Are teenagers allergic to oil?

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I'm the exception to that statement. I'm 17 and at least once a month I check all of the fluids and twice a month I check the oil. Last friday I did a coolant flush, which to say, was very easy, but took longer than I anticipated. Even though the car belongs to my mom, I take very good care of it. It's my way to get to school, and if it breaks down, I have to ride the bus to school.
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Every Saturday I join my 16 year old son under the hood of the family's old 89 Dodge woody van. We chat about how the vehicle is running while checking all fluids. Once a month we check tire pressure and every third month I get him to crawl under and change the oil. Did the same with his older brother and will keep up the ritual when the twins get their wheels. Now, if only I could get the wife trained......
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I don't think this is anything new, when I was a kid there were those who were interested in cars and knew a little bit about them (mainly the poor kids like me) and the rest who did not know nor care,

since you had to help your friend find cars for his kids he probably is not all that interested in cars himself

not sure if “mechanically inclined” is a gene or learned trait either way these kids did not get it

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they will eventually learn to be interested in thier cars maintenance not becaue they want to but because they will have to or life will get very expensive
 
im glad my dad taught me how to change my oil 3 years ago. Im 20 now, and i know how to change oil, spark plugs and wires, fuel filter, air filter(like that takes any thought), and an alternator replacement. Im still learning as we speak, my next learning will be changing manual trans fluid, but im sure its just like oil is.
 
Not this one...
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But yes, your right...most kids (and adults) figure everything is Aok as long as the vehicle is still running and nothing "seems" wrong.
 
I'll betcha those kids take much better care of their computers than they do their cars. Priorities of a new generation.

A car is just a disposable tool to some folks. Having car troubles? Tired of the old heap and want something else? Just trade it in.
 
Depends on the kids. When I grew up I rebuilt the motor in my go-kart twice. Bought my first truck with a blown everything. As the new driver in the family I was handed the responsiblity of maintaing my own vehicles and my parents. And I enjoyed it. Still do. Its very relaxing and fulfilling to me.

I'm sure to some people it is tedious, like washing dishes or doing laundry. And if it is presented at a young age like a chore that "has to be done" well they will treat it the same as cleaning their room.
 
I was very aware of maintenance as a teenager. When I got my first car, a 1979 Mustang (in 1986) I used to make sure to religiously take it in for oil changes. Same with the 1984 Laser which replaced it. By the time I got my first new car, a 1988 Dodge Shadow Turbo, I learned to change my own oil, and I used to change it every 3 weeks! I used 10w30 Castrol XLR, and 3 weeks worked out to 3000km worth of driving for me then (most of it pleasure driving, I just enjoyed driving around on the weekends!) I guess you could say my obsession with oil began in 1988 when I got that car. I breifly tried Mobil 1 5w30 in that car back then, but the cold start rattle it exhibited caused me to quickly go back to Castrol (looking back I now think it may have been a bad oil filter causing the rattle, since I used Frams then!)
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The solution to engine knock is not check and fill your crankcase with oil!!! TURN UP THE RADIO! Brakes squealing---turn up the radio. Front end making noise--turn up the radio. The ONLY this will not fix is a dead battery.
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THings are different with workmates and their kids and my family and parents.

Growing up, I thought that my parents only had kids because we were cheaper than slaves. Mum had us cook one meal for the family per week, we had to wash up, on a roster. Dad had us shovelling dirt, digging holes, mixing and laying concrete, paving, building and construction, gardening, preparing lawns, and ultimately maintaining cars.

Now, I see how much he taught us, and that the lessons were more than just how to do things.

Guys at work can't get their 15 year old sons away from the telephone and T.V.

Mum (deputy pricipal of a school) was telling me just how bad it's getting these days. The senior kids in the primary school (12ish), are on a roster to answer the phones at lunchtime, while the school secretary has her lunch break. One parent told the school that her child was not doing this, unless the school paid him secretaries rates to do so.
 
Let them take the bus... Let them walk... and then make them work and save to buy their 100k+ used "first" car. Builds humility and responsibility.
 
My son can pop the hood of my car, check the engine oil, coolant level, take out the air cleaner for inspection and put it back, and add windshield washer fluid. Right now we're working on learning how to check the air pressure in the tires.

He turned six last week.
 
quote:

Originally posted by totttalled:
My son can pop the hood of my car, check the engine oil, coolant level, take out the air cleaner for inspection and put it back, and add windshield washer fluid. Right now we're working on learning how to check the air pressure in the tires.

He turned six last week.


Very cool! I'm getting my son started early too. These are pics of him from this summer, before he was even 2 years old (he just turned two on Oct 29)


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Its normal with lazy spoiled rotten kids that never got spanked and were raised overly sheltered by their parents.

I say, let them run out of oil. Then let them or their parents, pay the bill for a new car. I've found mint cars with toast engines. One trip to the salvage yard and I'm profiting.

For those of you that spend time with your kids, THANK YOU. I call that proper parenting.

If the parents don't check their own oil, what makes anyone think that the kids would
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Jippylubes were created for these people. But, so were lawyers and class actions.
 
My Dad bought me and my brothers our first cars. They were all fixerupers that needed fixed before we could drive them. My first ride was a 1960 Chevy Bel-Air six cylinder with three on the tree. We did a frame off resto before I got the car. I loved that ride and wish I had it today. Now 23 years latter I still care for my stuff.

I don't know what happened to my daughter, she just drives and don't care. All she thinks is that Honda cars rule and the Dodge Shadow I helped her buy is a hoopty or something like that. The cool thing is that after she gets her beloved Honda car I will get a good little Dodge cheap. Well that's if it still goes after she is done killing it.
 
Hey SeedRacer (loved the show - hehehe Go SR GO!!)
The problem is that THEY don't have to pay for it.
If it is not drilled into their heads, that it cost "X" for a brake job it Cost "Y" for a Tranny Flush and it cost $$$$$ to pay for a new one or a new car.... they will only learn when they can not rely on the parents to bail them out. Let them lose their job, or flunk out of the class because the car dies on them.... then they will learn.
 
i didn't have my own car until college. my dad made it clear that certain tasks were required to drive his truck; washing, waxing, putting gas in it, changing the oil, and warming that sob up on sub-freezing days (for his 3 mile drive to work).

when i got my own car (73 buick century, 4 door, 350 4 barrel, stripped and primered by dad and i and painted banana yellow by earl scheib) i was used to regular car maintenance.

i always thought it was kind of fun to crawl out from under the truck when friends came over. of course, i'm kind of a dork that way.

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Being a teenager myself, I'd have to say that most ARE allergic to engines in general. However, we're not all bad. I know one teenager that just got done completing a 350 swap into his Fiero, and another that rebuilt a 350 out of a corvette for his 68 Camaro. And I do all my own maintenance/ repairs on my car and my family's cars, so we're out there. There's just not as many as the last generation, I think.

I wouldn't like cars at all if it weren't for my dad. He taught my everything. He was a motorhead when he was my age, too. He ran around in a little MG that he built himself (he had TWO MG's, both came from the junkyard....). So he's a great resource.

Cars are cool.
 
quote:

Originally posted by guitargeek:
Being a teenager myself, I'd have to say that most ARE allergic to engines in general. However, we're not all bad. I know one teenager that just got done completing a 350 swap into his Fiero, and another that rebuilt a 350 out of a corvette for his 68 Camaro........ There's just not as many as the last generation, I think.......



When I attended Manhattan College, NYC back in the mid-80's, I had some classmates from working-class NY Irish-Italian families that drove Camaro's and Corvette's. They had no money to buy 'em intact, so they scrounged up parts from "total" jobs in the wrecker's yard, and over a period of many months, put their rides together. Piece by piece.

The amazing thing is, the place weren't even a trade scholl. It was.....still is just a regular lib-arts college.
 
I grew up around dirt bikes so i learned how to do maintenance before I was in 1st grade.

I took a small engines class in 8th grade, We took B&S engines apart and put them back together.

In high school I took auto shop every year....All 5
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In 85 mom bought me a 78 toyota truck. I changed the oil every 2500 miles. I didn't know any better but I used Valvoline 10w-40 and fram ph8a filters.

Atleast I had good intent!

The truck made it to 321K when it dropped a valve and I sold it.

BTW I learned quickly that cheerleaders wiil do "Anything" to hitch a ride and not have to ride the dorky school bus
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