Start them off young! I tried to teach my children how to work on cars and they all told me they would make enough money to pay to have it done, so now when they call me with car problems I tell them to get thier checkbooks out.

Everybody is different.  

One of my sons showed no interest and was not mechanically inclined in the least.    He does know how to jump start a car but that is about it. He is a tax accountant now.

My other son is very mechanically inclined and helps me on occasion.  He works on his own car, brakes, installed a radio, etc.  He is an computer engineering student, is on the formula SAE race team at school and has done an internship with Ford and will be working with Tesla this summer.

Everyone has to find their own niche and do what makes them successful.  Very proud of both.

I myself am an accountant and I can take pretty much anything apart.  I have trouble putting things back together though.  

 

I think some kids have an aptitude for it or are interested in it and others just aren't.  My brother and I are like that.  We grew up in the same house with the same dad, but I was just always more interested in working on cars (and anything else) than he was.  He's not inept, he can change his oil, brakes, plugs, and most simple maintenance type stuff.  But if a rear needs to be rebuilt he asks me to do it.  He'll help and pitch in where he can, but I've just got knowledge he doesn't.  He's the one who buys a new car every 5 years, whereas I drive an 11 year old truck every day and my wife drives her 15 year old Subaru every day.  Part of that's a need to have something perpetually new vs. hating having a car payment & preferring to drive the vehicles we like.  But part of its just a need to know how everything in the world works.  Its okay because when the zombies take over I guess he can stay at my place because we're brothers.