Basically I need to know if this was a problem all those years ago. (or even sooner, considering cars were around long before 1950's) Today most people wouldn't even know how to change a spare tire, let alone do routine checkups like tire pressure, oil changes and spark plug swaps....... But what I need to know is: were the masses this ignorant about their rides %26quot;back in the day%26quot; or was the car culture of the early 1900's more focused on maintaining your vehicles to make them last longer?
please any responses, advice, or arguments are appreciated, I am trying to make an impact on my peers with this project.Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?Car maintenance was actually easier back then. Engines and drive train systems were simplistic and did not require much to keep them going. Vehicles lasted longer back then too. They were made to last. Anyone with a little mechanical ability could work on cars back then. All they needed was a set of tools and a little know how. Most of your high schools made it mandatory that all the boys went to auto mechanics class in high schools. It was nothing for the family car to last for 20 years without a problem and then be passed on to a son for more years.
As time has progressed, car manufacturers lost sight of making a quality product that would last. Then couple that with federal mandates for car manufacturers to have to make engines that put out low emissions and they evolved into over priced cars that do not last and nobody can work on them except the dealer. This is one of the reasons the Japanese have done so well. Honda and Nissan make a car that LASTS and has little to no maintenance. Toyota too, think about it, the only problem you have ever heard about a Toyota is the accelerator issue that just came out.
Your grandfather could purchase a Ford truck for $2000 dollars and put gas in it for .16 cents a gallon, and when it broke down he could run to the hardware store and buy a set of plugs and a condenser and do it all himself in 20 minutes.
Now, this generation is driving cars that cost @ $60,000 dollars and gas is almost $3 a gallon, and if your car breaks down you must have a computer to talk to it and only the dealers have those now and or the cars today are so complex that you must remove the whole front end just to replace a headlight.
So you tell me, was car maintenance easier back in 1950? YES SIR!Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?heck no it was,nt ! but they did have trouble with rear ends but as for tune-ups all you needed were a screwdriver, some tools like wrenches and a hammer. back then they took points and no computers or sensors. when you raise the hood you almost knew what the problem was.Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?I can remember my Father doing yearly tune ups. there where more moving parts back then so yes to your question. in the 50s cars had points on there distributor. wires where not as good. and plugs where cleaned and re-gaped. transmission fluid was unheard of to go 100k miles. that was done yearly with a filter as well. ANd most cars in the 50s had timing chains that had plastic cover teeth on the that would be replaced around 40k if i remember right. A tune up today on an avg car is not do till 60k ,on high end cars around 100k .
Good luck!Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?Up until the early 90's most cars had some servicing the average person could do. Car service from the post war years and up into the late 70's was a lot simpler for most do it your selfers. Things like tune ups and oil changes were easier and in a lot of cases brakes. With ABS brakes, computers, complex emission controls and stiffer enviroinmental laws people just aren't able to do what was once considered car repair and service. It takes expensive equipment now plus a lot more technical training to repair vehicles. The %26quot;grease monkies%26quot; are gone and now we are called %26quot;technicians%26quot;Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?BACK IN THOSE DAYS, PEOPLE DON%26quot;T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CARS UNTIL IT IS BROKEN. THIS CAUSE THEM MORE MONEY TO REPAIR IT AND HASSLE SUCH AS LATE FOR DINNER,GETTING HOME LATE, RUIN VACATION TRIPS ,AND SO ON. THOSE OLD CARS WAS SO UNRELIABLE AND POOR DESIGN. ALSO,THERE WAS ALOT OF SAFETY ISSUE THAT KILL A LOT OF PEOPLE.THERE WAS SO MANY UNTRAINED MECHANICS AND CONSUMERS WAS GETTING RIP OFF CONSTANTLYWas car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?Having owned and worked on many old cars, I can tell you that it probably wasn't much different in the past. It's true that things were a lot simpler back then, but that doesn't mean that the average person could overhaul their engine either. I think the average person in the 50's could probably do more of the basic stuff, because cars were much simpler then, and problems were easier to diagnose, but old cars also required alot more maintenance as well. Offsetting that was the fact that labor was much cheaper in the 50's, so taking your car to the garage didn't mean huge bills, necessarily. I remember talking to my mom about it, and from what she said, I gather that there were many people back in the day who just drove their car till it broke, just like they do now.
Modern cars require alot of special equipment to even diagnose, which explains why many people now don't really attempt to do anything with them, and are willing to pay the much larger costs now for repairs.Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?I am sure that it was a Little different. For one thing not everybody had a car, and I bet it was the same with having to have a mechanic to do some work.Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?Car maintenance has always been an issue,
Back in 50s people were still having problems now that we look at they seem so easy but
at that time techs were still scratching there heads.
As whole there will always be people struggling to keep up with technology.
I hope this helps.Was car maintenance a problem in the 1950's?1 50s cars were easier to work on,,,a starter or alternator could be swapped in 20 min...
2 they required more to keep going...points and plugs lasted 10/15K miles,,,people didn't drive as much so It was maybe once a yr,,,
3 tires/rims were not as good and flats were frequent,,,most could change a flat easily...with no cell phones a flat was a big deal if you couldn't change it yourself
4 cars were more of a luxury ,credit wasnt easy so most had to save up...one you bough a car people tended to take great care of it...My area..Saturdaywas mow the lawn and wash/work on the car day,,,
