Car owners that didn't know how to fix their cars themselves took them to garages or to dealers to be repaired or serviced. Unlike today most gas stations had g

Car owners that didn't know how to fix their cars themselves took them to garages or to dealers to be repaired or serviced. Unlike today most gas stations had garages with mechanics on staff. Knowing that your car needed regular servicing wasn't some secret fact that you had to somehow search out or be raised in the proper household to know. Like today it was common knowledge and service information as such oil type and frequency of service was included in owners manuals just as it is today. Did some people then not take care of their cars? Yes, but it is the same today. As for how you learned to fix or service a car yourself if you weren't raised in the "correct car culture", you went to the library and looked it up in the Chilton repair manual for your vehicle. Most libraries had some physically and a more complete collection on microfilm from which you could print out the pages you needed. I was in middle school and high school during the 80s. In this time it was common for middle school/junior high students to be required to take industrial arts along with home economics. Industrial arts included things like wood and metal working, printing and in many school districts small engine repair. In my school district during part of 7th grade all students tore down and rebuild a 4 stroke lawn mower engine.