General public question, hence here.
Say your car won't start. Someone offers to help and has jump leads but no idea how to use them. Would you know what to do without googling it?
And the next one:
If you suffered a flat and got stuck would you be able to fit your spare tyre if you have one?
And be honest, just like I am not embarrassed to admit I probably couldn't install a watercooling loop without drowning myself, there's no need to feel embarrassed if you can't do either of these jobs.
I'm genuinely curious. I know how to perform both of these and most other basic maintenance on a car but I seem to be in a minority. Just a couple of months ago I saw one of my neighbours call out the AA to fit his spare tyre for him. He must be 28ish. Obviously he may have had a flat spare which is why he called them out but it still raised my curiosity.
Tonight I was picking up some food on the way home when I saw a chap in a Volvo station wagon asking someone, jump leads in hand, to give him a jump. The guy he was asking couldn't have been over 30 but refused as he didn't know how it would affect his car (Golf mk6). I watched this for a few minutes and then being the gift to humanity I am I offered. I pulled up my car so the batteries were as close as could be, opened the bonnet, removed the battery cover, red first then black, gave it some beans and his Volvo fired right up.
This again made me wonder. In South Africa these aren't specialist skills, if you get stuck by the side of the road you can be hundreds of miles from any civilization and the AA works on a calendar rather than a clock, so if you break down and can't find the A-team, you need to know how to reduce the chances of having to call out a tow truck which in South Africa are known as vultures and will happily tow you home for £500 odd (yes pounds, not rands).
I thought most people would know. I am surprised to find that this is often not the case.
So, can you?
Say your car won't start. Someone offers to help and has jump leads but no idea how to use them. Would you know what to do without googling it?
And the next one:
If you suffered a flat and got stuck would you be able to fit your spare tyre if you have one?
And be honest, just like I am not embarrassed to admit I probably couldn't install a watercooling loop without drowning myself, there's no need to feel embarrassed if you can't do either of these jobs.
I'm genuinely curious. I know how to perform both of these and most other basic maintenance on a car but I seem to be in a minority. Just a couple of months ago I saw one of my neighbours call out the AA to fit his spare tyre for him. He must be 28ish. Obviously he may have had a flat spare which is why he called them out but it still raised my curiosity.
Tonight I was picking up some food on the way home when I saw a chap in a Volvo station wagon asking someone, jump leads in hand, to give him a jump. The guy he was asking couldn't have been over 30 but refused as he didn't know how it would affect his car (Golf mk6). I watched this for a few minutes and then being the gift to humanity I am I offered. I pulled up my car so the batteries were as close as could be, opened the bonnet, removed the battery cover, red first then black, gave it some beans and his Volvo fired right up.
This again made me wonder. In South Africa these aren't specialist skills, if you get stuck by the side of the road you can be hundreds of miles from any civilization and the AA works on a calendar rather than a clock, so if you break down and can't find the A-team, you need to know how to reduce the chances of having to call out a tow truck which in South Africa are known as vultures and will happily tow you home for £500 odd (yes pounds, not rands).
I thought most people would know. I am surprised to find that this is often not the case.
So, can you?