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>You're not going to be doing any copy-pasta from StackOverflow when you're an auto mechanic. That's an interesting comparison - why couldn't you use StackOver

>You're not going to be doing any copy-pasta from StackOverflow when you're an auto mechanic. That's an interesting comparison - why couldn't you use StackOverflow for mechanics. I don't know anything about cars other than they have generally have 4 wheels and use fuel but from the hardware work I've done on computers whenever I was troubleshooting stuff I would first look for symptoms then I would search and find random things to try on the internet. I don't see why this wouldn't apply to cars - people sharing their cases and being able find relevant ones could be a time saver.

mikestew 11y ago
why couldn't you use StackOverflow for mechanics. Well, sonny, back then we had no easily-accessed Internet. :-) But there are sites much like SO, just not under one umbrella. For instance, for our BMW motorcycles, there are several web forums I can troll for answers. Our Scion xB has at least one or two sites where one can get help for mechanical questions. And, hell, there probably is an auto-related Stack Exchange site for all I know (a quick glance shows a bicycle-related one, so there's got to be one for cars.) For pros, it's not really a question of "how do I change a headlight?" Any pro knows the basics involved that would apply to just about any car. The real question is usually "how the hell do I get to the screw holding that bracket?" or "I've got all of the visible fasteners out, and it still won't budge". For that, there used to be big bookshelves of shop manuals that are now replaced with DVDs.