The kiwi can-do attitude. Is it dead?

[nadroj]

I prefer the "help someone to help themselves" attitude.
How many times do you get a mate to do something for you? Wouldn't it have been better getting him / her to show you how to do it yourself so next time you have some skills and the confidence to give it a go yourself.
It's also a good bonding thing as well as giving each other respect for their trade / skillset.

[beyond]

Well, I used to do everything myself when I first got married. My dad had five kids when he was young and two jobs. He had to repair everything he could and regularly had to work on his car to keep it going being an old Studebaker. I helped him a lot. When I got my first bike I did everything.

I stripped engines both cars and bikes and rebuilt them to keep my machines on the road. I wouldn't baulk at any task.

Technology has buggered this way of life. I can't forget the first time I decided to do some tuning and an oil change on the my Batmobile RX7 twin turbo I had a few years back. Popped the bonnet and stood their looking amazed at what appeared to be the main reactor out of the Starship Enterprise. Cables plugs, wires, goodies hanging off everwhere and no room to spin a spanner.

Connections for computers and warnings about touching this and that and make sure you're grounded and you aren't live. If you glow in the dark don't go near this or that. if you do this you will blow the chip on the computer which will cost more than the car to replace. Don't stick your pinkies in there or they will get eaten.

Sadly I closed the bonnet after spending some time looking for the dipstick and checking the water. Now I don't bother anymore. I do remove my wheels to have the tyres changed on my motorbike as that is something that happens on a far too regular basis.

I will change my own brake pads as that seems simple enough, but hell, times have changed. You can't just pop the heads, pull a barrel and sand the sucker if she's smokin a bit. Not with the latest Nickasol this and that and don't dare go near it cos the nice shiny coating will get stuffed. Besides, now you have to work your way past the new fangle dangled fuel injection system and the latest four valve thingy ma jigs and if you get past those watch out you don't drop those latest super forged gold lines whatsits down the hole where the oil gets sucked back through the new super duper oil sucker thingy.

Where's the cable, oh there isn't one there?? It's controlled by this latest fighter jet technology fly by wire system using resisters and capacitors and transistors and mother boards with the latest 4.5ghz running 3000mhz you know what's.

I think that about covers it. Shall we try an oil change. Maybe not cos it's the latest alloy casting where the sump bolt goes and if you don't use precisely 20lbs per inch or kilos per centimetre on that nice new digital torque wrench then you are going to strip the plug hole and the you will be up for more mulla cos it will need drilling out and inserting and oh shit

[HungusMaximist]

^ +1 on that post

I am definitely not mechnically minded but I do enjoy fiddling around and bonding with mates over some mechanical work.

I'll do what I can armed with a Haynes manual and good mates like oil, battery, fairings, throttle cable, air filter and brake pads. But I do have to say it is down to alot on the bike, some people won't touch old bikes and vice versa.

Somethings I have done probably will never do again unless it's absolutely nescessary as end of the day, time is money, so if you can afford it/don't know what you're doing then get it sorted at the shops, but I have to say, I like learning and some of the skills you go away with stays you life long and it just might become useful in a accident related situation.

On another note, there isn't enough good qualified motorcycle mechanics in NZ!

[martybabe]

I used to work with the AA breakdown service patrol boys and if they got a call out to an old motor they'd jump up and down like it was double xmas or somat. 3 or 4 patrols would turn up to a Ford anglia, cause they could get down and dirty.

A modern Renault ? a 30 second look followed by, " yeah no it's fooked mate, Ill get ya a tow truck"

Ya just can't fiddle like ya used to.

[geoffm]

All true, and a whole pile of things causing it.
One thing I think is the changing lifestyles. How many people have a decent garage and somewhere to work that you can pull a motor down and leave the bits around while you work on it? Most modern houses seem to have a 2 car garage - if they are small cars and there is nothing else in the garage as well. As for apartments.... Not to mention neighbours complaining about the noise

I will have a go at fixing most things, but I work long hours and by the time th eweekend comes, I really can't be bothered crawling under cars, etc. I do oil changes and services, but don't have the enthusiasm and time any more for pulling motors down.
I find it really relaxing pottering in the shed - as long as I don't have to meet a deadline, have something runnign to get to work the next day or whatever. I finally started fixing a couple of weatherboards in the weekend - only taken 2 years...

[mashman]

Popped the bonnet and stood their looking amazed at what appeared to be the main reactor out of the Starship Enterprise. Cables plugs, wires, goodies hanging off everwhere and no room to spin a spanner.

damn that made me laugh, brought back a Shatner line from Airplane 2 when he starts to lose it with all the "Flashing and Bleeping aaannnndd Bleeeeping and FLAAAAAAASHING..."

[Headbanger]

This is actually somewhat of a red herring. Firstly, those on salary don't get paid more (or less) for more (or less) hours spent. I could argue that instead of doing my own maintainence, I could take on more private work (I charge out at $150 per hour for private stuff), and use the proceeds to pay someone else to do the maintainence.

etc etc

Yeah, You kind of missed my point, I get paid quite a lot less per hour then what I would pay a mechanic, But my time with my family is worth more to me then either sum of cash. I won't see them again until Friday night.

There other factors of course, One being that I'm not great at it, the other being I don't find it very enjoyable, and don't see it as a "fun time" for me and my kids.And I can afford to have it done.


But that's just what works for me, I'm not suggesting anyone else has to follow my lead, If someone gets satisfaction from pulling apart an engine then more power to them.........

Hell, I only discovered my bike had a dipstick when the oil light came on, Then I rode her straight from the cafe to the mechanic and forked over $120 to get her topped up.





Ok, thats not true.

[bmz2]

Well it's good to see the cannot do kiwi's is alive and well.I go into peoples garages everyday and i find the under 40's, 90% of the time, they don't even have a hammer.
Forgot that is in the hot water cupboard. While this is happening you guy's are making me rich. PLEASE PLEASE KEEP IT UP

While people say i rather have a life style[bullshit]. They are paying money out to people who are getting a far better life style and getting rich off you. You who would rather go out and spend their money in restraints that serve a meal that i would not put in front of my cat. Spend money over a bar , and they call that a life style..The can do attitude is what the kiwi life style is a bout , people have forgotten about this, and have stopped doing it .It's all about the dollar not the pride and challenge of attempting the not impossible. Shit i built a 40foot launch , my own homes and brought up a family that has traveled the world. The only way to get these thing was to do it myself. money saved on the projects have allowed me to have a better than average life. I was not born with a silver spoon , but i have made a silver spoon

[Motu]

Motor vehicles are no problem to me,even modern ones....or else I'm out of a job! For me Consumer Rights has severely cut into my skills - we just aren't allowed to repair things anymore.....now matter how good the ''repair'',the customer will still complain,so no more repairs,you have to have a $new part sir.

Around home I'm capable of anything,I just don't like to.Being a sort of engineer,I find working in wood lacking some what in precision,and that annoys me so much I don't like to do it.A couple of months ago my wife was fitting some new door latches (because I moan too much) but being 20 years newer they sat about 1/2mm proud of the door - so with a sharp chisel I took the 1/2mm off so they sat flush.I can handle a precision wood working repair,but anything with more than a 1mm gap will see me smashing it up.I can't paint a kitchen wall as well as I can paint a petrol tank.

But even though I am more of an all rounder than the later generations,I pale in comparison to my grandfather.He worked in the kauri forests,working bullock teams....ran his own trucking business....became a mechanic...butchered his own beasts....and still in the family is the kitchen suite he made,an expanding table and 6 chairs,all made from rewarewa and as good as anything you could buy in a shop.My other grandfather was a horse breeder/trainer,still operator,and made his own haybailer in the '30's just by looking at his neighbours - and with no electricity and my mother working the bellows for his forge....he made his own.

I hate to think what my kids will be capable of......

[Headbanger]

While people say i rather have a life style[bullshit]. They are paying money out to people who are getting a far better life style and getting rich off you. Y

I know where my mechanic lives.........and it ain't that flash........Lmao.

[bmz2]

I know where my mechanic lives.........and it ain't that flash........Lmao.

So he doesn't live in aucklnd then , dude,

[Dave-]

one thing i cant stand is when someone comes into my store looks at me and says "I've got photos on my memory card and i don't know how to print them can you do it?"

DID YOU EVEN FUCKING TRY?!?!

and it's not as if it's a game, the instructions are right there...on the screen in plain English..."put your memory card in the corresponding slot to the right"

then they sit there and point at the screen to the photos they want...another inch and you're doing it yourself...

first time working at my new job and the manager is all "this is the printer you..." "yeah i touch the screen, memory cards there, select that one then this, here's the edits, hit print, what's the code? is the code always the same?"

he says "oh so you've done this before?"

"nope."

kiwi can do attitude gone? yes, in 99% of the population.

[Headbanger]

So he doesn't live in aucklnd then , dude,

Why?, Do Auckland mechanics live in palaces?

[westie]

I do concur that there are alot of squids out there too lazy to give things a try. Oh! The energy spent on using the grey matter. As dave here says, Too lazy to even give it a poke.

Well I dont think its dead, yet. Definately hard to find.

Things(like motorcycle parts) are easy to get hold of these days so people opt for the time saving of buying a part intsead of putting it back together with varying glues and no 8 fence wire(had to do this on the weekend to hold my muffler on). I've been told its "the throw" away generation, as in if its broke then throw it away and get a new one.

I was always taught to fix it before you throw it away.

[bmz2]

Headbanger, the world is changing dude , trades people are now being paid more than ever. And yes we are living in very nice area's and homes. but if you are just looking at where people live, area wise, then you need to look deeper, A lot of people live in places that they can not afford , but they do it to keep up with the type of job they perform.Or they rent not own. lifestyle. . But if people want to pay for services then thats OK, but the kiwi can do is dying and it's a shame. Do not look at one trades person . Maybe we remove tech subjects from schools , and we pay to sit the trades through uni and come out with a degree and then watch us charge , won't be 80 dollars for 1/2 on site I'll charge 160 for half on site any way got to go and pack off to OZ for a couple of weeks