It’s a fair question.
Some people call themselves car guys until a conversation comes up and they don’t know some of the most basic.
Then again there are snobs who will look down on you if you don’t know the torque specs on the rods of a 350 Chevy off the top of your head.
What are some points we can all agree on? :dunno
How to change their own oil
This is a good one.
+1 on what dc2nick said
How to drive standard, everything else is too opinionated.
How to change a tire
Change own oil
Change a battery
charge a battery
jump a battery
pop start a standard
i consider car guys those who do their own work, or atleast most of their own work. Not to say that someone cannot be a car guy if they don’t do their own work, but if your car breaks and you are able to diagnose and fix it, you’re a car guy. if your car breaks and you take it to the mechanic, and believe whatever they tell you, no so much. You have to know the basics, how to change simple parts like a starter, alternator, battery, oil, spark plugs, all fluids etc at the bare minimum. Anybody can like cars and be into cars, but for me, a car guy knows how to fix them, and works on their own as well.
just .02
every car guy car owner should know how to fix their ride or know how to get it fixed.
they should know how to inspect it too
LOL, remembering back the times when this was necessary for me to get home. I agree with this one, although people brought up in a more privileged house hold may never have to deal with it, although would not make them not car guys… IMO
You can be knowledgeable without wanting to fix your shit. When I have a nice car I like working on them as a hobby. But for standard maintenance on my DD’s such as oil changes I bring that shit to the shop. Mostly because I have better things to do. On my vette I used to do everything because I enjoyed working on that car. On my truck and my econobox DD they go to the shop.
How to drive it faster than the guy that’s chasing you and the guy you are chasing. :rofl
Understanding that there’s someone always out there that knows more than you (for me most people) and it’s not a pissing contest but a shared interest.
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what he said.
Nothing got me more bent than hearing “you dont know what your talking about” followed up with “show me your car does this or that”. Just becasue you dont have something infront of your to prove the ultamate point, doesnt mean you cant be right.
Plenty of car guy types out there. Each has their own level and type of respect.
Don’t mod them. Rule #1
Once you break that rule the rest of the rules go right out the window.
Not being afraid to do your own work or ask someone to help you if you don’t know. Not everyone knows how to do every job and it’s not an expectation but unwillingness to learn will remove you from the realm of being a car guy.
Some amount of mechanical aptitude for basic repairs. Honestly if I didn’t work at a garage I probably wouldn’t change my own oil, if your smart you can hit up dealers for 20 dollar oil change specials. Not sure what basic oil and filter at the parts stores go for, but it has to be close to that. Honestly it all comes down to how somebody wants to spend their time and money and what kind of facilities they have available to do the required repairs or mod.
Know which parts/mods are on your car. I had a short chat with a kid in a Gst with a few years ago…I noticed a huge fmic so I asked what turbo he had, he replied “A big one”.
Its not how you stand by your car, its how you race your car.
That a couple of SR20’s would pull a premium one week before race wars.
A car guy should know about his car. Have a general knowledge of and about cars. And most importantly, be able to DRIVE his car. Being able to do some work on it is a plus.