Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for November 05, 2019

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, Arlo.

Getting the whatchamacallit detached is half the battle!

Husband bought a second loom, a small one to take to craft shows to demonstrate. The loom cost US$149. The stand for the loom costs US$100. He did not buy a stand due to the price. He was going to use it on a small table. This did not work out. We have spent 4 days, about $50-60 in lumber and hardware making a stand for the loom. He actually made himself ill working on it and planning it. It was finished last night. This afternoon he ordered the stand for the loom.

Technology has not leveled the playing field. I used to be able to do minor work on my cars but I can’t even get the air filter off now!

By trying to save $50.00 USD it’s going to cost you at least $350.00 USD.

So true. I just replaced the entire exhaust system on my Tundra. I saved $2,000, but that was an awful job.

Where’s Ludwig when Arlo needs him?

YouTube vids are fine if you’ve got some skill to begin with. The car you rely on to get to work isn’t the place to try to build those skills though. ;)

All of those how to videos on YouTube are great. But one must still know one’s limits.

I’ve never even changed my oil. Always felt there’s somebody, somewhere, feeding his family by doing such things. Give him a chance.

Yeah! When you find him, you leave him a snarky comment, Arlo!

Ahhhh… and the driveway!! Who’s going to pressure wash all that off??

It’s a good thing he didn’t try the directions to the YouTube video for heart surgery.

This is an excellent strip on how the internet makes us all a little more stupid then we were before.

The medium is the message.

Marshall McLuhan, what’re ya doin’?

gnomes law- 10 minutes of video is equals to 10 hours labor….

When I was young I used to service and repair my cars, but ever since I can afford to, I get a garage to do it – there is nothing like being under a car on a cold winters night, getting dirt in your face so you fix it ready to go to work in it next day to determine you really don’t like doing it.

Looks like Janis will be getting a new car, soon.

Technology becomes more complex faster that the average idiot becomes more savvy using it.

I stopped working on cars when it was too hard to get up off the ground. Besides, they are soo much better than 30-40 years ago. They rarely break.

Had the bendix on a 72 Ford Pinto go bad. Easy to fix. Just unscrew the starter motor, undo the two long screws that hold the cap on. Pul the old bendix and insert the new one. Ease? NOBODY told me you had to JACK THE MOTOR UP 3" to clear the exhaust. So I tired to take the cap off laying on my back. Springgg. Pieces came out all over. Towed to the shop and let them fix it. Which is where they told me “the trick”.

ah, a Subaru Outback!

Yeah. It’s soooo easy when they do it.

I’ll bet Arlo didn’t say “so and so”! ;o]

Scotty Kilmer makes repairs look far too easy.

I almost always did my own repairs. Not just cars but home repairs and improvements. I saved thousands back in the day. Sadly, I don’t anymore because it hurts too much bend over.

In my youth, I diagnosed and replaced both the water pump & the alternator on my ‘66 Ford with a crescent wrench & a pair of Vise-Grips®, and then did frequent tune-ups on my ’77 Triumph (it was a British car, so they had to be frequent…..). On my ’04 Volvo I can’t find the water pump & alternator – but I have managed to effect several small repairs with the aid of YT vids.

I use youtube for for helpful hints not to do the job.

I’ve used a few, and generally you can find a good one. There was one, however, that made me feel like an awful idiot. I had bought a pair of sweatpants with a single threaded drawstring. I was trying to find instructions to make an easy sliding knot out of the string. I found a YouTube “how-to” with step-by-step instructions, and I still couldn’t figure it out! So, I just kept trying on my own and finally got it working…

I worked in hardware stores for years. I have probably help well over 1,000 people with their home projects. I have also pointed people to you tube, at times. BUT, there are thing like mechanical aptitude and common sense, which if missing, will get you into trouble no matter how many video’s you watch. There have been times, particularly in electrical and plumbing, when I have said to someone, “This can be a very tricky project, if you get it wrong it could be really expensive to fix, perhaps you should hire a pro.”

For decades already self repair has become harder and harder. Engines have more complex systems and you need expensive specialized tools. Now the repair will cost much more.

A YouTube University alumnus. You can learn a lot from YouTube, but not everything is correct.

Never trust a surgeon who has a YouTube University diploma on his wall.

You tube videos are great! I learned to do some repairs specific to my car and also learned which repairs I should leave to a professional with the proper equipment.

To put the parts back together, please subscribe to our premium membership.

Leave it for the professionals…

One of the measures I had in my head for when I knew I had “made it” in the world was when I could afford to not service my own auto and feel good about it!

I hate the YT videos that start with “this is my first time”.

Yeah, Been there, done that. Most of those youtube howto’s are totally useless, however, they don’t show you how to actually do anything, just what needs to be done.

Updating an old joke.