Starting HANDLE
‘Online can be an arena for all things wrong’
Have you ever been designated ‘weird’ for choosing random service bulletins as bedtime reading? You probably just enjoy learning, either acutely or chronically, possibly in search of a new skill or simply to titillate the little grey cells. In industry, it’s called CPD, continuing professional development, but it’s just as important for Diyists if we’re to carry out jobs effectively, without causing harm to life, limb or mechanism, while keeping the bank manager chipper.
Even low-level spannering requires many disciplines, including fitting, engineering, electricals, plumbing and diagnostics.
No-one’s born a mechanic, however, so knowledge must be acquired, whether it’s as a babe on a parent’s knee, the other parent pointing their pipe stem at an Amal’s air trumpet; by trial and error, A&E and AA poised on speed-dial; at college or similar; or from on-line videos or forums. The latter areas can be hugely inspirational and informative, forums sometimes resembling main dealers’ knowledge networks, but online content can also be an echo-chamber for all things wrong, and the axis of clot.
We think it’s important to know the fundamentals of motor vehicle technology, so we’ve created a new series of articles to appear in the Tech Section of PC called PC Academy. It’ll predominantly help readers who are starting out but hopefully everyone will get plenty out of each article.
We’ll be tackling all sorts, splitting themes into workshop and classroom sessions, starting with how to measure those tiny bits of yours (p122), the first classroom session arriving in a later issue.