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True, a good doctor doesn't diagnose neighbors for fun, but she does read medical journals and keeps up on the latest in her specialty. And would you trust an a

True, a good doctor doesn't diagnose neighbors for fun, but she does read medical journals and keeps up on the latest in her specialty. And would you trust an auto mechanic who didn't change the oil on her own car?

georgieporgie 16y ago
she does read medical journals and keeps up on the latest in her specialty. 1) I don't know much about doctors' scheduling, but I've known a few that seemed to schedule a batch of patients, then hours for paperwork, document review, and peer review/help. So I wonder how much of this happens in their "free time". 2) There's a difference between reading up on new technologies versus creating a project and seeing it through to completion. Similarly, there is a difference between reading medical journals (study) versus seeing patients (practice). would you trust an auto mechanic who didn't change the oil on her own car? Absolutely. That's a very simple job, and if my mechanic can have it done for $20 at Walmart while he shops, it's well worth his time. If he's a good mechanic, he bills at, what, $70+ per hour? By the way, the mechanics I've known tend to drive inexpensive, late-model cars, and get rid of them after a few years. Why? Because they don't want to fix cars in their spare time.
- bartonfink 16y ago
  I think the largest part of the fact that many mechanics drive inexpensive, late-model cars and get rid of them is the fact that inexpensive, late-model cars are more or less irreparable in a hobby setting. Things simply aren't mechanical anymore. Modern cars are so computerized and interconnected that you often can't just "fix" a broken part, you have to replace it. I'm sure a mechanic would be able to do the replacement if they had the part, but I imagine that takes a lot of the enjoyment out of being a mechanic. You could probably get around that by only buying cars that predate mass computerization (now 20+ years old), but then you're trading one problem for a potentially much larger set of problems. It's not that they might not want to fix cars - it's that it might not be worth it to indulge that activity as a hobby.
  - georgieporgie 16y ago
    I don't really buy the idea that modern cars cannot be repaired by an independent or shade-tree mechanic. Sure, engine electronics are more tightly integrated, and may be engineered to 'require' an expensive tester, but there are still loads of things that a mechanic can do. Pulling transmissions, replacing clutches, timing belts, steering pumps, CV joints, oxygen sensors, etc. I waste time fixing a 30 year old vehicle because it's a fun pastime for me. They don't do it because it's just more of what they do all day.

georgieporgie 16y ago

she does read medical journals and keeps up on the latest in her specialty. 1) I don't know much about doctors' scheduling, but I've known a few that seemed to schedule a batch of patients, then hours for paperwork, document review, and peer review/help. So I wonder how much of this happens in their "free time". 2) There's a difference between reading up on new technologies versus creating a project and seeing it through to completion. Similarly, there is a difference between reading medical journals (study) versus seeing patients (practice). would you trust an auto mechanic who didn't change the oil on her own car? Absolutely. That's a very simple job, and if my mechanic can have it done for $20 at Walmart while he shops, it's well worth his time. If he's a good mechanic, he bills at, what, $70+ per hour? By the way, the mechanics I've known tend to drive inexpensive, late-model cars, and get rid of them after a few years. Why? Because they don't want to fix cars in their spare time.

bartonfink 16y ago
I think the largest part of the fact that many mechanics drive inexpensive, late-model cars and get rid of them is the fact that inexpensive, late-model cars are more or less irreparable in a hobby setting. Things simply aren't mechanical anymore. Modern cars are so computerized and interconnected that you often can't just "fix" a broken part, you have to replace it. I'm sure a mechanic would be able to do the replacement if they had the part, but I imagine that takes a lot of the enjoyment out of being a mechanic. You could probably get around that by only buying cars that predate mass computerization (now 20+ years old), but then you're trading one problem for a potentially much larger set of problems. It's not that they might not want to fix cars - it's that it might not be worth it to indulge that activity as a hobby.
- georgieporgie 16y ago
  I don't really buy the idea that modern cars cannot be repaired by an independent or shade-tree mechanic. Sure, engine electronics are more tightly integrated, and may be engineered to 'require' an expensive tester, but there are still loads of things that a mechanic can do. Pulling transmissions, replacing clutches, timing belts, steering pumps, CV joints, oxygen sensors, etc. I waste time fixing a 30 year old vehicle because it's a fun pastime for me. They don't do it because it's just more of what they do all day.