Meeting people as a mechanic.

[Jimbo]

I have a story to share.

I took a job at Samsung in Austin one time. I was there roughly 6 months. One night (during the NFL playoffs for sure) I had spent the night at a buddies house in south austin, before making my way back to Hutto where I had a room. Come to think of it this was right around Thanksgiving. At some point i stopped between Ben white and getting on 35 north, for gas. When i came back out to My bronco it wouldn't start. This was one of my first fords, and definitely my first older ford. So after jiggling everything i could and exhausting all known options, some older mexican guy comes by and asks if i have any tools. I'm a toilet installer, so hell yeah i do. He grabs a pair of channel locks asks me to pop the hood, and fired that bitch right off from the solenoid.

Well i get it back to Hutto without issue, and I am gonna change clothes and head back to DFW for the night. As i am doing the research to figure out the fix before i jump on the road for a 300 mile drive, i remember we have a member who has a shop in waco.

Now other than the frizoli's braum's and valero right off 35 i dont know shit about waco. So i look this place up, call this guy and tell him my issue. Instead of listening to the simplicity of the problem he goes on for the next 30 minutes about everything that it "could be". i get that, i understand. What i was trying to get this mechanic to understand is that i know the issue, i am stuck in a guestroom in a house in hutto texas, in a truck that i am having to start with a pair of channel locks. he explained that he could get me the part at cost, i explained that it didnt matter cause it was $23 at autozone and i already had one.

Well I had the truck rollin with a full tank of gas as i passed through Belton, into waco, and i said you know what, I'm gonna keep on truckin. When i made it back to dallas that saturday afternoon i spent the afternoon with my wife and newborn, and i called this certain mechanic back the next day to let him know i was sorry i flaked but i didnt feel like pulling off and driving around waco looking for his shop on a saturday afternoon when i needed to get home.

I ended up packing some tools in a small tool box and heading back to Austin that sunday night. A week or two later i think I may have been bored and figured I would at least try to drop in and say hi, show my face and shake the mans hand. Well this time he had a shit ass attitude and was really just very off putting. I decided fuck that, why would I even bother driving around a city i have no business being in to work on a truck that isn't even worth paying someone else to work on.

That was the last time i've even attempted to reach out to a mechanic for anything other than the BMW, simply cause i am not equipped to disassemble it.

My oldest daughter makes the same attempt at multiple excuses and light insults, when she is in the wrong.
It's a behavior I am hoping she outgrows when she s a teenager. Because doing that type of thing as an adult, even when successful around those of a similar pitiful mindset, would truly make her less of a responsible and respectable woman.

[Jimbo]

What I gather from this story is a customer that knows absolutely nothing about mechanics tries to tell a professional mechanic what the problem is. Then this guy wants to buy a cheap part from the local autoparts store and have the pro install it.

He then commits to have this repair done on a weekend, and then blows the mechanic off without so much as a text, because the customer is an inconsiderate asshole that apparently can't google a fucking address, and then has the balls to get upset when the mechanic is upset about this.


I'll put up with a lot of shit from a customer, but don't fucking tell me that you're going to show up, have me stick around on a weekend, and then not have the common courtesy to tell me that you can't make it.

I thought the story was about lasersvt , so he stood you both up?

[JC316]

I thought the story was about lasersvt , so he stood you both up?

It is about laser svt, that was how I viewed the story. I've stayed late on a weekend for a customer before at my car lot and been stood up. It's fucking annoying.

[BP]

Now other than the frizoli's braum's and valero right off 35 i dont know shit about waco.

Where the hell is a Braum's in Waco? The farthest one south I've found is in Hillsboro.

[Chili]

I thought the story was about lasersvt , so he stood you both up?

It is about laser svt, that was how I viewed the story. I've stayed late on a weekend for a customer before at my car lot and been stood up. It's fucking annoying.

I was a little confused too. Initially I assumed Laser, then it looked like he may have been talking about you.

[JC316]

I was a little confused too. Initially I assumed Laser, then it looked like he may have been talking about you.

Yeah, it was late, I worded the last part wrong. I've had it happen to me on many an occasion at the car lot and it pisses me off every time.

[ELVIS]

Where the hell is a Braum's in Waco? The farthest one south I've found is in Hillsboro.

used to be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy down valley mills, but this was like 15-yrs ago!

god bless.

[BP]

used to be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAy down valley mills, but this was like 15-yrs ago!

god bless.

I guess I'll have to settle for Katie's Frozen Custard or Health Camp then. We have a DQ but it sucks out loud.

[Grimpala]

I guess I'll have to settle for Katie's Frozen Custard or Health Camp then. We have a DQ but it sucks out loud.

Health Camp FTW. It's hard to beat Bush's too.

[BP]

Health Camp FTW. It's hard to beat Bush's too.

It's cool every once in a while but the last couple of times I've gone it was pretty dirty inside and the service has definitely gone down hill. I'm sure that's cyclical with the school though.

Katie's has way better burgers, a drive through and the employees actually seem to like their job.

[IHaveAMustang]

Back on topic...sort of

I am not a mechanic, The only cars I remotely know how to work on are 1966 Mustangs and Toyotas with the VVT-i engines.

I have family in Oklahoma that just don't handle their money well. They live in a house with no heat/ac and it's a literal episode of hoarders when you enter their home. I refuse to go in.

So when their daughters got around driving age, I urge my brother in law to PLEASE buy foreign. Toyota or Honda preferably. I really tout the Camry or Corolla as they are reliable and inexpensive to fix.

He buys some horrible purple 2.3L ford ranger with a bazillion miles on it. Mind you, he knows less about cars than me. Truck breaks down a few months later and they leave it to rot in the street, which is normal in central OKC.

So they are looking for another vehicle and again, I urge, buy Toyota or Honda.

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0. Car looks like it was assaulted with baseball bats and barely runs (idle is super rough).

Is it common for no one to listen?

[mstng86]

Back on topic...sort of

I am not a mechanic, The only cars I remotely know how to work on are 1966 Mustangs and Toyotas with the VVT-i engines.

I have family in Oklahoma that just don't handle their money well. They live in a house with no heat/ac and it's a literal episode of hoarders when you enter their home. I refuse to go in.

So when their daughters got around driving age, I urge my brother in law to PLEASE buy foreign. Toyota or Honda preferably. I really tout the Camry or Corolla as they are reliable and inexpensive to fix.

He buys some horrible purple 2.3L ford ranger with a bazillion miles on it. Mind you, he knows less about cars than me. Truck breaks down a few months later and they leave it to rot in the street, which is normal in central OKC.

So they are looking for another vehicle and again, I urge, buy Toyota or Honda.

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0. Car looks like it was assaulted with baseball bats and barely runs (idle is super rough).

Is it common for no one to listen?

if they live in OK, it is.

[TeeShock]

Back on topic...sort of

I am not a mechanic, The only cars I remotely know how to work on are 1966 Mustangs and Toyotas with the VVT-i engines.

I have family in Oklahoma that just don't handle their money well. They live in a house with no heat/ac and it's a literal episode of hoarders when you enter their home. I refuse to go in.

So when their daughters got around driving age, I urge my brother in law to PLEASE buy foreign. Toyota or Honda preferably. I really tout the Camry or Corolla as they are reliable and inexpensive to fix.

He buys some horrible purple 2.3L ford ranger with a bazillion miles on it. Mind you, he knows less about cars than me. Truck breaks down a few months later and they leave it to rot in the street, which is normal in central OKC.

So they are looking for another vehicle and again, I urge, buy Toyota or Honda.

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0. Car looks like it was assaulted with baseball bats and barely runs (idle is super rough).

Is it common for no one to listen?

Do you know how to check the valves (100k maintenance interval)?

My daily scion has had valve chatter since it was new and I no longer can tell if it's serious at 130k. Valve train is a little over my head I'm just a part swapper.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[4king]

Naynay I'm sorry you couldn't find some one at an autoparts store to know what a starter solenoid. I will literally change them in the parking lot for a customer in 3 minutes.

That being said ford stopped making frame rail mounted solenoids in 1995, my old saying still applies, if you're driving a 99 cavalier with 300k miles on it and I have to explain to you what an oxygen sensor is you really should be making payments on a 2013 dodge caliber and complaining to the walmart oil lube tech about the check engine light coming on because he changed your oil

If you call me freaking out with your family pulling every friend card you have to get some one to help you, you owe them an explanation why you're immediate immergency turned out to be a flake. That's just my view of it though

[4king]

Do you know how to check the valves (100k maintenance interval)?

My daily scion has had valve chatter since it was new and I no longer can tell if it's serious at 130k. Valve train is a little over my head I'm just a part swapper.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Valve chatter is normal. I would not waste money on a valve job