Pretty much agree.
It is my experience, though, that information can be obtained cheap. Real accurate information cannot be obtained without becoming an initiate as groups or individuals have obtained the sources and then control it. Bill Gates was it 'The new commodity will be information' or words to that effect? He was not wrong.
Now do not get me wrong. My knowledge learned over the years can earn my money as more and more people cannot fix their cars. That is great. I am looking at a bigger picture, like what I am I going to talk about at events unless its to folk looking for free information. I got bored of the Inside Show scene as you forever answer the same questions to the uninitiated. That is part of why your there, of course. When the uninitiated are the owners of the cars at an enthusiasts rally something has gone wrong.
I gain the impression that it is now common for owners to buy all the reproduced Schmitt manuals from the MOC. They then do not open or read them but ask questions on the forums or at rallies. That is open access to twits who do not know what they are talking about and things go pair shaped, history rewritten etc etc. Wikipedia and so on are OK up to a point but many a fact is incorrect and it always pays to check a topic out. So I use it as a touchstone to start research not as the answer.
If I had time I would love to compile an owners manual from the amassed knowledge of 50 years Schmitting. It would be even better with one of a few contributior/fellow authers. But would it be worth it? Someone scans it to the internet and I have blown a year's work. However it is the world we live in and there are no right answers. But one thing I am certain of virtual clubs where no one meets is not as good as the real human contact of fellow nutters. The web brings us the rest of the world but we seem to have lost next door in doing so.
Collecting a car in Bristol we found we were at a sort of Petrol heads commune. Guys from all over got shore leave to go there for a long weekend and do cars up and drink beer. Crash pit was available. These guys were turning out great projects and cars were done as the motivation and skills were there to deal with problems. That is the way to do it. Microcars went through a phase of this and it was about getting the cars going and doing miles together. It is that which I am looking for again and if I can I would set up a place for petrol heads to come and play here, be it micros or dragsters.
