(work uniforms)...patched it up and on the way. Just in a days work.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

When I was young I went fishing a remote area... I was driving over limbs (1960 F-100) where trees had been cut... pulled fuel line off from flex connector(in cab fuel tank). Stole some hose from non-critical source(vacuum wipers) and cut up a coat wire hanger for clamps(work uniforms)...patched it up and on the way. Just in a days work.

That's pretty ingenious! I never thought to use a wire coat hanger as a clamp and now will put this tip in my bag of tricks!

[MacGumbo]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

No shop classes in high schools anymore; everyone's looking to "go to college" now, and unless you're going to be an engineer, who needs shop? So most kids aren't exposed to fixing stuff or using tools anymore. They don't build stuff anymore, either. It's all computer games now. Sad state of affairs.

Just a couple of years ago there was a questionnaire circulated through the student body on the steps needed to change a tire. The first thing noted was over 70% of the men didn't even know where it was, how to use, where to place or even if cars today have a jack. The second telling thing is just as many women passed as the men.

Makes you wonder?

[KatanaPilot]

Originally Posted by dea49

Just a couple of years ago there was a questionnaire circulated through the student body on the steps needed to change a tire. The first thing noted was over 70% of the men didn't even know where it was, how to use, where to place or even if cars today have a jack. The second telling thing is just as many women passed as the men.

Makes you wonder?

Why should more men know how to do this than women? I would hope that parents would teach their kids, regardless of their sex, how to do the basics of maintenance - provided they know how to do it themselves. My Dad taught me a great deal about maintenance and I wish he had taught me about finances. Some parents have skills and/or interests in other areas.

What bothers me is the attitude that the men should be out fixing the flat tire and the women should be inside fixing their dinner... (and yes I'm male and taught my son and daughter the basics of maintenance and they both like to cook)

[Philos3]

I say fiddlesticks to this stuff about men vs women, and other current subjects on X, X, X, X. I will keep the focus on myself where it belongs, my marriage, and RVs.

My wife is Chinese, my neighborhood is multicultural. What I read in the newspapers bears no reality to what is going on in my relationship or my neighborhood.

[bob caldwell]

So unsubscribe to this thread..

[Springerdad]

Is it time for popcorn?

[bob caldwell]

To early!...lol

[Springerdad]

It must be too early for beer, too, I suppose.

[bob caldwell]

Here.,lol