TheSamba.com :: View topic - Is the Idiot's book really that valuable?

Mon May 10, 2021 3:26 am

You young bucks don’t know what inflation is. In the 1970s prices in stuff changed drastically from year to year. We weren’t the Weimar Republlic but it sucked. Gas was all over the place, when you could find it.

Mon May 10, 2021 5:53 am

Bug-nut wrote: And then the Hand Tools book is just plain funny. It was printed by General Motors during WWII for use by the armed forces to help train mechanics, and it shows all the right and wrong ways to use hand tools.

They also produced a companion filmstrip to that book. I remember watching it in shop class in 7th grade. It got a lot of laughs from the farm kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKM4qBESzrA

Mon May 10, 2021 7:12 am

FarmerBill,

If I recall correctly, Primitive Pete was the star of this film. I still think of him while reaching for my 5 pound hammer.

Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:15 am

Got some elitists here - complain about dumbing down reading materials yet same people who will remove college entrance exams to be more 'inclusive'?? You people are pathetic.

The very reason the VW is running today all due to the Muir Idiot book. If you knew nothing else about cars or VWs, the Muir will save your ass more than once.

The Bentley is excellent for someone already versed in auto repair. But for someone who cannot tell the difference between gas pedal from spare tire - the Muir is invaluable. It was written by a man who has more knowledge than the entire lot in this forum combined...in any endeavor.

The Idiot book should be in every VW lover's arsenal. I have it - inherited it when I bought a car. It was well-worn, so that tells me someone learned from it. T?hat is how you tell if a book is useful just by the way the pages are unworn. If it is in pristine condition tells you all about its value -useless!

Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:38 am

nsracing wrote: Got some elitists here - complain about dumbing down reading materials yet same people who will remove college entrance exams to be more 'inclusive'?? You people are pathetic.

That is quite the assumption.

Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:46 am

I am probably in the 9-ring w/ that 'assumption'. Not too far off - in case you missed the intended meaning.

Mon Jul 26, 2021 12:44 pm

mpls_ham wrote: FarmerBill,

If I recall correctly, Primitive Pete was the star of this film. I still think of him while reaching for my 5 pound hammer.

I was talking to my dad about this, he’s WW2 era US Army Air Corp.

Everyone remembers Forrest Gump right? Well it ain’t far from the truth. The armed services was getting illiterate or barely schooled but otherwise healthy young men to train. How to reach them?

They came up with a series of books called Private Pete. These were mostly pictures designed for people that could not read, a monkey see monkey do approach to training and it worked think of the apes that work at tire stores most are high school age or young 20s with zero or little official training. They can do tires and maybe brakes that’s it.

You need private Pete he’s the guy that runs to the tool crib for flight line etc. https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4013coll9/id/904/

Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:53 pm

Right there with Amishman. If I did it a year ago....or longer...whooosh gone!...read that few paragraphs of Muir, laugh a little, an get reacquainted with the procedure! And NSR, for sure when I was wrenching on my 63 bug, without Muirs approach I wouldn't have even known what the part names meant or where to proceed.
Let's all admit that at one time we were ALL completely ignorant of anything VW/aircooled. Still use my old 70's copy. For most of the world --- we don't really know that much anyway.....we just believe that we do!! We are only apes with cars.

Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:08 pm

nsracing wrote: Got some elitists here - complain about dumbing down reading materials yet same people who will remove college entrance exams to be more 'inclusive'?? You people are pathetic.

The very reason the VW is running today all due to the Muir Idiot book. If you knew nothing else about cars or VWs, the Muir will save your ass more than once.

The Bentley is excellent for someone already versed in auto repair. But for someone who cannot tell the difference between gas pedal from spare tire - the Muir is invaluable. It was written by a man who has more knowledge than the entire lot in this forum combined...in any endeavor.

The Idiot book should be in every VW lover's arsenal. I have it - inherited it when I bought a car. It was well-worn, so that tells me someone learned from it. T?hat is how you tell if a book is useful just by the way the pages are unworn. If it is in pristine condition tells you all about its value -useless!

X100!

Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:46 am

"Is the Idiot's book really that valuable?" why how much did you pay for it?? :shock: :roll:

Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:05 pm

Does it really matter if it enabled you to do a simple repair on your own that your local mechanic's shop would have charged you $1000 + for? And don't kid me, there are very few cars that leave one of those shops with bills under that dollar value these days! That is less than 1/2 day's labor if there is parts involved.

If you paid $150 for the book you saved that in the first hour of shop rate. From there on the book is making you money.

Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:05 am

I have a variety of different VW repair manuals, including the Bently for what ever year I happen to own at the time. IIMHO some manuals especially the Bently gets a little too involved in what can be a simple repair, the Idiots Book keeps it pretty simple.

Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:58 am

Schools are competing for the best students , not the best test takers. That’s why they are abandoning the SAT

I perfect SATs and near perfect GREs and was a 30% dumbass in my doctorate class. My office mate tested #5 in China in physics and was in another universe of intelligence.
There were loads of perfect sats jn Medical school and they were all dumb donkeys

These tests measure something obliquely related to intelligence and college aptitude, nobody is too sure what.

Wed Aug 04, 2021 11:35 am

I dont have any idiots books. but I do refer to books to have a look at how the factory had things assembled as many morons dont get it right or there may be a hidden snap ring in all that good&grime. specs and tq values are helpfull too, but always look at them and see if they seam realistic as they are not always right. I have bentlys, chitlens motors& clymer to compare things none are 100% right.

Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:11 pm

mark tucker wrote: "Is the Idiot's book really that valuable?" why how much did you pay for it?? :shock: :roll:

Do you pay more if you have a drink of $4 Smart Water first?

Thu Aug 05, 2021 1:53 pm

Abscate wrote: You young bucks don’t know what inflation is. In the 1970s prices in stuff changed drastically from year to year. We weren’t the Weimar Republlic but it sucked. Gas was all over the place, when you could find it. :? :? :? :? :? I inflate mine to 32~38 psi. ( execpt for the 16x31 or 19.5x33 rears I rund ,those are quite a bit lower inflation.I dont have a clue what the washer inflates to

Sat Aug 07, 2021 4:00 am

KTPhil wrote: mark tucker wrote: "Is the Idiot's book really that valuable?" why how much did you pay for it?? :shock: :roll:

Do you pay more if you have a drink of $4 Smart Water first?

Talking about Idiots…

Its amazing that you can create a 20B market by convincing people there bodies don’t know hoe much water to drink and that you should carry water around like a baby. Moreover, you sell them unregulated, uninspected chemicals in plastic by convincing them tested and regulated municipal water is unsafe.

Try the benzene water mix!

Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:22 am

I dont hoe water, I usually use a glass or pitcher.not sure how you hoe water. possibly just hoeing a ditch for the water to run off...unless it's white hard water than you use a snow blower or snow shuvvell.
as for the smart water...it is as smart as the smart phones?? does the smart water come out of the cold so it dont freezzee??

Sun Aug 08, 2021 5:23 am

Is that the real Mark Tucker... picking up on a SPELLING mistake... and ribbing someone about it? :shock:

Or am I hallucinating here...

DEAR! Where did you get these mushrooms? :o

Sun Aug 08, 2021 8:03 am

0 ...that was a spellen miss steak? oops sorry. what was it supposed to say?