I frequent a fair number of forums on-line as well as manage several blogs. Recently I noted a good number of posts in both sources to be people requesting help on their vehicle. While many of the questions seem simple enough (e.g., I’m leaking either a green or black fluid under my car), some strike me as absolutely as ‘WTF’ (e.g., there’s a ‘Check engine’ light on. What’s the code for that?)

Let me clarify the latter. It’s obvious many of the posters are either clueless or are amateur repair folks. In both cases, my reaction is the same: why aren’t you taking your car to the shop?

There was a time when diagnosing or repairing a car was a simple matter of spending an evening or weekend under the hood or car. Not anymore. Many manufacturers have moved components simply out of reach for the regular Joe or Jane or the problem is electronic. I’ve spoken with several garages whom I’ve had long relationships and they’ve told me you have to be more computer literate than mechanically adept these days.

So with the above sitution, do people really think someone on-line can tell them what is the problem of their vehicle and its exact fix? Do we enjoy working that much on our vehicles? Yes, I like cars (otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this post or working in the industry). But I like a lot of things where my Mazda just acts as a means to get where I’m going to enjoy myself.

Is it the costs? I can understand that: cars are expensive to repair. But I also look at it this way. Unlike money, time is limited and everyone has the same portion: 24 hours. It makes more sense, to me, to drop off my car at the shop and rent a vehicle so I can go to work/visit friends/run errands, etc. One can always make more money later. One, however, cannot make more time.

I’m not discounting asking for advice. But seriously consider what you’re asking. Can I seriously wait until someone pops up in a forum to answer my question about my hose leakage? Or is the forum a better place to ask if I can put 22 inch tires on my Miata MX-5?