@jtsanders; I know, I can afford it (better if my wife would spend less!!). Don’t have much room in the garage. We actually park both cars inside. I think I will eventually get a cheap one from Harbor Freight.
I should also mention that as a motor head, at work I get a lot of car related questions. Sometimes I tell them the diagnosis quoted to them by the “mechanic” sounds suspect. The usual shocking response I get is “The Jiffy Lube mechanic told me”. I then give them a low down on what I think of this quick lube places. I think most people just ignore my advice. When I follow up with them a few weeks later, they tell me they bought a new car.
It’s probably just as well, gallant.
Many years ago (in the '70s) I rebuilt a coworker’s carburetor for him. The rebuild turned out great, but ever time he got a flat (or any other problem) he blamed me. From that time on, I’ll assist someone, I’ll offer to join them and provide guidance, but I’ll not repair a coworker’s car. The only exception is a ladyfriend of many years who realizes that I’m not perfect and accepts it… and also understands that if I change her air filter and a month later she gets a flat, the two may not be related.
Dealerships are hit or miss. The things I’ve seen…
When my 2002 Mitsubishi was at the dealer for a minor warranty claim it was due for a oil/filter service. I said OK and they charged $50. When I bought my 2010 Kia the dealership did not have a service department. I was told if I had any problems to take it to their Mazda dealer. I had no problems and had oil/filter changes done by an independent. Kia opened a brand new dealership with a service department in August 2014. They do oil/filter changes for $29.95 which is $10 less than I have been paying. Guess where I am going?
the same mountainbike Been there done that rebuilt a carburetor and customer’s left rear shock failed 4 months later. Of course it’s my fault!
@sgtrock21 If the car was a Corvair where you did the carburetor work, it was your fault, You leaned too hard on the rear fender.
That does it. The next time the wife asks “Do these jeans make my butt look big”, I’m sending her to Autozone!!!
Let them feel the wrath of the she devil.
Yosemite
Some years ago, a fellow worker replaced the intake manifold gasket on my 1967 Chevy II. He told me I had the famous Ed Allaire guarantee. if the car broke into two pieces after he worked on it, I got to keep both pieces at no extra charge.
gallant, just the thought of using a foot pump has my sciatica screaming…
I have a Black and Decker Tire Station and like it a lot.
Sorry My wife has used any generic lube forever and never had a problem. Would I trust them for brakes, sure for her car. I am a tad more picky.
@wesw
I feel your back pain today
I told you guys I had scoliosis, and I threw out my back a few days ago . . . again
I did a few brake jobs this morning, and loosening the caliper bolts was excruciatingly painful
It felt like somebody was crushing my ribcage
Most likely, I’ll probably have to start doing exercises and stretching, specifically targeting my back. I’ve gotten away with it, not doing exercises up until now, but “the good times” are probably over
Sometimes I think I must be an idiot, because I’ve always had a bad back, but nevertheless I chose to turn wrenches for a living
A lot of my colleagues have a bad back, which was caused by workplace injuries
But me, I was messed up going in. When I got hired for my current job, I had to pass a physical exam before starting. I was kind of surprised that nobody mentioned my back. I wanted the job so badly, I didn’t say anything, either
Much of my weekends, holidays, etc. are spent lying down, recuperating, getting ready for the next week
I’m sure many of you guys know exactly what I’m talking about
I do. Believe me, I do. I went through periods of time when it took me ten minutes just to get my legs in my pants in the morning. I have it in good enough control now that it only takes five minutes now.
I’ve had “events” (my term for them) where I’d walk five steps bent over with my cane, freeze up, balance and rest, then move five more steps, freeze up, balance and rest, then repeat, until I finally made it out the door to my car.
The worst was a few months ago. I totally lost he use of my legs. With a walker, I’d hop my right leg forward then use my hips to drag my left leg around, then repeat. Scared the bejesus out of me. Once the discs decompressed some, I regained most of the use of my legs (not all), but man, that one was scary.
And now I’ve been advised that eth nerves that control my bladder are passing through a stenosis. The Dr. tells me “you’re likely to have bladder problems”. That explains a lot. I pee at every rest room. Fortunately, I’ve managed to make it so far.
That, combined with the fact that my bad ticker can no longer reliably get blood to my brain, manifesting itself as extreme dizziness to the point of dry heaves after lying down sometimes, makes me reticent to try to do a lot of the car repairs that I never used to even think about. But I try to do what I can. When I feel up to it. I have good days and bad days. Mostly somewhere in between.
Sincere best.
mountainbike
One of my colleagues had a poster, which stated the “3 rules of getting older”
One of them was “never pass up an opportunity to use the rest room”
I can’t print what the other 2 rules were, because this is a respectable website, and somebody might go blind, if I printed them
Some of you guys might actually have seen this poster, or a similar one . . .
I just realized… the only fluid I have left that I can still control I no longer have much use for!
I’m sure many of you guys know exactly what I’m talking about
I know, @db4690 , but I haven’t experienced it myself. My dad, my uncle, my brother, a couple of cousins, all had to have back surgery before the age of 40. I’ve seen back pain completely debilitate someone. My brother was in so much pain he couldn’t move out of his chair. He coached football and had to have 3 players carry him in his chair to a van to get to the hospital. As a boy my dad couldn’t horse around with me because his back pain was so bad. He often could barely walk.
Somehow I’ve made it to 45 with not a day of back pain, other than from doing something stupid like lifting a 4T60 onto the jack by myself. And everyday I’m thankful that I can still crawl under a dash or lift a full floating brake drum when I need to. This business can be murder on the body.
Ase, I sincerely hope you appreciate it. God willing, you’ll be one of those who goes through life without ever experiencing disability. My dad never had a “structural problem” (my own personal term) in his life.
45 was about the age when I began to realize that something wasn’t right. I was a hardcore mountain biker then, and had a full morning exercise routine. I could (and did) do 120 situps in the morning (as a part of the routine), ride 25 miles on a bicycle in the woods, and then go swimming. I was in the best physical condition of my life. But when I’d go over washboard portions of the trail in some of the converted rail system areas I started noticing a strange tingle in my back. That was the beginning.
Enjoy life. It comes with unexpected surprises.
Oh I do TSM. I’m reminded every day. I have a guy working with me now that’s a year younger than I am. Every couple of hours he needs to take a break for a few minutes and sit down because of foot pain. At first I thought “I can stand and walk around here for 10 hours a day, why can’t you do it for 8?” Then I realized, in my mind I’m still 25, and not everyone in their mid-40’s is as lucky as I am.
Working on cars can be hard, perhaps more so than 25 years ago. I remember when a 14 inch tire was the most common size. Now we regularly have to huck around 17 and 18 inchers.
Hope you’re getting around ok now. And quit working on your cars!! Leave that to the professionals with strong backs. LOL.
You guys wouldn’t believe the bangups I’ve suffered but won’t go into them. With many I have no idea how it even happened. In the shop I would often spend a break or even a full lunch hour in the unit room (VW guys will know what this is) flat on my back on a steel work table or a mechanic’s creeper getting psyched up for the next few hours.
Matter of fact, had a visit with the doc this afternoon (following a 1 in the morning ER visit a few days ago) and he says the right knee has to be replaced. Any chassis warranty has long been null and void…
I chose the injection in the knee and tough it out for now.