DIY vs. everyone else

[JimD]

Bruce:

I have given this considerable thought and have failed to produce a workable recommendation. So I throw it to you and other board members as a concept.

It bothers me that xx% of our members/readers are capable of the most complicated DIY repairs and the remaining xx% are looking for guidance to pass along to their "mechanic".

While I enjoy helping any Cadillac owner, my reply language/terminology tilts toward the technically competent DIY'er. And that reply could easily be less than helpfull and lead to communication problems for the rest of the population and their "mechanic".

Bottom line:

Might it be possible/advisable to spin-off the folks who seek DIY guidance?

[Bruce Nunnally]

Thanks for the idea. I am open to changes if we can devise an appropriate solution.

I have seen people actually resort to having their mechanic come read the site to understand the discussion, or printed out the thread and took it to their mechanic. So sometimes even for the non-DIYer the advice posted ends up correctly 'translated' to the people doing the work. Obviously mechanics tend to be professional technicians with a wealth of knowledge and training available to them. What Caddyinfo provides is the benefit of shared knowledge from Cadillac Enthusiasts and owner/operators who have seen and solved some of the same problems.

I have toyed with the idea of having a mechanical knowledge characterization along with the car and engine type. For example, I don't consider myself a mechanic -- I am ok with maintenance and some light repair work, but better off hiring someone to do more complicated work. So a 'mechanical aptitude' selector might offer "None", "Paint and Polish", "Maintenance", "Light Repairs", or "Heavy Repairs". The argument against such an approach has been that with a self-graded system the results will be very subjective and it is argued of little value.