Fradow

I think it's a matter of substituting "you" with "any person competent with the necessary non-specialized tooling", where competent means "able to follow a service manual", and obviously "non-specialized" excludes expensive brand-specific one-off tools.

Cars are a mixed bag, because on one hand you have OBD2 and lots of parts can be easily ordered, and on the other hand you have un-obtainable parts, manufacturer-specific code and special tooling (even when there is no business putting custom stuff). And they are also becoming less repairable and have a lot of mechanic-hostile design (it's a meme in the industry).

I have some insight in that because I have actually started repairing cars as a hobby, including non-trivial stuff.

I despise the anti-social alarm of those bikes. At my work, someone has put one on the bike rack, which is a type where you suspend bikes by one wheel.

If you so much as brush that bike, or even shake the bike rack a bit, it will scream loudly and startle you. Do it again and it's an ear-piercing alarm you have to contend with while you store your bike. And it's really hard to do considering how packed the rack is, and how normal it is to move other bikes a bit to store yours.

Other than that, I don't have a strong opinion on those: they seem like overpriced bikes that are expensive to repair, and other commenters seem to agree on that.

Derailleur adjusting is hell. Even my preferred bike shop cannot adjust mine correctly. We've come to an agreement: as long as the front derailleur doesn't change gear and the higher gear on the rear one work, it's okay. No point spending time getting it perfect since it will not stick anyway.

I used to do my own maintenance, but considering how cheap the bike shop is, I prefer to give them my bike to have good service and advices. Note that it's not out of laziness or lack of tools since I repair cars as a hobby, which require much more tooling and time. And also since my bike is my daily vehicle, I'd rather have it serviced by a pro.

Since you talk about fuel filters, an interesting fact on 1st gen BMW Minis (2001 to 2006): the very first models, up to 03/2002 had an enclosed fuel filter, which was costly to replace. After that, it was changed to a design with a replaceable fuel filter (so the same $15 or so part cost).

The fuel filter is inside the gas tank, but replacing it only involves removing the rear seat (which is easy) to have access to a cap under which the fuel filter lives.

I'm actually planning to tackle that in a few weeks, it looks like a medium-difficulty DIY, with some pitfalls that could make the car not start afterwards if the seal is bad.

Edit: fortunately the awesome ModMini has a video showing how to do just that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCppUQfNZQQ

On an unrelated note, another design change on more recent vehicles I've seen is to fuse the wheel hub and wheel bearing in a single part. You go from a $50 wheel hub and $20 wheel bearing (approximately) to a $200 assembly. While replacing the hub automatically involves replacing the bearing, the reverse is not true, and bearings are a wear part, which WILL have to be replaced eventually.

Credit card is a rarity in Europe, because what we call a "credit card" is actually a debit card. Credit card are available at a premium, and while they offer some other advantages, few people use those. Visiting the US is actually one of the compelling reasons to get one.

In France (and I'm going to guess similar rules exist in other EU countries), businesses are required to accept at least 2 different payment options. They choose which 2, for example Apple Store accepts cards or ... cash. Buying a Mac with cash is a funny albeit slightly stressful experience.

Agree on most parts, though a few nitpicking:

> Even in Paris, something like a third of all commuters drive a personal car.

See [1]: to get to their work place, 72% of Parisians and 75% of Franciliens (residents of Ile-de-France, excluding Paris) use public transit. It's at most 1/4 using a car (number not quoted in the study). The "a third" number is quoted for people going from Paris to suburbs during the week by car (which I think includes off-peak trips)

> Out of those who ride public transit, many if not most would prefer to drive, they just can’t afford it

Sorry but that's just an opinion. I'm not aware on a study of that, but I and a lot of people I know would rather not drive. Driving in Paris is a terrible, slow and costly experience.

[1] https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/1293788/alap368...

A lot of things have left me a bit flustered, to the point I assume the main reason it has been done like this is that parts where taken from a parts bin from the manufacturer and cobbled together to work.

There are a few examples on my car like that that are a bit infuriating (and were corrected on later revisions of the model, which I know because a friend has a later revision).

Indeed. In this particular situation it cannot happen since that reservoir is normally not under pressure, but I've had a not properly connected line (my fault) disconnecting while performing an unrelated operation.

Luckily that one was just a quick trip to the parts store to get the right fluid and reconnecting the line properly this time!

True. I've not reached that stage, and probably won't, since most of those are illegal to do on road cars where I live.

"Backup transportation solution", it can be public transit, or even a bicycle if it's enough to get you where you need to, but yes that's my opinion.

Even something as simple as an oil change can go wrong. Drain plug broke and you need a new one? Or you forgot to put a gasket and it leaks and now all your oil is on the floor? Well, now you need a trip to the parts store, or order it and wait until parts get there.

In my case, it was a routine maintenance operation: changing brake fluid. I used a power bleeder, and at a third of the pressure specified on the manual, the reservoir ruptured. So now I needed a new reservoir. Parts store didn't have it, and it took 2 weeks to get there.

I do car maintenance rather than motorcycle maintenance, but same opinion: bicycle maintenance is tedious. So tedious that beside chain greasing and tires pressure, I pay someone rather than DIY. I hate adjusting breaks or gears with a passion.

On the other hand, cars (and I assume motorcycle as well) maintenance is enjoyable: there is no fiddling with stuff, you fit it, torque it and it's good.

Also have a plan B if things go south. And yes, that means not working on your daily (or someone else) if you don't have a backup transportation solution.

Because just like we have bugs in production, things break when you wrench on them, even if you do everything by the book (note: first-hand experience there).

But those are just setbacks, and no big deal if you are prepared for them.

There is a difference between going all the way back to 1995 / reading old documentation vs learning the basics of CS.

This strawman is used in several comments. CS is not "some old knowledge you might never use". Knowing that it's way faster to search by key in a hashmap rather than iterating through a whole array is useful. Knowing why it's a bad practice not to have primary key (and other DB knowledge) is useful. Knowing the stages of a HTTP request is useful.

You can get a job and actually do some productive work without any of that, but that some point not knowing all those basics is going to harm your work.

The general sentiment is that law enforcement is able to work well enough without being given the right to infringe on any citizens privacy unchecked (and by that I mean without a court order or minimal oversight).

In this case, it's with a court order, but the real issue is that it mandates having backdoors, something pretty much everyone with a lick of understanding of what it entails is strongly against.

I don't think you can really generalize that easily. Where I live, street parking with a residential permit is way cheaper than renting a spot in a garage, and I know other big cities have similar schemes.

Small caveat: as an apartment dweller, the way to own and operate my own car is to rent an underground parking space, which will, in time, be retrofitted with a charging plug.

On the other hand, that's definitely more expensive than street parking and not everyone will be able to afford it, so your statement is overall correct for the majority of people.

From what I understood on a previous thread that talked about EV owners wanting to go back to gas cars, the main reason Tesla owners like their EVs more than other brand owners is not based on the actual vehicle, but due to ease of charging because of the supercharger network and other Tesla features to dispel range anxiety.

That in itself is a good reason to buy a Tesla right now (it may evolve in just a few years in the future): it's the one with the best charging experience. Considering how much hassle a bad charging experience can be, I imagine this has an influence on sales figures.

Friendly advice: if you go for a Mini, take a 3rd gen (2014+ roughly) or be prepared to wrench on it (because otherwise your mechanic bill will soon be more than buying a newer one in the first place).

They are awesome little cars that are plenty practical for the city and still fun to drive (even the naturally aspirated ones).

Hybrid cars are not the same as ICE. In general, hybrids accelerate at low speed using only the electrical motor, which produce little noise. Only at higher speed (or when the battery is low I guess?) is the ICE started.

Since at higher speed, tire and wind noise drown ICE noise, you don't hear them and they feel nearly as quiet as electric cars.

ICE-only cars are definitely noisy. Though maybe you are used to that noise and it doesn't register (like a lot of people, me included), but they are definitely loud enough that a place without any car feels "quiet" (even if it's otherwise busy).

At high speed, yes (somewhere above 30km/h to 50km/h IIRC). At low speed, for ICE cars, it's definitely the engine noise that dominates.

Buried in the middle of the article (I knew it already, but you have to hunt for it):

> To be allowed to purchase a car, you have to be able to prove that you have somewhere to park it.

That's the main reason IMO. If you drastically limit the number of car, of course you don't need nearly as much curb-side parking, and can have much more real estate available for productive use.

It's a whole lot of weirdness, especially since most interactions in English language on the internet will be with either US or UK people.

Sometimes, you want to use passenger/driver side: for example, on my car, brake flushing procedure is always rear passenger first, no matter driving side.

And sometime you want to use left/right, which is always assumed to be according to the driver's position (so it's reversed when facing the engine), because some things aren't reversed, no matter the driving side: for example, on my car, the BCM and hood latch are always on the right side (which makes it inconvenient to open the hood for a left-side driving car).

P.S.: how do I know for certain? A friend has the exact same model but with opposite driving position because it's a UK import.

I had to answer this question for myself, because Miatas were outside of my budget (3000€), and a bit rare to find in the first place where I live (France).

I went with a 1st gen Mini Cooper (2001 to 2006). So far it has been the perfect car to learn on, because I went with a working one and did the basic maintenance plus a few not-too-hard parts that needed replacement (of course your luck can vary, I'm very lucky that the one I chose was in a very good shape).

Why a Mini Cooper? My criterias were (1) a fun car, and by that I mean a 100+hp compact car around 10:1 ratio (2) of course the budget, 3000€ (3) the "fun car" part pretty much guarantees it, but good community support (4) I need to fit in it (I'm tall at 1.88m) and (5) must be Euro 2 or better (so pretty much a gas year 2000 or after car)

Compared to the Miata, it's probably a bit less fun to drive, and a bit harder to work on (everything is super compact in the engine bay), but you get a hard-top and small back seats, which to me means more space to put stuff. I actually carry most of my tools in my trunk all the time and work ... wherever I am. I've spent more time working on my car at my parents or in-laws than in my own garage (which isn't super great to work from).

I have to say I don't regret that choice. As for filming (I do record and did a Youtube channel about my tribulations, though nowhere near this course quality), interior has not been a big issue. Filming under the car while working on jackstands is pretty much impossible though (I'd need to buy a wide angle GoPro and more lights to even entertain a passable quality).

Important note: if you go for a Mini Cooper, prefer a 2005 or 2006 year model (post-facelift) if you go for a 1st gen. Going for a 2nd gen is not advised as they have tons of engine issues, and starting with engine work is not a great idea.

I'm going to differ with you and a lot of other people echo-ing.

Sure, if you know you'll do a lot of soldering, by all means take the expensive iron. But if you only need to fix an appliance here and there? Go with the basic one.

I've been using the same cheap iron someone gifted me 10 years ago (probably a 30€ one or so), and ... it works. It takes some time to heat up, so I'll just turn it on and go grab a coffee, and it's not super clean or whatnot ... but I fix appliances, I don't care as long as it's fixed.

I'm not trying to get good at soldering either. I'm probably bad, but I don't really care. My appliances get fixed regardless. I really only need a basic level that's used once, perhaps twice a year, and for that, the cheap soldering iron is more than enough.

That's because it is nonsense.

I have a week-end only car (2002 Mini) and I've had no issue letting sit for a week or two. Including opening/closing it without starting the engine to retrieve stuff in that timeframe.

And a week or two is on the low-end of how much you can let it sit. My SO car (1st gen citroen C3) often don't run for one or two month at a time and there is absolutely no issue with the battery.

On the other hand, if you have parasitic drain and access to an electric socket, there are battery chargers that can keep the car topped up. Or without an electric socket, just unplug the battery when the car isn't used (though that may disable some things, for example in my car the hatch is inoperable without power).

I guess you already seen it, but for anyone who shouts at Wankel engine unreliability, small plug for Rob Dahm and his video about fixing that engine biggest problems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwM6JJYPzkM

I'm from Europe too, but I've following what's been happening, so here's a very detached account of what happened.

First, it's not a single reason but several going hand in hand. The main one, as far as I understand, is the sky-rocketing price of housing, coupled with little social safety net for which the US is well-known, produced a lot of homelessness that has not been addressed and ballooned. With that also came crime and drug abuse (that's not new: I've been there 10 years ago and was shocked by the amount of homeless people in the streets, and I live in Paris, which has its fair share of homeless people, so that's saying something)

The second main one is that racism, which has always been a thing, especially in the police force, produced some very high profile events (George Floyd) and high backlash against the police, perceived as racist and not being on the side of "the people".

There has been a big "defund the police", which resulted in less policing, police force demoralization, a lot of officers quitting. Coupled with the previous issue, a lot of small crimes happened, mainly perpetuated by poor people. It's important to note that due to the US history, being poor correlate strongly with skin color.

I don't really know if it's the fact that the people appearing the court were black and it was deemed racist or if the court were overloaded (probably an unhealthy mix of both), but at some point, shoplifting under a certain amount (was it $950? Somewhere in the $1000 ballpark) was changed from a felony to a misdemeanor. In practice, that means you could do that without fear of retribution, which predictably had awful results, and might be the disturbing videos you are talking about.

There you go, hopefully I didn't misrepresent the situation and didn't forget any other important factor, though I'm sure someone will correct me if I did.

Seems like a gimmick to me.

I've been commuting with reinforced tyres (puncture protection) for 10 years now, and the only punctures I got was when I changed bike and did not upgrade to reinforced tyres straight away. I've not had a single puncture with reinforced tyres (though I get the most reinforced you can get). It's anecdota of course, but I'd love to know if people actually get punctures with that sort of tyres.

And this is not by virtue of having clean roads. There are potholes and there is a lot of glass on the cycle lane. Nowadays I don't even bother trying to avoid glass shard and just go straight in. One time I came home with a 0.5cm glass shard stuck in my tyre. It had not punctured the tube.

I don't have experience with tubeless designs or solid tyres, but they solve the issue as well.

What you describe is not your typical trip inside Paris. That would better describe a suburb to Paris trip, for which 1h to 2h is indeed normal.

A typical Paris trip is 2 minutes walk to a station (at most 5 min if you are slow), then 30 to 45 minutes subway, then 2 more minutes walk to your destination. There are subway station roughly 2 minutes from anywhere in Paris, and you can go from anywhere to anywhere else in about 30 to 45 minutes. During rush hour, subways are every 2/3 minutes on most lines. The highest time you have to wait is 10 minutes during "dead" hours when going somewhere there is a fork.

It will take about the same time by bike or scooter. But if you choose to take a car? At least the same time, and it can easily be double or triple the time depending on traffic. Then you have to park, which is expensive.

Note that for suburbs to Paris trips, very few people take scooters, because then you have to carry it in the suburb train. Most people will either take a bus to the train station, or take their car and park at the train station (not drive to Paris, that would take double the time).

Now again, I'm only describing what I know about Paris and its suburbs. It's a very different situation in other places (since I'm pretty sure the scenario you're describing is one you lived)

> Parisian too, but with reality in mind. We should first reduced by 95% the amount of cars and ban taxis

Oh I agree with that, but we can do both!

First link => that's an ongoing project with Crit'air restrictions. Link is 2 years old, Crit'Air 4 have been banned since then (though enforcement is low). And newer cars emit a lot less of pollution.

Second link => that's Ile-de-France and not Paris. That's why I was careful to specify Paris. Ile-de-France as whole is a lot more sprawling, so there is less alternatives to cars. Skimming it, it seems to support your argument even for Paris though, but I have a hard time to find the exact percentage. I'd be curious what's the actual number for Paris only nowadays.

Third link => that's for France as a whole. I did not skim it.

Fourth link => that's from 2016. I'm pretty sure it has evolved a bit since then. Numerous cycle lanes have been created since then, and parking/car lanes removed. Though that's still an ongoing project. I'd be really curious about updated numbers.