Track_ShovelSep 29, 2025

Assumptions

https://slrpnk.net/post/28144822

Show threadKnuschberkeksSep 29

I’m calling bullshit on this one. For two reasons:

  • AFAIK there has never been a female chief mechanic on an F1 team. F1 is so starved of women in leading roles it would probably hit the news.
  • F1 cars are so vastly different from Road cars, I doubt it would even be of any help. Marc Priestly, a former McLaren F1 Mechanic, describes in hia autobiography how any time a relative asked him to look after his car he would tell them he doesn’t know shit about roadcars and how he has to bring hia car to an actual mechanic aswell.

    • Now it might be that OOP misremembered the actual role of the person or the racing series they worked in, and the person might just have had an interest im roadcars outside of their work.

    Show threadSoupSep 29

    Definitely if real bro misremembered. I’m an architectural technologist but people will still often say I’m an architect.

    I don’t know why this Marc Priestly fellow would not understand the basics of working on a road car. They’re incredibly uncomplicated and if he couldn’t figure them out I’d be surprised(and maybe a little worried). Most likely is that it’s the same reason a lot of mechanics have shitty cars; they spend all day working vehicles and don’t have the time and energy to work on their own.

    Show threadpharSep 29
    I can’t really comment on the rest of what you said but calling modern day road cars uncomplicated is kind of ridiculous. The technicians are pretty much electrical engineers at this point. Between software and can bus stuff, cars are ridiculous right now. It’s making it very difficult for independent mechanics to work on vehicles.
    Show threadSoupSep 29

    That’s just a load of horse-hockey that older mechanics say because they hate modern vehicles. Techs are not electrical engineers just because they understand how a multimeter works and many places will just replace harness and stuff wholesale instead of repairing them, to the point where if I want to make one of my side signals work again I’m going to have to cannabilize a parts car for that section. Even still, it’s just lining up the wires and busting out the solder and heat-shrink.

    I have a 2015 BRZ and do the work in my parents’ driveway. I know my car is less complicated than an Audi or VW but from personal experience those cars are garbage designed by engineers of questionable skill but a large budget.

    The main reason independent techs have a hard time, I’d imagine, has more to do with how weirdly packaged the wires could be and without manufacturer support(for a warranty job, say) it might get financially difficult. Unplugging harnesses is not that hard otherwise.

    Show threadpharSep 30
    So you only work on your one car, admit other vehicles are more complicated, but say only older techs complain about current cars? And who even said anything about complaining. You’re way off base my friend.
    Show threadSoupSep 30

    Yo the first claim was that the F1 mechanic takes their own car to a mechanic. So, that part is equivaleny and very “on base”. I also already conceded that I totally get it if they just mechanic stuff all day and don’t want to go home just to work on their own vehicle. Modern vehicles have more parts, for sure, but they are not prohibitively complex, especially for a professional race car mechanic. Besides, those big jobs rarely happen, if ever, and most of the time you’re just changing brakes, spark plugs, headlights, etc. and any schmuck with some hand tools and a Youtube video should be able to do that as long as they aren’t brain-dead.

    So I don’t know why you’re looking to be so mad, maybe you feel like you’re part of the “brain-dead” portion and are feeling attacked, but buddy I’m consistent and staying relevant to the conversation.

    Show threadphar
    The F1 thing has nothing to do with what I said. And yes, many of them are prohibitively complex, including software. Which is why the right to fix stuff even exists. I run a shop at a high end dealership. We are well beyond spark, fuel, and air being the only.relevant contributors.
    Oct 1 at 1:15amWeb
    Show threadSoupOct 1

    “Yo the first claim” refers to what prompted me to enter this thread.

    You run a shop and you don’t understand that simple, common jobs are easy enough to handle on your own? That, or maybe you work for a manufacturer so bad they regularly see vehicles come in for insane problems?

    I dunno, I drive Subarus and they’re super easy, even a pleasure, to work on and there really hasn’t been much getting in my way so far. I fully agree that nothing should be locked away and people deserve the right to do their own repairs but even with that not being the case I also don’t completely give up on small jobs because a repair I’ll never do is not currently possible.

    Show threadpharOct 1
    No. Some jobs are easy. Some are not. Some are in the middle. But just because your Subaru is easy to you, doesn’t mean a hybrid performance vehicle is easy. You are over generalizing based on garbage anecdotal evidence. You should stop doing that in life.
    Show threadSoupOct 1
    Hey, I’m not trying to say your job is easy or act like you don’t deserve to be compensated well for it, and I haven’t said that people shouldn’t ever go to a shop, but there are many jobs that just aren’t that bad. Unless it’s a German vehicle, of course, those cars are actively hostile towards anyone and everyone and their engineers should be ashamed of themselves. I’ve done way too many VW rear brakes for family and friends and it always sucks ass, though I get it done all the same.