The Shadetree Mechanics vs Professional Repair

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There was once a time when people would get up on a Saturday morning, go into the garage, and tinker with their car, everything from a basic oil change and a tune up, to replacing the cylinder heads, and everything in between. It was a rite of passage for young boys to follow dad into the garage and have some good quality father/ son time, or it was a few friends getting together for an afternoon of friendship and camaraderie. It was a simpler time and a simpler car. Today, times have changed. Modern cars are now so complex that a person needs specialized training and tools to do the repairs; however, the “Shadetree Mechanic” is not extinct yet.
The simple car that was easy to fix with some simple tools have now become as complex as a supercomputer on wheels. Most people today have decided that automobiles of today are too complicated and just send their cars to a professional for repairs. As of January 2013, the average age of a vehicle operating on the roads today is 11.4 years old. (Associated Press, 2013). People are holding on to their cars a lot longer than in the past. Although, some claim that it is because today’s cars last longer. There is no doubt that today’s economy is also playing a part in the public’s reluctance to part with their older vehicles. However, cars will always need repairs.
There will come a time when the car a person owns will need some necessary maintenance, or something breaks and has to be replaced. Labor rates for auto repairs have skyrocketed, with rates averaging from $100-$138 an hour. (Roth, 2011) If a repair is complex enough, that hourly rate may not be a factor, but with some repairs, a person may find that the labor costs are a lot more expensive than the part that is being replaced. I...

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Funk, T. (2012, April 13). Do it yourself car care?. Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/do-it-yourself-car-care-1
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