DON’T DIY?

I was quite bemused by Ezra Dyer’s article in which he suggests NOT doing rudimentary tasks on your car (February 2017).

Now, I have in the past revered your magazine for encouraging DIY, but this really feels like a sad whimpering excuse for an entitled person making it seem like a bigger task than it really is. I agree that car makers try their utmost to make the most rudimentary servicing tasks difficult, to the extent that one has to buy special tools to replace a stupid oil filter, etc. But in a world where a minor service can cost in excess of few thousand rand – to, in effect, change oil and a couple of filters – your publication should be encouraging the younger generation to at least lift a tool or two and accomplish the most basic tasks so that they may be empowered to attempt more complex DIY tasks. Maybe I am from the old school, who believe that the most environmentally friendly cars are those that have an operating life of 20+ years, vs the contemporary thinking of disposable vehicles that have a design life of five years or your first accident, whichever comes first (safety concerns aside). Or the belief that 80 per cent of electronics in modern vehicles is utterly unnecessary (again adding to cost and complexity). But this is exactly the perception that needs to be critically evaluated by our budding next generation.

Forgive me for thinking that changing a wiper is the only task worthy of getting your proverbial hands dirty. KENNY THACKWRAY BY EMAIL