My son and I changed the brakes

[Kibokojoe]

Good father son time this afternoon. Even though it was freezing we fired up the torpedo heater and replaced the rear brakes on his 7. Had a great time and a good time with my son. Thanks to Johan & Sean brake write up on Shoguns site it was a piece of cake.

[shogun]

That must have been fun, father and son together working on cars. Unfortunately my son has no interest in cars at all, he even does not have a drivers licence.
rv8flyboy on BB E32 board works with his son also a lot, he even bought another old E32 just for fun to teach his son to work on the car.

[Old Man Pete]

Trying to get my son involved in wrenching time, he's not quite 9 yet and doesn't like the sight of blooded knuckles etc from struggling with no pit or lift out in the cold. I'll get him on-board soon though I think, as he's asking questions!

[Kibokojoe]

I tried this also but neither boy showed any interest. Oldest boy finally got interested when the car became his :). I am sure my youngest will get the bug once he begins to drive. My father always told me "If your not going to work on your own cars you better have a job that will pay for a mechanic." Obviously I don't have a job to pay a Bimmer mechanic, nor do my sons.

[pgrindstaff]

My dad and I have done a lot of work on my cars together. Intake manifold gaskets, water pump, and radiator on my 530 and the rear brakes on my 540. I truly like working on my car with my father and learning from him and the experience it brings with it. Needless to say, without the instructions found on this and similar forums the work would have likely been done by a mechanic.

[Kibokojoe]

Yes this board is a true blessing

[e34.535i.sport]

Cool! It sounds strange but I had a great time when I first changed the brakes on mine - it gives you a real sense of achievement when you come to a steady standstill at that first red light (rather than ploughing into traffic!) :D

Well done man.

[Triton540i]

I felt great reading these posts. My father and I used to work on the family car together, they weren't Bimmers, but rather old school Fords like the F150 truck or Country Squire station wagon. The old drum brakes almost cost my father his eye when a screwdriver slipped while reattaching the springs. That experience kinda freaked me out as a kid, years later I thought about that when I worked on my first car, (1982 Buick Skylark) but figured out a quick and painless way of getting the job done, no close calls on that one.

You guys are right, this forum is a blessing, it inspired me to start my local BMW group and I really enjoyed meeting several of you at the Chicago e34 gathering for the Roundel photo shoot. I love my BMW. It's the best car I've ever owned when it comes to ease of maintenance and the abundance of support sites FULL of people willing to give informative advice.

I don't have any kids, but someday I hope to do the same as many of you have or are inspired to do, to work and learn about these fascinating machines with the next generation. We are the teachers of the children of the future, and buying a tool to me is like buying another text book, it's full of life's learning experiences when you use it to fix something... to share that experience with your child is even better.

Inspire your kids to keep learning these manual skills, it's something they'll take with them and share with their children and so on... what a good feeling... great post everyone!

-Eric

[xspeedy]

I used to watch my dad (and eventually help) work on his 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger years ago. He passed on an interest and skill that will last me my lifetime. In some ways, the old E34 reminds me of our Dart (don't flame!). Simple, durable, and relatively easy to work on. Both have a similar engine configuration if I'm not mistaken - Slant 6.

I have a two year old that I want to get in the garage ASAP. I bought him a Little Tikes workbench that has an egine that somewhat comes apart to get the hang of screwdrivers and ratchets/sockets.

I can't believe how many people these days are severely lacking when it comes to knowing their car or doing anything more with them than putting gas in the tank.

There was a great, and touching writeup in Roundel about a father with
terminal cancer who decided in his last year of life to buy an old beat up E21 and perform a full restoration with his teenage son. They finished car was something for the teen to remember his father. I'll see if I can find the link.

[angusbn]

My 17 yr old knows that he's expected to help with some of the maintenance and change-overs or he'll not be driving the 535i. He possesses some mechanical skills so I look forward to working together once it gets warmer up here!!

Blair..

[Kibokojoe]

This is how I started my son out was letting him drive the 535i. He fell in love with it immediately. He helped me some but now that he has his own 735i he has suddenly become engrossed with anything bimmer :)

[Kibokojoe]

My family was a Chevy family. 63 Biscayne station wagon, 73 nova, trucks and such. I remember pulling the 283 out of the Biscayne and rebuilding it with my father in the garage. When I turned 14 I bought a 68 125 Yamaha motorcycle, must have taken that bike apart and put it back together dozens of times over the years I owned it. Wish I had a nickle for every time I rebuild a carb in one of those Chevys.....