Home auto maintenance...how many do it?

[PamsPride]

My DH takes the van and car to Valvoline for oil and fluid changes. Then we go to Sandy's Tire for other repairs...Mike has been my mechanic since I was in college ten years ago! I have a cell phone and generally never go anywhere by myself so I can always send one of the boys or my mom for help...like when I got stuck on the ice on my road...I just had two of the boys walk to the neighbors and two of the other kiddos stayed with me and DH had DD at the time.
At 32 weeks pg I am NOT changing ANYTHING on my van!! Autozone will change out wiper blades for you and Valvoline does free top offs of fluids so I am all good!!

 

[poppycat]

I change my own oil, brake pads, simple stuff like that. When I was in college I dated this guy who taught me how to do all of that stuff. The relationship ended in utter disaster but I did get something good out of it.

My dad can fix ANYTHING on a car. So if I have a problem I can't figure out, I call him and then watch him do it. Hopefully I'll know for next time. I also have a good mechanic too. If a repair is complicated/time consuming it is better for me to hire out. I need my car to be reliable for work and that is the first priority.

I have the basic stuff too, jumper cables, come-along, various wrenches. My DH bought this little pump that you plug into the cigarette lighter. It is awesome in a low-tire pinch.

 

[the simple life]

I took autoshop in school and learned to do alot of your basic maintenance oil changes, changing the tires etc.
I think its great for girls to take those courses.
Besides there were alot of cute boys in that class

I taught the girls how to use jumper cables when they started to drive, my son somehow already knew how to do that since he liked to hang around and watch my father and my husband work on their cars since he was a little guy.

My husband does all the car related repairs now so I just stay out of the way and duck the flying wrenches.
Having said that, there are times that the car needs to go into the shop and I have my trusted mechanic.
This cool old hippie biker who is honest (an honest mechanic, who whoulda thunk it).

You would never know it by looking at him, big guy with longish grey hair and a bandana, typical biker apparel, and a heart of gold.
One time when my husband was in the hospital having surgery the car had a major problem. I dropped the car off to him and I told him to check it out and call me before he does anything to it to see if I could afford it first.

He called me a few hours later and told me to come pick up the car that it was all set.
I was panicked over how much it could be and asked him how much it was going to cost me and he said well its $400.00 but I don't want the money right now.
He said the reason I didn't call you and tell you how much it was going to cost was because I knew you would say to wait on it since its a week before christmas and you have all those kids and I didn't want you driving around with this because its not safe, especially with the kids in the car.
So come pick up your car, enjoy the holidays and pay whenever you can, even ten dollars at a time.

I paid him back, baked him some cookies and brought him some flowers for the planters he installed around the garage.
There are not many people like that in the world anymore which is pretty sad really. If more people treated eachother with that type of kindness the world would be a better place.

 

[reinbeau]

Natalie, who is this guy, he sounds like a keeper, and I really need a good mechanic now - my friend who did it for years has retired!

 

[the simple life]

His name is Bruce and he owns Unlimited Auto in Columbian Square in South Weymouth.
His garage is right across the street from the Post Office behind the locksmith.
Its him and another guy that helps out, the other guy's name is Bruce too.
A woman named Ashley answers the phones for him most of the time.
I will tell you that no matter what he says the price is I don't have to worry that he is ripping me off.
Its not like he is extremely cheap or anything, he charges what he should I guess, but he is honest and goes out of his way to help out.

He worked on a saturday for me once because I needed my car back in time for a camping trip.
Another time he stopped by my house during a yardsale and I waved over to my daughter's car and told him I would be bringing it in because its not running.

He got off his motorcycle and went over to check it out, he said let me make sure its worth it to you to even bring it in to fix.
So he checked out the car and said, sure enough that it would cost way more money to fix than the car is worth because it was the engine, but then he thought about it and said that he had a similar car that he was going to fix up and sell but he could take the engine out of it and put it in her car if I wanted.

The only other place I can recommend and I haven't been there since I found Bruce is O'brians or is it O'briens auto in Holbrook.

 

[Beekissed]

Your mechanic sounds like a real gem! I would have given my right arm all these years for a good, honest mechanic that wasn't being nice to you just because you are a single woman and he wanted his payment in other ways!

 

[poppycat]

Your mechanic sounds like a real gem! I would have given my right arm all these years for a good, honest mechanic that wasn't being nice to you just because you are a single woman and he wanted his payment in other ways!

Beekissed you are naughty!

A good mechanic is a really good person to know, though

 

[ams3651]

I change my own tires, check fluids, change filters but my son changes my oil. I could if I had to I just dont want to. Recently I took my friend to pick up her car and she had a flat tire. She grew up with 3 brothers and amazingly has no clue about cars. She was impressed when I pulled a floor jack out of the back of my minivan. Hey, Im not spending a half hour pumping that thing up with the little one it comes with. I followed her to the garage we both frequent (her cousin) he instantly knew it had to be me that changed it.
When I learned to drive I had to learn how to take care of my car, we didnt have AAA to come rescue you.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, I think its enough that we KNOW how, for when a man just ain't available! I let my sons do the oil changes now...they need the knowledge and practice. When they leave home, I will return to the maintenance myself.

That's all thats really needed...the knowledge and the practice...all women need it. Things like divorce, illness, and death can separate us from our "hubby" and financial problems can make going to a mechanic for minor maintenance impossible.

After all, the word "self-sufficiency" starts with "self"!

 

[FarmerChick]

After all, the word "self-sufficiency" starts with "self"!

***LOL-LOL
good point



ya know funny thing in this world now you have help anywhere you turn. I don't drive on deserted roads and such. I would have 20 people stopping and helping me if something happened on the road...which is a good thing but a bad one also...LOL...means my area has grown up so much there isn't a private piece of space out there...ugh!

oh well....