Interesting reaction

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The other night I was on my way home from work and I saw a Volvo station wagon jump a curb at 40mph. The car pulled in to a parking lot and I followed to offer assistance.

The driver was a 17 year old high school senior heading home after a Lacrosse match. He had completely destroyed his right front tire and rim, but luckily there was no other obvious damage. I asked him if he’d ever changed a tire before, and he said he hadn’t. “Well,” I said, “you’re going to learn how now.”

I showed him how to operate the lug wrench and the jack, after first showing him where his spare tire was stored (he didn’t know). Volvos have a jack setup I had not seen before, so we had to break out the owners’ manual–also a good skill for a young driver to have.

As I was showing him the proper pattern for tightening lug nuts, his parents showed up. He had called them after pulling in to the parking lot and they came to inspect the car. I explained to them that a quick check showed no obvious signs of damage, but that they would need to go to a dealership to get a new rim and suggested they have the dealer check for further damage.

I did have a curious exchange with the father. After I told him that I showed his son how to change the tire since he’d never done it before, he incredulously wondered aloud why the high school Driver’s Ed course had not taught his son this basic skill. It just struck me as odd that he knew changing a tire was something that every driver should know how to do, but yet he felt it was someone else’s job to pass that skill on. It’s not like it takes a great deal of time and effort to teach this. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I do think that my parents made me change a tire before allowing me to get my learner’s permit, and my parents rarely taught me anything.

I just thought it was an interesting reaction.

Comments

7 responses to “Interesting reaction”

October 6, 2011

Robert

I wonder if the kid carries a pocket knife, and if he does, whether it was a gift from that same father?

Nah. If the father didn’t even show him how to change a tire or check his oil, etc., he wouldn’t be the sort to buy the boy a knife, let alone a .22 rifle.

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October 6, 2011

Bob S.

I taught all 3 of my kids how to change a tire; that includes my daughter who is the oldest. I taught her first.

I’ve also taught many of her friends how to change a tire. It is amazing how many people let their kids drive without knowing how to do the basics — I’ve taught several of them how to check various fluids on their cars.

Thanks for helping the younger generation learn — many people would have just passed on by.

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October 6, 2011

Steve in TN (@sdo1)

I’m surprised that males need to be taught how to change a tire.

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October 7, 2011

Axess Denyd

I don’t think my dad specifically taught me, but he was always doing mechanic things in the garage and I tried to help out when I could, so I always had the knowledge.

It definitely was specifically covered by one of my scout leaders (I believe I was in the “Webelos” phase at the time), and also covered in HS Driver’s Ed.

But I agree with Steve, it’s not really too hard to figure out, especially when the manual gives specific instructions. I always check the manual in an unfamiliar car to make sure of where the recommended jack points are, no matter how many I’ve changed.

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October 9, 2011

Fred

I distinctly remember learning how to do that as a Cub Scout in 4th or 5th grade…

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October 11, 2011

Firehand

Guy I used to know taught speech at a local high school. Taking two carloads of kids to a competition, the one following got a bit back in traffic, and at the mid-way stop for bathroom/drinks took them 45 minutes to catch up. Turned out they’d had a flat.
“It took you that long to change a flat?”
“No, it was a while before someone stopped to help.”
Five in the car, three boys, and NONE of them had any idea how.
First thing Monday he talked to the driver’s ed teacher and suggested they include that as part of the class.

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October 12, 2011

Don

My dad made me AND my two sisters learn to change a tire, change the oil, check all of the fluids before driving. I came home from college once to find my 95 lb. little sister in the driveway putting a rebuilt transmission in her Nissan! Dad was rather fond of that Robert Heinlein quote ending with “…specialization is for insects.” He wanted us to learn to be as self-reliant as we could reasonably be.

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