The times have certainly changed.
If you are Generation X or older, you probably remember the excitement of your first car. Mine was a dilapidated 1961 Volkswagen Beetle, purchased for a very small sum in the mid 90s. It was light blue, had numerous mechanical and cosmetic defects, but it ran, and it was mine.
The car broke down constantly and needed weekly attention to its oil leaks and electrical gremlins. The VW had no air conditioning, no radio, and it reeked of oil smoke. My girlfriend hated it and was embarrassed when we were seen tooling around town. It served me well by not only getting me to school and work, but also sparking an interest in wrenching on cars.
The old Beetle also lasted far longer than the girlfriend did.
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I never set out to be an automobile technician. It all started when my Beetle lost its brakes one day, requiring me to borrow my dad’s car for my commutes. We took the vehicle to a local shop to get the brakes replaced, and it was worse than we thought.
We were quoted over $800 to put a total brake system in, and that was out of the question. On my meager Taco Bell earnings, it might as well have been a million dollars. I didn’t have that much, but I did have a JC Whitney catalog, a copy of the poorly written repair manual and a basic set of hand tools. For less than $100, I got the parts and went to work in the parking lot of the apartment complex we lived in.
It was a total disaster. This car had four-wheel drum brakes, and every nut and bolt was rusted, missing or rounded off. My dad has very little mechanical ability but helped me when he could, desperately wanting his car back to himself.
It took two weeks to get the car back together and ready to drive. As I pulled out of the parking spot, I noticed the brakes were soft. A smarter boy would have stopped right there, but I was under the impression that maybe after driving, they would firm up.
They did not. I ended up crashing into an apartment building and have a scar on my forehead to this day.
Even though the first repair went a little rough, I was hooked.
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Eventually, I ran into an older gentleman that repaired older cars and he became my first of many mentors. Vernon Redd worked at the junkyard I scavenged parts from. He taught me that you had to BLEED the air out of the brakes, a step I missed while doing my first brake job.
After a few years of tinkering with my car and others, I decided to go to Aiken Tech for Automotive Technology. The rest is history, they say.
The younger generations are not in love with cars as much as us older folks. Even my own kids had to be forced to get their driver’s licenses. What once used to be a rite of passage, now seems to be an option.
Today’s kids have no need to drive to meet their friends, as they all live on their smartphones. Uber and Lyft can get them anywhere they need to go cheaper than a car payment would. The current generation look at cars like a household appliance, with no more thrill than a microwave or washer.
Even if you are younger and are into cars, the car scene can be toxic and unwelcoming.
Gone are the days of groups getting together and fixing their automotive problems. YouTube will show you how to do it on your own. Once you buy a car and get it going, you can start going to the local car meets and shows. Most of the local ones I have been to are akin to arms races, devolving to one-upping and ridicule of projects under construction.
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While there are small pockets of community within these groups, many people are driven off by the vibe of it all. There are no mentors, just people trying to flex on one another. It is unfortunate, because so much of my own knowledge and enthusiasm started in parking lots full of project cars, while cruising Washington Road.
With every new generation, I am afraid the car guys and gals will be less in number. The last thing we need to do is run them off. If you have a nice car or are an enthusiast, try reaching out to the younger generation. Go to shows and events and be a positive role model to those around you. Find that teenager with the hood up in the driveway and start a conversation.
Remember, you were once that kid that didn’t have the cool car, the right tools, or know that brakes needed to be bled. I sure was. My many mentors and friends helped shape me into the Master Technician I am today.
As for me, I will see you on the road, and maybe even strike up a conversation!
Taylor Bryant is an automotives instructor for Augusta Technical College.
