Handing over the keys

[txj2go]

You learn coping mechanisms as you get older... I've got the oil drain plug wrench size written in sharpie marker on the air breather. That way I know what size wrench to take with me when I climb under. Nothing pisses me off like having to climb out from under the unit just to go get another damned wrench.

I have that information written on a piece of paper in the tool box for all 3 of our cars.

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[Retrograde]

I have that information written on a piece of paper in the tool box for all 3 of our cars.

I can't do that, because...

Me: "Where did I put that damned piece of paper?"

The struggle is real.

 

[blink9cd]

Just a thought, many of us were lucky enough to have fathers that taught us to turn a wrench, but from my observation there are a ton of guys on the forum that would be hungry for some mentoring.

For the young newbs, a nice set of tools, a garage, and a friend to teach them is hard to source. May be time to pass on the knowledge for a some complementary service and some beers.

Want to second this. Pretty much learning everything on the fly, but luckily sometimes with the help of other more experienced local Jeep club members, otherwise YouTube.

 

[Beachcomber72]

Want to second this. Pretty much learning everything on the fly, but luckily sometimes with the help of other more experienced local Jeep club members, otherwise YouTube.

 

[Retrograde]

From the comments:

That whispered "i fucked up...oh no," is my perpetual inner monologue.

LOL

 

[blink9cd]

I want to get this, butttt I've never changed my own oil before, so just have to admit....not sure what is wrong ?

 

[Kyanche]

As a senior I thought the thread was going to be about giving up driving privileges (forever). I must be paranoid.

The difference between someone who stays physically fit and someone who doesn't gets to be pretty huge after 75 or so I think. Having good genes helps! But hey! Might as well try :D Don't give up the good fight yet!

I want to get this, butttt I've never changed my own oil before, so just have to admit....not sure what is wrong ?

They're using a bottle that has a drain pan on the side. If the drain pan's drain-plug (and vent-plug) are open, the drain pan will drain into the bottle. If the vent plug is closed (the first thing she pulls in the corner), it'll go into the bottle very slowly and possibly spill over. If the drain plug is also closed, well, nothing's going to go in and the drain pan will totally overflow onto the ground lol.

Other versions of this that amuse me:

* I lost my socket that I use to remove the drain plug
* I lost my socket to change the oil filter. And I've already dumped the oil so I can't drive to the store. Oops.
* I forgot to buy a filter
* I forgot to buy oil (lol)

(I didn't forget all of those, but the first time I drained the oil out of my jeep, I realized I didn't own a big enough socket to change the oil filter lol)

 

[Jamrock]

Can anyone recommend good online courses for automobile maintenance?

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

I've been maintaining my vehicles, to include repairs and accessory installation, for 30+ years now.

Continuing this M.O. with my Wrangler, albeit on a modest scale thus far, has compelled to think about how much longer I can reliably slide around on a concrete floor, or an asphalt driveway. For the first time, I've had to acknowledge a ticking clock.

Buying time, in the form of a two-post garage lift, just isn't in the cards. And so having something like the benchmark upgrade of a 2" lift added to my Jeep would probably force me to give the vehicle and the key fob to a shop for the first time, ever. Oddly, it's not the expense of doing so that is personally annoying, so much as it is the abandonment of proud self-sufficiency.

Have you found yourself staring at the same decision, or reality? Have you made peace with it?

I have accepted the reality of this, but haven't made peace with it. I love wrenching, but being on the other side of my 40s I'm realizing it's just going to get more and more difficult.

 

[Apexcars]

There is a high volume pump recessed in the floor. Works wonders!

Also, living in Arizona helps with the rain issue.

 

[Mikeoso]

I'm 73. Was an athlete, Marine, coach, handyman...all the things. The last five years have forced me to deal with reality...there are things I cant do anymore, and things I dont want to do anymore. It can be tough finding people to trust, but eventually we all have to, because all the alternatives are worse.

 

[Dgr401]

It’s simple, don’t get old. Sounds simple but that is not the reality.

 

[Barney392]

This has helped me:

 

[four low]

A Creeper that I had hanging up as Wall Art is now my new best friend. Years of cardboard and rubber mats were the norm, no thought given, until a broken ankle changed the equation. Luckily, my Sport is simple enough that I will be able to do basic maintenance 'till Death Do Us Part.
One of the reasons I preferred this trim level.

 

[Bearded_Dragon]

I'm more worried about my vehicles becoming, "too evil to drive" than stop wrenching.

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