Why do some mechanics look down on or have a negative view of people who aren't mechanically inclined or work on their cars?
Posted by Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 66 comments
Ain't those the kind of people who keep them in business? Some dudes act like if you can't do shop talk about cars somehow you're less of a man.
NutzNBoltz369@reddit
That's dumb. Competent mechanics exist so that car owners don't have to feel they need to DIY.
SAEftw@reddit
We are confused as to why you don’t value our skills and compensate us accordingly when you make way more money than we do. You treat us like trash. At least show some respect.
Most of you couldn’t find your ass with both hands, but someone will pay you crazy money for some obtuse singular skill. We are highly competent people with a multitude of skills and could probably do your job better than you. You should be thankful we don’t switch careers and put you out of work.
Before anyone makes any snide remarks, I have a BS in Mech Engineering. I chose to work on cars because if I had to work in an office environment, they would find bodies in the dumpster every month.
There are team sports, and there are individual sports. Being a mechanic is an individual pursuit. There’s no one to help, and no one else to blame. It’s all on you. You succeed or fail on your own merit. You get immediate gratification from a job well done, often more than once a day.
The work is its own reward.
Organic-End-9767@reddit
It's the same concept in IT when someone is complaining and frustrated about their computer or phone not working but hasn't tried restarting it first...
rudbri93@reddit
some people are cunts, some of those cunts are mechanics.
Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit (OP)
I've got a acquaintance whose a mechanic and he's kind of a pick that way. Always talking down on people who come in because they can't do their oil change, change their breaks, or swap spark plugs. Like these people are the ones who keep you in business. It'd be like an electrician talking shit about somebody who doesn't know how to do wiring while doing the electric in their home.
Br0boc0p@reddit
I can do all those things. I just make decent money now and am tired of wrenching on cars outside of recreational purposes.
Sweet-Gushin-Gilfs@reddit
As long as you’re not that way to paying customers, it’s fine.
What tends to happen a lot, in my experience, is that people that aren’t paying customers don’t value your time. What I mean by that is family, friends, acquaintances, and even just friends of family asking for favours. Like, I’m good helping direct family. But your friends? Nuhuh. Distant cousins? Nope. It took me valuable time out of my life to learn this shit, you don’t get it for free. If you want it cheaper, learn it yourself. I think these experiences make a lot of mechanics jaded and cause the issues you’re having.
bkkgnar@reddit
He’s right, though. Those are all easy things that anyone can do with some time and youtube.
coffeebribesaccepted@reddit
Not everyone has a garage or driveway to do oil changes in, and most don't have the expertise to notice metal shavings in the oil or perform inspections to see any other potential issues. Not to mention it takes 5 times longer to do even basic car work when you have to go to the store to buy special tools, find and watch videos on how to do it, rewatch the video to make sure you're not missing any steps, and struggle for 30 minutes to pull a stupid part out when it just popped right out for the guy in the video.
bkkgnar@reddit
Okay? And? Is there any point at all to your comment?
Yeah anyone can screw up anything, even something as smooth brain easy as an oil change. So what?
Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit (OP)
Right, but then he wouldn't be making money if those people learned it themselves and quit coming to him.
Advanced-Power991@reddit
oil changes do not make us money, this is the reasons quick lube shops can stay in business
JWBootheStyle@reddit
As someone that used to own a Shop, there's almost no money in those jobs. Unless you're churning them out one after another, you don't make that much. They're time filler jobs. The real money is in actual, non warranty, repairs. That pays in to it a little for some guys, too
bkkgnar@reddit
You don’t have to respect customers to do a job well. I did IT for 6 years and I sure as hell did not respect any of the users I had to coddle, but I was nice to them and solved their problems.
ADisposableRedShirt@reddit
I made a living designing hard disks and later solid state disks before I retired. I'd like to see him do that job.
I can turn a wrench if I have to. I choose not to.
onion4everyoccasion@reddit
As Archer might say: can't or won't? I can do these things but my time is more valuable elsewhere
captainstormy@reddit
I never understand people like that. We live in a world with highly specialized labor and skills. We chose to build our society in a way that basically nobody can be 100% self sufficient. Nobody knows everything they would need to know to do everything they need done in their lives.
Cranks_No_Start@reddit
I always loved people that didn't touch their cars...It just meant I didn't have figure out and fix their fuckups before finding the real problem.
slammed430@reddit
How a lot of old dudes talk when they’ve worked a job for 30 years… they do it everyday and forget to remember that everyone has different professions. I do believe everyone should do some basics on their car though.
rudbri93@reddit
yea ive seen it a lot. some people just want a reason to put themselves above others in the hierarchy in their head.
ZeGermanHam@reddit
For me, I look down on vehicle owners who are so oblivious that they don't notice when an important warning light turns on, never have basic routine maintenance performed, don't know how to check their oil level, and will continue driving their vehicle even when why oil is do low you can hear the valvetrain clattering.
AdFabulous3959@reddit
Mechanics are for the most part type A personalities… those are the types drawn to fixing and diagnosing issues. The “being a prick” is a bonus that comes from working a flat rate system where the cut is 80% goes to the house and your 20% doesn’t include any of the parts mark up. BUT when it comes time for the shit to hit the fan in a massive way, there are no better people on earth than mechanics.
Quietus76@reddit
Imagine spending about 20% of your monthly income on a machine that you will depend on to maintain your livelihood. You know it needs maintenance to keep working, but you don't care to do it or learn how.
Does it sound dumb when phrased that way?
Most people aren't interested in knowing how to rebuild an engine and that's fine. I think everyone should at least know how to check and when to change fluids, even if they don't want to change it themselves. It's beneficial to learn simple tasks like brakes so you don't have to pay someone 4x the cost to do it for you. Especially if you can't afford the extra cost. It's just throwing money away.
revocer@reddit
It's not just mechanics. It could be anyone that has a negative view of people that aren't into the things that they are into. Or knowledgable to the things they are into.
SkeletorsAlt@reddit
Not really. Doctors and lawyers don't make fun of you for not understanding medicine or law. Some of them act like only they could understand such complex subjects.
I bet there are other industries that are the same, but off the top of my head mechanics are S-Tier at devaluing their own knowledge and skills.
revocer@reddit
I’ve met some pretty crappy holier than thou doctors and lawyers. The point is, that it isn’t the profession, but orthogonal to the profession.
SkeletorsAlt@reddit
Ah, I got you.
I think you’re probably largely correct, but anecdotally auto techs I’ve known are likely to act like everyone should know what a camshaft is, whereas doctors I know aren’t out there acting like I’m an idiot if I don’t know what the parietal lobe is.
I guess it’s two different ways to look down on someone.
ReditTosser2@reddit
Dr's. and lawyers are some of the most egotistical and narcissistic people around. Go find an RN and ask about their typical encounter with a Doctor. Lawyers only care about 2 things, winning cases and making alot of money.
Even wonder why both are only needed when you are in the shittiest of times in your life?
timtam_z28@reddit
I'm not a mechanic, but cars and the mechanics of them are just something that naturally peaks my interest. I get the fact that people don't care much to learn about their vehicle. I try not to judge them for it.
BUT, I saw a red Ford GT getting gas the other day. I honestly just wanted a closer look at it. "Is that a 2006?" Guy was like, "Yeah, wow, really good guess." I wasn't really guessing. "5.4L right?" I'm just making small talk, but the guy didn't know, he got really flustered and started googling it. And I'm like, "that's alright, real nice car man." You own an iconic machine, you should now the very basics of the car. I hate to say it, but you don't deserve that car.
The judgement comes when people know nothing about their cars. So little that the mechanic can't even explain what's going on with the car for you to understand and why it's important to fix a particular component. I'm a car guy, so I'm going to ask people about their cars. Most people don't even know the sub model, they don't know the year, they don't know what their MPG is, let alone how to check the oil or put air in their tires. So yeah, I can see why a mechanic could get annoyed with people, because they haven't a clue about their vehicles. These days it's usually our #1 or #2 asset. You should at least know something about it and the general basics about how to care for it. That's probably when judgement can set in.
67valiant@reddit
I might be able to shed some light here. For context, I am a mechanical tradesman, but I've never worked on cars for employment. Never dealt with customers. I worked on aircraft then went into mining on heavy diesel equipment, then process plant. Outside of work, I've worked on cars and bikes extensively and in motorsport.
First up, those guys are being dicks, no question. And it does earn them money, so they should be more professional.
But where they are coming from is basically, why do some guys not even have the inclination at any point in their lives to learn basic skills? Is there no curiosity about how things work? Depending on that mechanic's level of maturity, they might then go on saying things like you're too busy painting your nails to open the hood and don't want to break one getting your hands dirty. The point is they are dickswinging because; 1. they can, and 2. not even having a go at doing something yourself is something they associate with women. So in their mind, those guys are useless and feminine. That's why certain shop talk exists, like do you need a real man to service your Mrs for you aswell? Like I said, level of maturity at play... And I can guarantee some chauvinism, if a woman is in their shop how they get treated will depend on how attractive she is.
Most mechanics have always had a fuck around and find out mentality, I understand this because I'm the same, that's why I was always doing stuff to my pushbike or motorbike, had a project car at 14. You play around. And with YouTube these days anyone can learn these super easy and basic skills on cars. But I understand a lot of people don't grow up like that. I've never expected people to know anything because on an aircraft, nobody is even allowed to touch it except maintenance. Same with heavy diesel. Same with process equipment. Some people just can't understand that others are not like them and don't have the maturity to not act like an asshat.
sps49@reddit
Because a lot of it seems so easy that it’s hard to comprehend someone who doesn’t understand what they feel are the basics.
RealSprooseMoose@reddit
Professional Tech here, we're jealous that you can make a living without turning wrenches :P
In seriousness though, I've worked with many many other technicians and haven't come across this. Likely they are looking down on you (or said person) for a different reason.
The amount of times I've had to fix people's fuck ups, or been told their buddy could do it cheaper, or say they know to do it from YouTube (and yet I'm here doing it) is insane.
We (and any other human) have tons of reasons to look down on people, but someone bring humbly ignorant of vehicle repair is not one of them.
outline8668@reddit
I'm a professional mechanic too. The only time I ever really come across this is when a customer comes in loaded with arrogance. The vast, vast, majority of customers are reasonable and I've never seen any other tech have an issue with that.
I do think people should at least have a basic understanding and curiosity of the concepts of how the world around them works. Like I understand conceptually how a nuclear reactor works. I couldn't operate or repair one.
Maecenium@reddit
Because that was your choice not to learn.
The same attitude would annoy a doctor (if you start talking about quantuum vibrational homeopatics)
your lawyer, landscaper or... Anyone
While the rest is robotic, mechanics will be honest and tell you what they think
Auxillis@reddit
That’s more or less the attitude the older generation had and passed it down to their kids and grandkids that eventually went on to wrench.
Sacabubu@reddit
Not all but a lot of them are broke/dumb and it's their way of feeling superior to a white collar dude who doesn't get their hands dirty.
Affectionate_Sort_78@reddit
Sort of relate to look down on someone without basic competencies in life skills. You should understand an oil change. You should be able to change a tire. You should be able to start a lawnmower. I know people who can’t, get along with them fine, but I do judge them a little bit.
Had a friend who just bought an F250 ask me to bring him a hammer to borrow. Was good enough friends to tell him to f-off, that anyone who could spend $100k on a truck should own his own hammer.
No_Honeydew7872@reddit
Just want to say. I am one of those mechanics.
My main reason being that those people who are not mechanically inclined or work on their cars are also the people who stand over your shoulder and tell you how to do your job.
Most times, not all the time. There are some people who are extremely nice and just say, "Do what needs to be done, that's why I bring it to you." It's a bad habit, I know, but it really helps to get rid of the people who grind your gears.
AScaredWrencher@reddit
This happens in the car community too. I'm still learning and there's some shit I just don't know and am open when I go to a shop. I'd think a mechanic would rather people not do shit and take it somewhere than try and fuck up and now they can't afford it.
largos7289@reddit
To me I would be appalled if i didn't do my own maintenance items like brakes, oil and plugs. You SHOULD be able to do it, now if you didn't have time i can give you some slack. Bigger things oh yea they got the specialty tools to do that work and the lift. Like i'm contemplating having my guy do the plugs in my truck. I can do it, but they are a huge PIA. He knows i'm giving him the jobs i don't want to do.
runningsoap@reddit
I mostly just make fun of the people who drive around with bald tires and no oil
halfcocked1@reddit
I think they may have a superiority/inferiority complex. They try to make themselves seem superior in something they know a lot about to avoid feeling inferior about other things. An extreme example would be when a rich lawyer takes their fancy car into the shop to get work done so the mechanic has to prop himself up regarding mechanics to feel better about himself since he's busting his knuckles all day to drive an average pickup, while the lawyer has the fancy lifestyle.
MaximumTrick2573@reddit
Car girl here, it can take on a real fun element of sexism (or idk what) pretty quick too. I few years back I was in the market for a sports car, and I visited a few dealerships to look at some options. We are talking mostly mid to higher end places (Porsche, BMW, Audi, Toyota). Often I would visit these places while on vacation with my boyfriend because we live in a small town with no dealerships. The number of sales people that would address my boyfriend/try to sell him on the car and completely ignore me standing right there even though I was the one with the money and car shopping for my self was staggering. It didn't get any better when I went alone either. Many places just didn't think I could possibly be a serious buyer. One told me that I had to give them a check for 25k and put the show car on my own insurance before I could TEST DRIVE it. Another could not tell me shit all about the car, but seemed to think I gave a fuck to hear for 20 minutes all about how they sold the same car to Hulk Hogan. (Do I look like I care?) The judgment of people in the industry if they think you are a certain stereotype can be severe.
At the end of the day I did find a dealership that was very professional. Ended up with a Toyota Supra and am very happy with both my car and the quality of sales and service. There are plenty of stinkers in every industry but not everyone is a judgmental ass hat. If you try to favor giving your dollars to the good ones eventually the bad apples will die out.
runningsoap@reddit
I dont expect people to have full set of mechanical skills. But I judge when a grown adult doesn’t bother to learn how to properly maintain something that cost them thousands of dollars and is a 2 ton fire propelled metal box.
what_irish@reddit
Some people seem to try not to learn anything about cars. And it’s stupid. You spend tens of thousands of dollars on something and get pissed when it falls apart because they never opened the manual once to realize what the basic maintenance requirements are.
I’ve never been upset with someone for not knowing what a camshaft or torque converter is. However if you’re over the age of 25 and don’t understand at a minimum that changing your oil is important and have a simple understanding that it lubricates the engine, you are choosing to live in ignorance. And there’s no telling how far that ignorance goes and are apart of a societal problem.
Dedward5@reddit
Wait until you find out about IT support people.
LeatherRebel5150@reddit
I think it’s more of, people don’t respect those who seem unwilling to learn. If you’re unwilling to learn some rudimentary stuff then you get less respect from the people that have learned it. That magnifies the simpler the task/information to learn actually is. Hell, if you told me you didn’t know how to put air in your tire and I told you how and then you went “can you just do it?” I wouldn’t respect you either
sohcgt96@reddit
People suck at perspective sometimes. If other people don't know about the things you know about, they're clearly stupid. If they don't like the things you like, they have terrible taste. If they don't do things you do that take physical work, you're less of a man. They have no concept of anybody outside of themselves and what their life might be.
There just aren't enough hours in a week for everybody to learn how to do everything and modern cars honestly require so little upkeep for the average person most of the time its not worth accumulating the tools and learning the skill for how many times in your life you'd ever have to do anything... unless you drive old beaters that need a lot of work, or you're just into it. For most of my life I've been both of those, but now that both the family cars are newer and rarely need anything done, I can see how and why most people don't really bother learning.
Advanced-Power991@reddit
it is not those that don;t work on thier own cars, it is those who have no clue about theri cars telling us we are wrong that are the problem. If you want to tell us we are wrong then why did you waste our time on diagnosising the problem in the first place?
Logical-Following525@reddit
Many carpeople just feel frustrated when normal people fork over all of their money when they could have easily done the work themselves. My father in law would literally go to the dealer to replace a lightbulb before i showed him that he can do it himself.
Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit (OP)
So is it more a matter of principle then? Like anyone with common sense should be able to do it kind of thing.
Logical-Following525@reddit
Yes, most people just don't trust themselves enough. The internet is full with tutorials and there are enough people that are willing to teach you. You just have to trust yourself.
Sun_Bro96@reddit
I just hate everyone and hate being asked “my car sounds funny do you think it’s my fuel filter?”
After caffeine I only mildly dislike everyone.
ItJustBorks@reddit
Low intelligence. They can't understand how other people are different from them. Very common among tradies.
MarcusAurelius0@reddit
I don't look down on people. I do however shake my head heavily at people who know fuck all about the 2nd or 1st most expensive thing they will ever own.
It is in a vehicle owners best interest to have a basic understand of how a car works, how to do basic shit like change a wheel and tire, check fluids, diagnose minor issues like dead battery, and assess damage.
For example, someone posted an image of a hole in a plastic under tray asking how bad the damage was. Common sense can answer that question.
SLAPUSlLLY@reddit
Douchbag and terrible business sense. If they could do that work then mechanic is out of a job.
As someone who loves cars but has no skill/desire to fix them I'll take my business elsewhere.
Amarathe_@reddit
Well some bad apples spoil the bunch. Usually i want to educate my customers not talk down to them, seems like the later is a great way to lose customers.
Much_Profit8494@reddit
From what I have seen most experienced techs actually make more money and are much higher on the economic ladder than their customers. - However, you would never know that from their physical appearance (not professional at all, constantly dirty, drive older vehicles, etc.)
I that type of behavior is a defense mechanism in that regard. - Its their way of letting everyone know "Hey, I'm actually more import that you are, even if It doesn't appear that way!"
Odd_Hat6001@reddit
Very simple. Vote with your wallet.
Royal-Bicycle-8147@reddit
I think it is just the idea, if you have no understanding how it works, you likely fall in to a category of just not knowing how to take proper care of things. I don't see it as really having a negative towards non-mechanically inclined, but it isn't a difficult thing to grasp a basic understanding of something you will use almost every day of your life. If you can't change your own brakes, that is fine, but you need to know how to add oil, antifreeze, fill your tires with air, etc at the very least.
I have more of a negative view of people who think they know about car repair from Youtube videos and assume it is going to take 20 minutes like it did in the video.
YT_Milo_Sidequests@reddit
They're just shitty people.
ThePartyLeader@reddit
I have a negative view of anyone who isn't curious enough to at least gain a basic understanding of how things work/what they are buying.
Do I look down on you for not doing your own brakes. Most likely no.
Do I look down on someone driving a very expensive or dangerous car who doesn't know how brakes work. Probably Its the whole "four wheel drive doesn't help you stop"
That being said I am sure my mechanics probably would be happier if I didn't do work on my car sometimes.
Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit
Does it make you feel like less of a man?
Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit (OP)
Me? No not really lol. I know how to change a tire, my oil, and keep everything maintained. It's just an attitude I've noticed among certain mechanics, not all by any means though.
Heavy_Gap_5047@reddit
Then why care?
Averagecrabenjoyer69@reddit (OP)
Because it's a curiosity, and this whole sub is dedicated to asking car guys questions. So I asked.