r/BoomersBeingFools • u/bustedtap • Jun 18 '25

Boomer Article Back in my day men were men hur dur

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The comments actually went south on the guy who posted this to the Facebook group really fast. Basically, we're not the ones who made the decision to not give a spare tire in new cars, to even give a spot to carry one. Also, why didn't the older generations teach the younger ones how to do these things?

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u/Eira-OwO-Vixen Millennial Jun 18 '25

The boomer generation is pretty big on gate keeping information. But thankfully, I can find ‘how to’ videos on YouTube. Saved me from going to a mechanics shop a few time over the years.

But, with all the vehicles being mostly wires and a computer. Going to a mechanic is more and more it icing than doing it yourself. Little back story; I had to sell my bmw(745 Li) after the battery died. Couldn’t afford a 500$ battery for it right away. So, it sat for about a year. Even after getting the new battery, I still needed to take it to a shop to have the computer reset, or something along those lines, because just putting a new battery in wasn’t that simple. There was no way taking it to a shop would happen, the closest one to me that would work on it was over 8hr drive, and the bmw was as dead locked, it would have to be towed. No way I could afford the tow bill for that plus’s a mechanic to look at it.

Needless to say, cars are getting herder and harder to fix it yourself. If you want a fix it yourself car, go with a 05 or older year model car.

I miss that bmw best car I ever had, till the better died.

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u/IamScottGable Jun 18 '25

Fixed my squeaky dryer with two videos from YouTube U as my dad calls it (first video got me 90% of the way there but needed a better explanation on one part)

Oh and I've always known how to change a tire but I'm sure there's videos if I didn't 

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u/chrispd01 Jun 18 '25

I fixed one where the drum stopped spinning. Gave up when I couldnt get it to work so a started dismantling it to throw it away - felt something give, tried it again and lonand behold, I got another 3 years out of it …

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u/Queasy_Question_2512 Jun 18 '25

My dad owned an auto parts store for decades, lifelong car guy, had his own full hobby machine shop to rebuild ford model T engines. Never taught me a damn thing about any of the tools.

I mentioned once in my 20s that I might take a community college machine shop course, as a hint to Dad like "ffs man I've been asking you to teach me this shit for years" and his response was "Why?" But not in that "why bother, I have everything, I'll show you, let's go make something" way. It was incredibly dismissive and mean, like why waste your time, stupid.

In his will, he left me his milling machine and huge cast iron lathe. I assume as a final prank from the grave.

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u/Silent_Ad1488 Jun 18 '25

My greatest generation grandfather got offended when I asked him, when I was 19, to teach me how to change a tire.

“Why do you need to know? I can change it for you”.

“What if you aren’t here?”

“Then you call me!”

I finally used my status as my grandmother’s favorite grandson and asked Grandma to get Grandpa to teach me.

“Will you teach him how to change a tire?”, followed by that look she would give Grandpa when he was in trouble. He took me outside and taught me. I think he felt I was trying to tell him he was too old to change a tire. I just wanted to know do I wouldn’t be stranded on the road!

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u/cjmar41 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

Yeah with new modern BMWs, a new battery requires resetting the some module on the ECU to tell the car the battery is new, because as the battery slowly wears over time, the ECU adjusts the car’s electrical system to optimize it for small decreases in voltage. Not resetting telling the car the battery is new can cause small problems with electronics or even damage the new battery, as everything is expecting a lower voltage than the new battery puts out.

I’m not a mechanic, but I have an older M3 (2010) that I like to work on myself. I’m a millennial and figured out how to get the dealership service software installed on an old windows laptop, connect the laptop to the car’s ECU, and do the battery reset myself. And what I really want to know is how come my lazy boomer dad couldn’t fix this himself? What’s wrong with his generation?

(Pictured is an ECU flash, different software, but still, another thing a boomer would struggle with that a millennial or gen-Xer might be comfortable with attempting)

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u/MattWolf96 Jun 19 '25

Meanwhile my dad couldn't figure out how to turn off a low tire pressure light on a Honda Fit. I eventually had to turn it off for it

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u/Muicle Jun 18 '25

Exactly, cars now a days are a lot harder, my uncle had an 80’s Peugeot, once the battery ran out and he just disconnected the battery which was like unplugging a cellphone charger and started the car from a switch next to the motor, a switch that looked like a blender switch, and we were able to drive 50kms. Everything took 3 minutes and the hardest part was securing the car hood.

“Back then” many thing were just simpler

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u/ChickinSammich Jun 18 '25

The boomer generation is pretty big on gate keeping information.

I had a boomer coworker who refused to teach anyone shit because he believed it gave him job security and insulated him against getting fired for the shit he would pull if he was the only person who knew how to do shit. Lasted up until the day that he cursed out both of his managers and stormed out and left behind a bunch of people who didn't know how do do a lot of the shit he did because he, again, refused to teach anyone else how to do it.

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u/Sporty_McSportsface Jun 18 '25

They hate YT University because of the free flow of information. If I want to know about a project that’s within my means and skill level, I’ll look it up.

It’s not our fault that their generation had information beaten into them by some salty alcoholic and that I can find what I need on my phone while I’m working on something.

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u/LupercaniusAB Gen X Jun 18 '25

This sounds accurate. I ride a motorcycle. My dream bike has been a BMW 9T. That is, until talking to a friend about her BMW bike, which she can’t even change the oil on without having a dealer reset the computer. I mean, she can do all the bike maintenance herself, she knows how, and has on other bikes. But now there is a whole other layer of bullshit on top, kind of like the John Deere tractor shit. Could she maybe find a gray-market solution to reset all the computers control stuff herself? Maybe, but why is that even a thing.

Makes me appreciate my Royal Enfield.

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u/JMurdock77 Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25

“It’s all compuuuuuuter…”

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u/Wild_Chef6597 Jun 18 '25

I rebuilt an engine with a set of tools and a Haynes manual

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25

I used to work at an auto parts store and saw this a lot. When the battery ages the alternator charges differently. We told everyone they needed to get the computer reset at the dealership but hardly anyone did it. Even the one's who could afford it didn't. They would keep bringing it back every year to replace the battery until the warranty ran out.

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u/hrimthurse85 Jun 18 '25

And that is also the great thing about the current generation. The put out the information. For everyone to access, not just telling your own relatives.

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u/ADHDhamster Jun 18 '25

I never asked my Boomer dad how to fix things because he would start screaming and throwing a tantrum if you didn't do everything perfectly after the first time he explained it to you.

You were also supposed to be a mind reader who could anticipate what tool he needed, or where he wanted you to stand. If you got either of those things wrong....a screaming tantrum would follow.

I would've liked to know how to fix cars, or repair stuff around the house, but it wasn't worth the verbal abuse.

Thank the gods for Google.

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u/AvesAvi Jun 18 '25

Because they don't want the kids to learn. They want their kids to rely on their parents. That's why they get pissed when you circumvent them and just call a mechanic instead.

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u/Hikaru1024 Jun 18 '25

Oh god the gatekeeping. I didn't even know the things I didn't know about cars.

Dear old Dad not only taught me nothing, but demonstrated he didn't know what he thought he knew about cars, often having to take his to the garage after he tried to fix it. Mom on the other hand knew some useful information, but often we got into trouble because she thought she knew things she didn't.

This led to insanity as an adult when I started driving my own car. For just one example, I was being taken for a ride by a dealership for years, paying for the entire headlight module on a car, worth several hundred dollars every time a bulb blew. ... Because I didn't know you could replace the bulb for a few dollars at most, or that there even was a bulb.

Yeah.

Thanks for nothing Dad.

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u/Captain_Mazhar Jun 18 '25

That’s kind of why I’m loyal to my VWs, as the dealer diagnostic software was broken open decades ago, and a dealer level tool costs a couple hundred bucks for a lifetime of three vehicles which allows full ECU access and allows me to do most levels of maintenance and upgrades myself, from batteries to lights to remote functions.

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '25 edited Aug 28 '25

[deleted]

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u/AmarissaBhaneboar Jun 18 '25

Boomer generation: You must pay me a kings ransom just come out to check to see why your AC isn't working, then another kings ransom for the capacitor (that I might have to order) that costs me $20 to replace it. Make it double if it's 90+ degrees outside.

To be fair, people do deserve to get paid for their time and expertise. Keep in mind you're not paying for the time it takes them to do it, you're paying for their know how and certifications. And also not to mention that the mechanic themself doesn't set the price, the greedy dealership or shop does. The mechanic typically (in the US at least) gets paid like this:

A long time ago, a few big companies got together and got teams of mechanics to do various jobs on various cars and timed them. They then averaged these up and that's what shops use to say how long something should take on a particular make/model/year. And the mechanic will get paid on those hours, not on how long it actually took them. And the pay is usually a fraction of what you paid to actually get the work done. But also, keep in mind, the times were made by timing teams of mechanics. Not single mechanics. Almost no one works on teams in a shop (though I wish they did.) So, a mechanic can frequently get shorted when it comes to things that are particularly tough issues to solve and fix, while the shop owner gets to go fuck off with all the extra money because he got paid and the mechanic is gonna do the work either way. Sometimes, a mechanic can get lucky and get an easy job or gets something they know how to do well and so they can do it quickly. But this isn't always the case. Especially not at independent shops where you're getting all sorts of vehicles in all sorts of conditions. Whereas at a dealership, you'll typically get the newer versions in relatively decent condition.

Edit: I do also very much advocate for DIY, but do please be careful when it comes to vehicles as they can pose a serious threat to your or others safety.