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GOT SOMETHING THAT needs repairing? Faced with the increasing specialization of people’s knowledge, ever-growing technical complexity and our perennial lack of time, it’s often tempting to just call in an expert or even buy a replacement.
But repairs can be costly, which is why we’re told to get multiple bids. One of the “bid” options I always check out: fixing it myself with the guidance of that repository of collective step-by-step knowhow, YouTube. Perhaps not since the Great Library of Alexandria has so much expertise been collected in one spot—along, of course, with endless cat videos and slick dance moves.
Battery for the car key fob gone dead? YouTube plus $5 for the battery beats $20 at the dealer. Repairing a gate latch becomes a choice between installing an $18 latch delivered by Amazon or paying $100 for a guy to come out. Same thing with a leaky showerhead. I recently called about a garage door repair. The repairman said he charged $80 just to come out, which would be over and above the cost to repair.
Perhaps best of all, there’s that feeling of accomplishment from having both mastered a new skill and saved some cash. As a retiree, I love the small challenges involved. My peers sometimes shrug about broken things and say they never learned to do repairs. But is it ever too late to start learning? A fence repair became a family activity with my sons. My daughter-in-law to be—a baker—changed the oil on her car, courtesy of YouTube tutelage. She was so excited she offered to do ours.
Strikes me as a good thing: You learn skills, exercise the mind—and save money. Or, as Ben Franklin supposedly said, “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” But it seems he got that off the internet.
Youtube is a fantastic resource. I’ve used it to do multiple minor car repairs, shower valve replacements, and also to replace the teflon ring our washing machine tub sat on. The latter repair may not have been worth the expense of obtaining specialized tools (!) but I got to have some fun.
Right you are, Jim. I am certifiably “unhandy” but have been able to accomplish a few simple tasks (installing new door knob assemblies, fixing the commode, etc.) thanks to YouTube. Recently we had to assemble a new treadmill—a user’s YouTube video was much more helpful than the manufacturer’s written instructions.
There are a lot of repairs I can do and some I can’t or don’t want to attempt. I used to change the oil in my cars/trucks but the disposal issue was a pain and I found it easier to just have it done by a shop. There are only a few recycling centers that take that kind of material in my area and the shops wanted to charge me for taking the oil and filter anyway.
I could not agree more! Its worth the cost of the oil change at our mechanic just so I don’t have to clean up the mess after the job.
I agree strongly with this. I used to do all my own car maintenance when I was in my twenties. Now I do virtually none of it except replacing lights and air filters and such.
I completely agree! I would add that having access to a knowledgeable parts-supply vendor also helps. A couple of years ago I needed to replace a shower fixture. We’re fortunate to have a local plumbing supply store that’s staffed by actual plumbers. I took a photo of the fixture, explained the problem to the salesperson and they immediately supplied me with a kit that contained all the necessary replacement parts. On top of that, they were able to suggest the exact video to watch on YouTube to walk me through my repair. I’m guessing I saved at least $200 doing the repair myself.
Great article Jim! You are 100% right. Last week I used to You Tube to verify how to winterize my wife’s Vespa. A buddy of mine used YouTube to install an autonomous generator system to his home. And it does feel great accomplishing something and savings serious money.