I understand some things are cheaper to replace rather than repair, but I've seen that mentality more prevalent lately. This event last night got me thinking...Is this a millennial thing? Last night, my gf took her daughter out to buy some items. As they were returning, the under engine splash guard broke and began dragging under the car. They get home and I hear the whole story as does my gf's daughters husband. His response...."You should just trade it in and get a new car" I was dumbfounded. His solution is to get into a whole new car payment, even though this car is already paid for. This coming from a guy that is living essentially rent free in my gf's house. Now I have replaced and recharged the entire HVAC system on her vehicle, replaced shocks, replaced o2 sensors, maintained oil changes, changed the brakes...I know that car inside and out. Replacing the splash shield will be the easiest of jobs. While I'm thinking of rebuilding my truck motor because I'm burning a little too much oil, this guy has to take his vehicles in for oil changes because his wife has to tell him to do it, and I'm not sure if he even knows what routine maintenance is...I had to literally show him why his wife's truck needed new tires. So I get out my my hydraulic jack, jack stands, and creeper, get under the car, make sure everything is ok and secure what needs securing. I then went inside and ordered all new panels to replace all the undercarriage shields for under $100. After I ordered everything, i told my gf, "I guess we won't have to worry about getting a brand new car after all. I can repair it all for way below the cost of one car payment I guess I'm a repair kind of guy. Years ago, dryer wasn't drying and I repaired by replacing the heater element. Recently, my gf and I get back from a trip out of town and they had financed a whole new washer/dryer combo because it wasn't drying again. Power washer was sputtering, he said we are going to need a new power washer. I rebuilt the carburetor and guess what....it's still working to this day. He wanted to hire a plumber to repair the plumbing when they were moving in because the shower head was not flowing hot water. I replaced the cartridge and guess what....shower worked again. So where was i going with this... Oh yeah, so when did we start moving towards replace vs repair? I understand that sometimes it's the only option as it may be cheaper to replace things than repair them....and yes I know that replacing components is not actually repairing the components, which I have done as well.
Yes, that I know. but even thinkg I can not repair, I will take them to be repaired rather than just replace the whole thing.
Its not a generational thing, its a personal preference thing. My parents are boomers and they would never have anything repaired, always toss it and buy a new one. I'm a millennial and I'm the opposite. Some people just don't like fixing things, making things, manual labor things, etc.
Somethings are easier to replace than repair. Repair is not as guaranteed I am finding that replacing the fricking printer is cheaper than replacing the printer cartridges. How crazy is that . . . Rocket River
I think alot of people feel that the repaired is not as good as replaced The feeling that the damage is just the start of more damaged Also . . . our whole society is geared to influencing people to replace rather than repair Rocket River
I agree. It's a preference thing...not generational. I like to fix whenever possible (You Tube is awesome). My brother replaces (except when it comes to his '66 Mustang).
I've always been taught to never throw good money towards bad. Read about sunk cost fallacy. If something isn't working, just cut and run. Car, job, marriage, printer etc...You are never getting that time or money back.
Interesting question @Falcons Talon . Many factors come into play. Most items are getting cheaper. Hard manual labor is a fading way of life. Most young people now and going forward (at least in America) never really get that feeling of satisfaction from the 'do it yourself' hard work kind of job so they don't even consider repair as an option unless it is very easy. Price comes into play of course, but is directly related to socio-economics. A broke student is far more likely to repair than a rich socialite. I think the issue for most people is not the work involved, but rather the anxiety of the unknown. Having to diagnose the problem is often worse than the problem itself. It's funny to me that you are referencing an engine splash guard. I recently drove too fast through some high water and my car began making funny noises. After some googling and asking around, splash guard seemed to be the issue. I am very fortunate to have an excellent and honest mechanic so I called him up and he said to bring it in. He jacked up my car, literally spent 10 seconds with his hands bending the splash guard back in place and said there you go. No charge. Clearly, for someone to suggest buying a new car for this issue is laughable.
I love buying factory refurbished items. To me it is not only cheaper, but is better than buying new. The new item had a faulty part and if it is refurbished, you can be assured the item is carefully fixed properly to avoid future problems.
IMO it should be a case by case thing, not a blanket "always replace" or "always repair". Availability of time, costs, and handyman level all come into play. I take my truck in for oil changes, basic stuff - because I only have two days a week off at best, not to mention a wife and 1 year old. To me it's worth the extra $20-30 I pay them vs what it would cost me to buy my own oil. I'd also never trade in my truck for a brand new one just because of maintenance issues -- worst case I would salvage what I could and buy something used. If something is on it's last legs and not worth much, of course you replace it. If it's still got value and especially if replacement cost is high, you repair it.
My Dad and Grandpa were both very handy as well. They taught me to repair as much as possible. My son got that from me as well. I forgot to mention that I needed some help with my home hvac unit but self repaired the unit. Mmy ac guy/friend walked me through many of the steps over the phone. I guess for me it all in what is most cost efficient. My mentality in reparing things is that it's already busted anyway so there's really not much lost if you can't repair it.
Every 50,000 miles is good, but the newer platinum and iridium plugs can go longer. You can clean and regap conventional plugs. Spark plugs arent't too expensive to just replace but you still have to double check your gap. If you have to index the plug, you may want to take it into shop. Indexing tends to be a pita.
For the wise, it's a Time/Money problem. For the average American, it's ignorance or laziness. Not only do you not do the work of putting a new skid-plate on, you get that dopamine hit of getting something new. 98% of people are in impossible-to-get-out-of debt, so what's more log on the fire?
