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+--- Thread: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. (/showthread.php?tid=2426)
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Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 6th, 2019
So over the past few years I've seen a pattern, one that has become extremely annoying...
90% of tech has become throwaway nonsense!
Phone screen cracked? back up your files, toss it, buy a new one.
Car trouble?, Pay someone $150+ an hour to "fix" it on their time.
Computer Not turning on?... you going to check the power cable? nope call geeksquad to make sure you didn't unplug from the outlet again.
the list goes on, and while the first one has been a gold mine of free parts as I've learned to recycle other people's junk one thing keeps coming to mind.
WHY?! why do people pay overpriced "specialists" to do simple jobs, why be lazy and not fix it yourself... not like it's actually difficult... in fact it's gotten easier.
Granted if your TV screen is cracked that's one thing, or you need a new windshield... or you need a valve job on your car or alignment done which require special tools but for the easy stuff, why throw it away? why shell out buku bucks for some college student in a back room to fix it in 30 min and charge you for a few hours?
It just doesn't make sense.
it's not like I'm expecting my grandfather to build a PC from scratch but even he does simple maintenance on his computer with defrag and keeping his anti-virus up to date...
I'm not sure if it's society, laziness, or something else but working in tech support the most irritating thing I hear daily is the following.
"Alright sir is the power off?, good! now i just need you to take the yellow cable labeled printer on the port labeled 1 of that box on top, take it out, and plug it back in."
"I can't do that, I'm not technical, I shouldn't be expected to do this"
Insert facepalm with phone on mute while I figure out how to convince them to do a simple trivial task.
BTW, that yellow cable? is keyed, it can only go in ONE WAY!!!!!
these are people in government jobs that literally make the world work
anyway, rant over...
what do you prefer to do? do you try to fix things yourself or do you take it to an overpriced repair shop so they can fix problems that in hindsight are probably pretty easy?
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - May 6th, 2019
Unfortunately, a combined result of cheap manufacturing and planned obsolescence has created a "throw-away culture" not just in the US, but around the world. Somethings are designed not to be fixed, others are made difficult, and the rest people aren't used to having to fix things so they don't. Its sad.
For me, it comes down to cost and time. How much of my time multiplied by what my time is worth. Then use that it figure out if its worth paying someone that or equivalent for their time. Due to a long work week, I usually err on the side of paying someone else to do the long complicated things. It also depends on what it is. Computers, I'm doing it all. Cars, it will be in the shop more than my garage as I am not a mechanically inclined person.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 7th, 2019
you know the funny part?
cars are actually less complicated than computers.
bigger sure, but for the most part way less complicated.
more complicated than house wiring, less complicated than a computer, or an old game console.
mostly it's just following basic troubleshooting steps, a lot of which are either provided by more mechanically inclined people or occasionally actual mechanics.
however the most frustrating part about cars at least, is that a lot of it is in manuals that you need certifications to normally acquire, or are extremely expensive.
I certainly lucked out when someone gave me the technical manual for my old 1985 VW cabriolet since it contains all the steps needed to solve most problems with it.
and most of those steps work on a lot of other cars including m 2003 honda.
btw, I've narrowed that particular vehicle's issues down to either the timing chain, timing chain sensor (the bolt on which is actually lose!), or the harness connected to the spark plugs.
mechanic wanted $4000 and said I'd need a new engine, second mechanic still wanted $1200 to fault find the problem.
parts cost? at most (if it's the timing chain), $80 to $120. (facepalm).
the biggest issue with today's society isn't just the throwaway culture, it's the fact that specialists can overcharge for problems that should be relatively simple... and those specialists in many cases do not even check the simple things so they're wasting people's time too.
I get about being busy though, I work 11 hrs a day 4 days a week with 3 day weekends but those 3 days off I have to cram the non work stuff in so I do not have much time either, doesn't excuse the stories I've heard of people going to a mechanic over a faulty fuse or something though.
the basics are things everyone should know, either through learning on their own, or more ideally, having their parents teach them.
In fact it was part of parenting once upon a time to learn things like how to patch a hole in your shirt, or how to cook a meal, or how to check basic problems on your car (especially guys as it was a father/son bonding thing.)
it's just stupid how bad it's gotten.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - May 7th, 2019
Very true.
One bright side with the surge of the use of social media, you can usually look up how ti fix something on a car, even down to the specific model, on YouTube. That's what I usually try first before I take it to someone.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 8th, 2019
it's kind of a shame really, we live in an age where the majority of all human knowledge is available to anyone with a device that fits in your hand... and yet people waste that ability.but what can ya do? lol
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - May 8th, 2019
(May 8th, 2019 at 1:52 AM)SpookyZalost Wrote:
but what can ya do? lol
EDUCATE! Where you can at least. Its hard to do nowadays. People have a hard time listening to anything not on social media, and that crowd is not in favor of the old ways.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 9th, 2019
well maybe someday I can use youtube or something to get that knowledge out there... lol.actually... I wonder if I can use facebook to repost my website's blog? hmm...
social media to subtly educate the masses XD
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - May 9th, 2019
(May 9th, 2019 at 6:24 PM)SpookyZalost Wrote:
actually... I wonder if I can use facebook to repost my website's blog? hmm...
social media to subtly educate the masses XD
A lot of the content on YT or FB now link to external content. :
o for it!
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 9th, 2019
, that being said, to other people reading this thread, what do you guys do?do you prefer to try and fix it yourself? scrap it? or pay someone to fix it?
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Thomas - May 11th, 2019
Modern cars are basically just computers, even they're hard to work on.
A lot of the issue is simply manufacturers don't want their products to be serviced by anyone other than the manufacturer, if at all.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - zoldos - May 11th, 2019
I don't tend to discard tech unless it is completely useless. And fix stuff if I can, yes!
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - May 11th, 2019
(May 11th, 2019 at 3:19 AM)Thomas Wrote: Modern cars are basically just computers, even they're hard to work on.
A lot of the issue is simply manufacturers don't want their products to be serviced by anyone other than the manufacturer, if at all.
That's a problem as well. As cars move from mechanical to proprietary electronics, that also doesn't help either.
(May 11th, 2019 at 4:31 AM)zoldos Wrote: I don't tend to discard tech unless it is completely useless. And fix stuff if I can, yes!
This is good!
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - May 12th, 2019
(May 11th, 2019 at 3:19 AM)Thomas Wrote: Modern cars are basically just computers, even they're hard to work on.
A lot of the issue is simply manufacturers don't want their products to be serviced by anyone other than the manufacturer, if at all.
This right here is why my newest car is from 2003, it may be a bit of a pain finding parts sometimes, but it's old enough that my biggest hurdle is the timing chain, which is inside the engine casing
someday man
some day... (May 11th, 2019 at 4:31 AM)zoldos Wrote: I don't tend to discard tech unless it is completely useless. And fix stuff if I can, yes!
woot! you get it man
, we need everybody to be like this, even if it annoys manufacturers 
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - November 3rd, 2019
ok going to update this because it got a lot more serious.
there's a new bill regarding this called the right to repair bill.
to put it simply, this is a bill that's being considered in various states, and heavily lobbied against by big corps where the following would be mandated.
#1, schematics for electronics and appliances must be available to the public (no more hiding things apple).
#2, parts must be made available affordably to end users and repair places
#3, companies cannot block/prevent someone from ordering a part by making it so only they can order that specific chip, capacitor, etc.
we already have the right to repair our homes and vehicles, we should have the right to repair our appliances too.
Links about the topic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_right_to_repair
https://repair.org/fair-repair-faq
https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Intro
https://www.eff.org/issues/right-to-repair
https://www.wired.com/story/right-to-repair-security-experts-california/
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - November 3rd, 2019
Hell yes! This is one I definitely agree with. Planned obsolescence would also be mitigated somewhat with this. Good for the consumer!
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - November 5th, 2019
I think I've settled on voting for warren btw.
she supports both the dismantling of big corporations and right to repair.
fingers crossed she becomes madam president!
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - Guardian - November 5th, 2019
(November 5th, 2019 at 1:52 AM)SpookyZalost Wrote: I think I've settled on voting for warren btw.
Oof. Couldn't do it.
There's only one on that side of the aisle I could stomach voting for. I can't vote for anyone on the opposite side... so it looks like a third-party is getting my vote.
RE: Fixing things yourself vs paying someone or replacing it. - SpookyZalost - November 6th, 2019
@ guardian: have you seen some of the complete and utter bull the lobbyists are saying at the hearings about the bill?
about how people are going to blow themselves up, kill themselves, and put children in harms way by fixing their own stuff?