ddz

So I picked up my '89 C4 a week ago and posted some questions about an oil line leak. Following the overwhelming advice of others I dropped the exhaust, removed the offending line, cleaned everything up and am getting ready to put things back together tomorrow with a new line. Along the way I spent a lot of time with my 9 year old son under the car showing him all the bits and pieces and explaining what all the tools were I was using and really talked with him, not to or at him. Turns out he has quite the aptitude for things mechanical and he acts out the excitement I'm feeling as we move from one step to the next. There's nothing like having that second pair of hands to help in the tight bits. Reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad did the same with me under a '62 VW Beetle.

There's something to be said for owning a car that demands your involvement - and provides opportunities to be a meeting place between a father and son as well as the on-line community this seems to be. Pretty cool side benefit of 964 ownership if you ask me....

Smokin

One of my favorite old pictures was of me when I was about 4 years old sitting on the engine under the hood of my Dad's old Chevy while he worked on the car. He taught me a lot and I'm sorry he's not around anymore, especially when I have questions... I usually figure things out on my own... But he always had the anwers!

Good for you! Your son will remember these times for the rest of his life... And he will be very grateful!

JerryW

Father/Son projects are **such** a bonding experience. (Hence my stable of vehicles -- Mine, his and the projects !)


It just gets expensive when you have to buy twice the amount of everything !

RicardoD

I think I need to print out this thread and show my wife so she understands the valuable father/son time our family is wasting by not yet owning a 964. One problem, my boys are 3 and 1.5, so she may take it to mean we have to wait another 6 years or so. On second thought I'll just keep saving every month and acting smartly at work and try to drag my kids in the brake job I'm doing on my A4 this weekend.

All the best,
Ricardo
964 dreamer
'97 Audi A4 1.8tqm
'99 Audi A6 Avant

JerryW

My son started passing me wrenches under the jeep at around 4 years old. He started 4 wheeling with me at 6 and has been a part of every build up of a vehicle since that time as well.

Start em young !

Wachuko

Start them young all right!! My son is 2 1/2 and he tries to help when I am working on the car... he would hand me the wrenches, bolts, nuts, you name it... true, I did not needed the wrenches, nor the bolts at the time he hands them to me... but that is not important...

The funny part is when I go pick him up the next day at the day care center... the lady asks me if I work on my cars... because my son was on his back, with some play tools, "fixing" the Little Tites plastic cars...

My son would run out and sit in the car for a ride around the block... they call the car the VROOM VROOM... my daughter (almost 7) is the same way.

Moments that they will remember for ever… I know I will.

Greg_L

I'm so lucky my dad has great mechanical knowledge. He's the reason i'm keen to do and try as much car maintenance as i can. We still work on our cars together and its time i really enjoy and value

LeRoux Strydom

This is one of my favourite pics: my son (then around 5) helping me change the dashpad and windscreen on my old SC.....

Le Roux

kris

Baaie mooie foto

Marc Shaw

RicardoD - my son, like Wachuko's (Jaime's) is only 2.

My son already helps wash the car, tries to hand me things (never the right thing), laughs when I start it to leave in the mornings, and giggles from the back seat when I drop it into 3rd and "drop the hammer" on the highway.

Print this thread out to show to your wife but include Wachuko's and my comments.....then maybe she'll let you get your 964!

Marc
p.s. I (vaguely) remember "helping" to rebuild the engine in a Fiat 124 Sport with my Dad when I was about 6......I now understand why most of the work seemed to get done once I was in bed......

chris walrod

That one made me laugh out loud. Thats definitely a keeper in the ole memory banks!!

Euromagination

Very cool. The best times of my childhood, by far, were with my dad either under his old F-150, 911 SC, my mom's HUGE Lincoln, or in my high school years, his Corvettes. Good times...

These days, I'm actually happy when he calls me up at 6:30am on a Saturday and asks if I'd come over to help him work on his boat's motor. Which means... I go over there and work on the boat motor while he "supervises".

Have fun. I'm sure your son is!

Jerry Garwick

My boys and I still laugh about the time when my wife came home and found us trying to break the gland nut of our Porsche engine. "We" had it bolted to the tree in our back yard and the boys were taking turns jumping out of the tree on breaker bar. It took a long time of jumping but he nut finally broke loose.

Those time are priceless, even for us old farts.

willie964

I've been able to see alot of similarity here with my son who is 3. Ever so helpful at running off with the tools you need and then having to bribe him with other tools just to trade off for the one you need.

He enjoy's 'playing' with the car as much as I do and he still gets excited every time the car is fired up ............. as long as he is inside it though , as he reckons it is too noisy standing outside.

He also manages to put a smile on my face as he tells everyone he meets that Daddy's car is a Porsche !!!

kris

Just got back from a terrace where we had lunch. Just when we prepare to leave a 964 zooms by. My 8 year old says " Hey daddy that's the same as yours but a targa" to which the 6 year old says "Yes but this one has a fixed wing. What a nice sound he makes". Made my day