YouTube Certified Mechanics

I think a lot of it has to do with how an individual presents the information to another. Do they state it as a possibility or a definite. “You have X problem and I’ve read that your make and model is prone to X part failing”. As opposed to: “X part always fails in that application, just replace it.”

The first response give someone an idea of where to start because let’s face it, especially with common models pattern failures are easy to spot and eliminating that common source of failure is an easy way to eliminate one cause. Case and point, when I put crappy gas in my car it was throwing a p0303 code randomly. Switched the plugs coils around and still the same random code. A few weeks ago as the temperature approached -40 I started getting it consistently under certain conditions. So I just replaced the injector. Didn’t check anything electrical, just threw the part at it basically. But I did it with the knowledge that it is the most likely source and full knowing that there could be another issue still.

A definite response is bad news if the person receiving the response doesn’t know enough and believes that it IS the solution. Then the person on the other end gets all excited and figure the simple fix will cure their woes. Especially with the written word only, it’s hard to properly convey both the issue and the proper solution, or steps to take to narrow it down. People that don’t know any better and are combing the internet looking for a solution are easy targets for a knight riding in with a simple solution.

As a professional, it’s important to remember that there’s usually a variety of solutions to any given problem. Maybe the random guy on youtube figured out a better way to do something that you or those you’re exposed to have ever thought of.

Then there’s the people that simply don’t know enough to know that they don’t know.

Internet diagnosing is difficult at best and properly conveying the context of a single comment or statement is key to adequately presenting it in proper context.

[quote=”DrD” post=181248]It’s not unusual for folks whom have read a little or maybe watched a video or two on a subject to think of themselves as an “expert”…[/quote]

The Dunning-Kruger effect describes the errors on both ends of the expertise spectrum when someone estimates their knowledge in a particular field. Experts often under-estimate their knowledge because they know how large their respective field is, and they recognize they have gaps in their knowledge. Novices often over-estimate their knowledge because they don’t know how broad the field is and therefore cannot recognize their knowledge gaps.

Hi Eric/forum,

I stumbled on one of your videos a while back and have been watching since, this topic inspired me to register on the site as I felt I had something to add. I was a mechanic for 11 years before I went into IT, it’s now been 3 or 4 years since I turned wrenches professionally, so I admit I’m definitely out of the loop on a lot of things.

I use Youtube as a resource pretty often, both working on my own cars and occasionally for friends. I bought a BMW for a daily driver. I think part of me misses working on cars, so keeping it running top is cathartic. After a decade in the shop, I can feel my way through just about every repair I’d ever need to with a torque spec sheet and some wiring diagrams, but I love that people like Eric have taken the time to make informative videos about repairs. I’ll even use a Youtube video or DIY post to determine whether I’m going to do the repair or just pay a tech I trust.

Most people know I was a mechanic, but a lot don’t, and I often overhear people make definitive statements about people’s car woes, and they’re almost universally oversimplified or just plain wrong. People tend to want to speak from a position of expertise, even if they don’t have any. It’s shocking how often you hear someone who genuinely knows things use the phrase “I don’t know”. Friends or coworkers will approach me with questions about their cars, and I frequently have to either call a friend who works on that make, or look stuff up.

A friend called last week, said her driver’s window was stuck down, and had a few quotes for a motor replacement since a coworker who was “good with cars” had told her that was the problem without even looking at the car. I told her to swing by, I’d get the window back up and make sure the motor was actually the issue. I watched a quick video on how to remove the door panel so I wouldn’t take a chance on breaking clips I could avoid breaking and so on. When she showed up, I popped the card off, got out the DVOM and checked there was power at the motor. In this case, the motor was the issue, but it could have just as easily been the regulator, or the switch, or a leaky sunroof drain had corroded the wires in the door frame. At that point it was easy to just throw a motor in while I had it apart and get her taken care of. Someone speaking from ignorance could have cost my friend a very real amount of money, especially if she’d shopped for the lowest price and they’d taken her coworker’s diagnosis as fact.

People just need to be more skeptical of the information they hear, and do a little cross-referencing before jumping in full-tilt. Question someone’s credentials. And, the people who relay unverified second-hand information as fact need to shut it.