Which stereotypes fit you and which do not?

[ScottinSoCal]

I'm too short to attach the hose thingy to the other thingy on the car, without having to climb up on the running engine and possibly roasting something sensitive or getting caught. But I did google the recharging thingy and showed my wife where to put that hose thingy. Well...I showed her the picture of it and she found it.

This made me laugh. I have a vacuum pump that I use to evacuate AC systems, so I can rebuild the compressor or replace a condenser or coil if I need to. I got the AC working on my old Mercedes, but I have to tear into the BMW one of these days. I think the seals on the compressor are shot. It's the kind of thing that would cost a fortune (and I wouldn't pay to have done) at a shop, but it only costs a few dollars in parts to do it yourself. Well, a few dollars in parts, a bit of blood and skin from knuckles, a couple quarts of sweat, a few hours of study to hone up your repertoire of cuss words (just so you don't have to repeat yourself), and time. But I enjoy it, and knuckles heal.

 

[pinezy]

This made me laugh. I have a vacuum pump that I use to evacuate AC systems, so I can rebuild the compressor or replace a condenser or coil if I need to. I got the AC working on my old Mercedes, but I have to tear into the BMW one of these days. I think the seals on the compressor are shot. It's the kind of thing that would cost a fortune (and I wouldn't pay to have done) at a shop, but it only costs a few dollars in parts to do it yourself. Well, a few dollars in parts, a bit of blood and skin from knuckles, a couple quarts of sweat, a few hours of study to hone up your repertoire of cuss words (just so you don't have to repeat yourself), and time. But I enjoy it, and knuckles heal.

They do indeed heal. =)

Our one problem mechanically seems to be location. Argh.... NONE of our friends locally is a mechanic or very mechanically inclined. They like to think so. But they're not. Every single time they give us advice on what may or may not be wrong with the car it is always going to cost us around $800 to fix it. That's where the location issue comes in. My baby sister is a store manager at Goodyear. In. Hawai'i. Grrrr. Where oh where is my Star Trek type reality now? a/k/a what I wouldn't do for a teleporter.

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Every single time they give us advice on what may or may not be wrong with the car it is always going to cost us around $800 to fix it.

Wow. Other than buying a rebuild kit to rebuild your engine, I'm at a loss for what might cost $800 in parts. 'specially on a Buick.

If you're ever in an adventurous mood, you can pick up a code scanner at just about any auto parts store for around $100. There's a plug down under the steering wheel it'll plug into and read the car's computer. You can get pricing lower than $100, but those just display codes you have to translate. For $100 you can get one that will just tell you what's wrong. If nothing else it can save you money at the garage. My sister's check engine light came on and the mechanic told her he had to replace the throttle body for $950. I plugged my scanner into it, and it told me the throttle position sensor was bad. 5 minutes later, with about 25 cents in spray cleaner, her car was running great. Bad contacts was all it was. I doubt the garage even planned to replace it, they were probably just going to charge her for it and pocket the profit.

 

[pinezy]

Wow. Other than buying a rebuild kit to rebuild your engine, I'm at a loss for what might cost $800 in parts. 'specially on a Buick.

If you're ever in an adventurous mood, you can pick up a code scanner at just about any auto parts store for around $100. There's a plug down under the steering wheel it'll plug into and read the car's computer. You can get pricing lower than $100, but those just display codes you have to translate. For $100 you can get one that will just tell you what's wrong. If nothing else it can save you money at the garage. My sister's check engine light came on and the mechanic told her he had to replace the throttle body for $950. I plugged my scanner into it, and it told me the throttle position sensor was bad. 5 minutes later, with about 25 cents in spray cleaner, her car was running great. Bad contacts was all it was. I doubt the garage even planned to replace it, they were probably just going to charge her for it and pocket the profit.

Lmfao. Everything costs at least $800 to them. Need new brakes? $800. Blinkers don't work? $800. (because it's obviously something electrical not just a bad bulb, at least according to them) Heh. Brakes were fine. Blinker problem was solved when I googled the problem and found some car forum somewhere where someone said they replaced the socket thingy. Went to all the local car places and the lowest price we found for a socket thingy was $50 and it would take around a week or so to get the part in. Went to amazon.com signed up for the free premiere acc't trial. Found one (I think it was a AC Delco one) for $19.95. Went ahead and got 2 of them. Spent about 30 mins or so trying to figure out how to get the bulb out of the headlight thingy...then spent another 30 trying to get the sucker back in (wrong one). Found the right one, finally got it out, unplugged that socket thingy, stuck the new one in...another 30 minutes later and voila. Blinkers work =)

I really hate it when mechanics juice people like that. It's awesome your sister had you to give her a second opinion. I swear, the next new friend I make locally is going to have to be a mechanic or have one on speed dial. I can build a computer no problem, but I'm always at a loss when it comes to cars. Add to that a situation like your sisters and I have a hard time believing anything a mechanic tells me (have had experiences like that, too) unless it's someone recommended by a trusted friend.

 

[beartard]

Being a great cook is about my only stereotypical quality. I can change a tire and my oil. I can even rebuild an engine, given the tools. I was a construction electrician. I have an aversion to electronic music. I missed out on so many gay genes.