Old lady car advice

[jdeare]

For some reason, old(er) ladies (70+) are always giving me advice about cars. I thought I'd share some of these because I am perpetually amused by them.

"Buicks go forward even when you don't press on the gas (I assume they are in gear) so the brakes wear out faster"

"You have to buy 2 new tires every year or you'll get flat spots on the back ones"

"Cars over 10 years old are unreliable so I had to rent one to go to Costco instead of taking my own"

"The best way to get through snow is by spinning your tires"

"I don't keep cars past 50,000 miles because after that they are all worn out"

 

[Errtt]

And Wal-Mart electric scooter's is always in demand

 

[Falcon_LS]

ROTFL!!

Not to sound ill mannered, but I love it when people think they know what they're on about. Out of respect, we always nod and pretend to agree with them.

 

[jdeare]

Most of the time I just say "oh really?"...

 

[Falcon_LS]

Reminds me of my last oil change in December. Some old gentleman was highly recommending an oil I never heard of. He said the formulation hasn't changed since the 60's, which was very worrying and the only thing that came to mind was API SB or SC. He then went on to show me the tin can container with API SJ SAE 40 printed on top. I just nodded, thanked him for the recommendation, and said I would try it next time.

 

[beast3300]

Originally Posted By: jdeare
Most of the time I just say "oh really?"...


Yes, "oh really" followed by "ohhh ok, thanks."

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

No, you say "bless your heart"

 

[eljefino]

MIL was super annoyed when they discontinued Oldsmobile. And she drove a Cutlass Calias Iron duke 2.5 that only enaged reverse when it felt like it. Now she begrudgingly drives a Buick Lesabre.

 

[nitehawk55]

At one garage I worked at when I was still in the trade we had quite a few seniors and they did have some funny ideas about cars .
We had one customer that insisted on us letting the air out of all 4 tires and refilling them with "fresh" air . This was a ritual he did each spring and trying to explain to him it was not necessary was a waste of time so we charged him $10 and he was happy as could be .

 

[Nick R]

The advice about spinning tires is sometimes true. When you have to accelerate out of a driveway/parking lot and it is uphill onto the road, the only way to do it is to turn off the T/C and give it some gas. At least, with my tires that's the only way

 

[tonycarguy]

I guess I'm different, if someone says something wrong I'll correct them. It isn't disrespectful to correct someone, even if they're much older than you or they're your own parents or spouse. The exception is if it's a hot girl I'm dating and I'm trying to get her in bed -- then I just agree with her always.

 

[Kestas]

I'll correct a person if they are saying something I know is not true. It is their choice whether to accept my wisdom (humbleness aside). If they continue their nonsense, I let it go. Otherwise, it'll be like arguing with an idiot. And you know the old saying... "Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level and people watching won't know who is the idiot. And remember that he has a lot more experience at it."

This also applies to my interpersonal relations. I won't get into an argument over fact, or to prove a point, since it doesn't affect me. But I will take on an argument if it affects me personally.

 

[Kestas]

My mother thinks cars over a few years old are unreliable and should be replaced. Growing up, my dad used to tell me that after 60K, cars are unreliable for long trips. This was during the 60s and early 70s. I always get the hand-me-downs, even to this day.

 

[jdeare]

Yeah, I don't really go around telling people stuff. If someone asks me something, I'll share what I know, otherwise I mind my own business.

The wheel spinning... I could see that working sometimes, or in the situation described, but I have personally witnessed a few of these ladies trying to drive up a slight incline that's covered in ice (our parking lot) with the spinning wheel technique. It's sort of cool to see a car's wheels spinning one way while the car is actually moving the opposite way.

 

[Propflux01]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
My mother thinks cars over a few years old are unreliable and should be replaced. Growing up, my dad used to tell me that after 60K, cars are unreliable for long trips. This was during the 60s and early 70s. I always get the hand-me-downs, even to this day.
I think thats a general consensus of people in that age group. My folks were the same way. I can only guess it was because cars in the 40's and 50's were lucky to get 100k on them with the oils and such of that era. I know that growing up in the 70's, once a car had 100K on it, its life was considered by many to be over, relegated only to the teenager for his first car.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
The advice about spinning tires is sometimes true. When you have to accelerate out of a driveway/parking lot and it is uphill onto the road, the only way to do it is to turn off the T/C and give it some gas. At least, with my tires that's the only way

For sure, and the better the tires are at digging into the snow, the more beneficial it is to spin. I think the concept gets misinterpreted though as many will continue spinning their tires while already stuck and dig their tires into a hole.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
At one garage I worked at when I was still in the trade we had quite a few seniors and they did have some funny ideas about cars .
We had one customer that insisted on us letting the air out of all 4 tires and refilling them with "fresh" air . This was a ritual he did each spring and trying to explain to him it was not necessary was a waste of time so we charged him $10 and he was happy as could be .


Reminds me of a story my grandfather told about working at a gas station in Colorado back in the 1950's. He said a elderly couple from out of state wanted him to deflate all the tires and put in fresh air. When he asked "why", they wanted some of that good fresh Rocky Mountain air and not the stale stuff from wherever they came from.

 

[bigmike]

My grandparents still own a 1970s GM work truck with 350-400k miles on it. They ran their econovan until it died with over 200k miles on it.

I think you might be seeing an older generation that grew up in the city vs. country/farming generation. My grandparents grew up on a farm and NOTHING was given up until it was absolutely beat to death and then some. They're actually quite wise about auto maintenance as well.

 

[nitehawk55]

Originally Posted By: Hootbro
Originally Posted By: nitehawk55
At one garage I worked at when I was still in the trade we had quite a few seniors and they did have some funny ideas about cars .
We had one customer that insisted on us letting the air out of all 4 tires and refilling them with "fresh" air . This was a ritual he did each spring and trying to explain to him it was not necessary was a waste of time so we charged him $10 and he was happy as could be .


Reminds me of a story my grandfather told about working at a gas station in Colorado back in the 1950's. He said a elderly couple from out of state wanted him to deflate all the tires and put in fresh air. When he asked "why", they wanted some of that good fresh Rocky Mountain air and not the stale stuff from wherever they came from.


Hahahaha!! , that's great !