asked girlfreind to check the oil

[tpenfield]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

Reminds me of the time . . . for a while . . . that the Admiral insisted on mowing the lawn. Of course, she knew to check the oil . . . when I got home from work one day she said that the lawn mower smoked a lot . . . I told her that I would take a look.

Oil filled pretty much to the top of the spout . . . not sure how it was able to run at all. :facepalm: . . . needless to say, she is not even allowed to brush snow off of my car.

 

[gm280]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

This is sad but certainly not limited to ladies by any means. So many young people these days have zero knowledge of anything to do with their vehicles unless it is in one of their smart phone/iphone APPs. They are so uneducated in so many issues these days that normal living is going to cost them so much more then a few generations ago. Because the older generations had to do their own maintenance work on most everything. So we had to learn how or do without. That's not so these days with instant this and that. Just charge the repairs on the credit card and don't worry about it...until... Somebody else will pay the bill sooner or later! :facepalm:

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

I raised for daughters and a son.... taught them all to drive. With a clutch, on hills. Change a tire by themselves. Perform MY pre-drive check list (oil level was a biggie). Drilled into them the importance of maintenance. I had tons of "but dad, we don't need to know all this stuff to pass the drivers test" to which I always replied "that is what the State requires.... I have the actual keys". They are all still very proficient drivers and maintain (or have maintained) their vehicles to dads standards. Love 'em all.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

Great reading everyone, and I agree that today's kids will be in world of hurt because they don't know the basics, but that's a two way street and when it comes to technology, I bet we will all get hosed for not staying on top of all that stuff. I hate technology, I dislike the new "smart phones" . All I want my phone to do is call, text, and check email. All the apps and extra crap just interferes with my day, I have little use for all that stuff. Wonder if my parents thought the same stuff about us when we grew up? And for the record I was raised and trained to do all my mechanical stuff by myself. Wonder how many kids even know how to wax a car? check tire pressure? add windshield washer fluid?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

My sister's first car was a VW Cabriolet. She did every oil change on it herself until she sold it at 200K miles. She got stuck once where her car wouldn't start. She decided to look in her manual to figure out where the fuel pump relay was and traded it with another one as a test. It was the problem and she drove home.

Our father trained us well!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

...She decided to look in her manual to figure out where the fuel pump relay was and traded it with another one as a test...

Now THAT'S resourceful!

 

[jtmarten]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

I learned to hate that thing and will never own another, the oil separator is a common leak and a MOTHER to get to. Nothing special about a bimmer other than is an expensive over engineered pain to work on.

Oil separator difficult to replace? Try replacing plugs #11 & 12 on an E31!
I'll def disagree. They are very well engineered, and most parts are fairly easy and straightforward to replace, at least on the 2 I've owned; 2002 E39 540i/A Sport and 1997 E31 850Ci. And I've done a ton of wrenching on them, especially the 850Ci.
The E39 540i truly is the Ultimate Driving Machine; nothing rides, drives, or provides that driving experience. Still kickin' myself for selling mine to buy the 850Ci.

 

[Wind dog]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

My sister's first car was a VW Cabriolet. She did every oil change on it herself until she sold it at 200K miles. She got stuck once where her car wouldn't start. She decided to look in her manual to figure out where the fuel pump relay was and traded it with another one as a test. It was the problem and she drove home.

Our father trained us well!

LOL, Is she married? If not one of us (Not me I'm married) outta snatch her up! ;-)

I do all my own work, wife could handle this stuff I guess, but it's my job, along with laundry, dish washing, house cleaning, yard work, home repairs, yard work etc.........

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

The E39 540i truly is the Ultimate Driving Machine; nothing rides, drives, or provides that driving experience.

A serious discussion about what is the "Ultimate Driving Machine" would likely quickly turn left and head down either "Best-oil Boulevard" or "Ethanol-gas Alley".

But I did hear a fairly benign description of someone's UDM.... => Designed by the Italians....engineered by the Germans....manufactured by the Japenese....sold and serviced by the Americans....AND....financed by the Swiss.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

Oil separator difficult to replace? Try replacing plugs #11 & 12 on an E31!
I'll def disagree. They are very well engineered, and most parts are fairly easy and straightforward to replace, at least on the 2 I've owned; 2002 E39 540i/A Sport and 1997 E31 850Ci. And I've done a ton of wrenching on them, especially the 850Ci.
The E39 540i truly is the Ultimate Driving Machine; nothing rides, drives, or provides that driving experience. Still kickin' myself for selling mine to buy the 850Ci.

I'm sorry but....
If you turn a wrench for a living, it's not something you look forward to when "the ultimate driving machine" rolls into your bay needing anything more than routine service.

I've often times been heard saying out loud "this is stupid" when encountering "German engineering" (over-engineering for the sake of over-engineering). It's not a matter of a lack of understanding of how it works, I get it.

It's just the simple fact that a German engineer would choose to use 3 modules, and a copper mine worth of wiring to do the same function that a Japanese/American engineer can accomplish with a switch, relay, and 5 feet of wire...

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

This story reminds me of high school. Some clown (who was thankfully a masonry student) asked us auto shop dudes for advice on an oil change he did on his brand new Jeep.

Short version of the story;
Apparently he wasn't aware of the features/benefits a dipstick provides, and 20 something quarts later was finally able to see the oil in the valve cover....
He wanted to know where he went wrong... :facepalm:

 

[fishrdan]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

The lady leave the maintenance on her Sebring droptop to me. I leave the maintenance of the dirty clothes and dishes to her. Works out quite well. I take care of the mechanical/electrical issues; she takes care of the warm, snuggly issues - and does so VERY well.

For me, it's a good system...!

Same here..... now........

There was this one incident where my wife filled out 2-3 year old car's windshield washer fluid reservoir, with an old windshield fluid bottle that I had dumped leftover bathroom cleaner into. Both of our faults, her for not realizing that the thick, yellow, strong smellin fluid ain't windshield washer fluid, me for not relabeling the "windshield washer fluid" bottle that was sitting out on the garage shelf by all the other "car" stuff. (More my fault in her eyes, more her fault in my eyes,,, but I digress...)

Needless to say we have a car with little spots on the roof now and she never touches anything car related anymore.....

 

[bruceb58]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

LOL, Is she married? If not one of us (Not me I'm married) outta snatch her up! ;-)

I do all my own work, wife could handle this stuff I guess, but it's my job, along with laundry, dish washing, house cleaning, yard work, home repairs, yard work etc.........

Yep she's married. Doesn't need to work on her car anymore as she and her hubby make pretty good money. She probably knows more about cars than he does.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

The E39 540i truly is the Ultimate Driving Machine; nothing rides, drives, or provides that driving experience. Still kickin' myself for selling mine to buy the 850Ci.

My sister, mentioned in my earlier post, bought the F10 version of the 5 series. Had the car "lemon lawed".

 

[jtmarten]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

My sister, mentioned in my earlier post, bought the F10 version of the 5 series. Had the car "lemon lawed".

I don't think I'd ever buy a BMW newer than '03. The '04+ Bangle body designs are just plain Fugly, and they're more difficult to wrench at home. I generally won't take any vehicle in for servicing except for alignments and new tires. I took the 8 into the local BMW dealership for a once-over after I purchased it. Their techs had never seen one except in photos. Most of my vehicles are rather eclectic and/or very rare, so I'm better off wrenching them myself than having an inexperienced, unskilled or incompetent tech jack things up.

 

[gm280]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

Odd how some cars are bought for economy, some bought for looks, some bought for longevity and lots are bought for a status symbols... I personally know a LOT of folks that bought for the later reason only to find out how expensive their ownership (just for regular maintenance reasons) cost now... Yes I worked in an Engineering office/lab...

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

Interesting statistics below.


Young people aren't lining up to drive like they used to. Year over year, fewer 16 to 24 year-olds are getting driver's licenses according to a new study released today by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute.

Take 16 year-olds: In 2008, 31 percent of them got driver's licenses. In 2010 it fell to 28 percent. That's part of a steady trend the researchers track back to 1983. That's when Return of the Jedi, Scarface and The Outsiders were in theaters, and 46 percent of 16 year-olds were licensed to drive. Now, with Netflix and iTunes, they don't need wheels to get to the movies.

Take this response we received from a listener in Florida when our partner The Takeaway asked young people about their driving habits:
"I drive less because I have become a couch potato. The Internet takes me anywhere I want to go. And services like Netflix provide entertainment at the touch of a button. It’s also a lot more affordable."
The U. Mich study found that the driver's license drop was a bit sharper for older teens: the percentage fell five percent for 18 year-olds from 2008 to 2010. Using Census and Federal Highway Administration data, the researchers identified a general decline in the percentage of people who sign up for a driver's license across almost all age groups, but it was especially pronounced for younger would-be drivers.

Study author Michael Sivak explained to Transportation Nation what he thinks is driving the trend:

"We think that there are three main reasons for the reduced percentage of young persons with a driver's license:
◦Electronic communication reduces the need for actual contact (and some young people feel that driving interferes with texting)
◦Current economic downturn is making it more difficult for young persons to buy and maintain a vehicle
◦Young people are moving in increasing numbers to large cities with reasonable public transportation (e.g., New York and San Francisco)"
See the full study in the Journal of Traffic Injury Prevention.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

I told my gal to check the oil every 1000 miles. She does as told.

 

[generator12]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

I taught my son to change oil when he got his first car some 30 years ago. And I know he did it because at least once he refilled the crankcase after forgetting to put the drain plug back in...! This resulted in the infusion of nine quarts of Shell Fire and Ice in a vehicle which actually required five. The other four were wiped off the floor with absorbent and a large number of shop rags.

Well, fast forward about 25 years and this kid, now an engineering manager for a manufacturing firm, has to drop $3000 into his Explorer for an engine rebuild because he's been "too busy" to change his oil! For over 30,000 miles! Until it froze in place! (To his credit, he didn't involve me in any part of this, as he knew pretty much how I'd have reacted.)

Now, of course, he's got charts and graphs on his garage wall to track miles, severity of usage, and all other relevant data regarding oil change intervals on his vehicles.

Education sure is expensive, isn't it?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: asked girlfreind to check the oil

generator, I have heard many people curse "engineers" as not having any common sense or knowing how to work on something. Maybe I'll print out your post and they can all blame your son? ha ha ha