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stormdogAfter a surprise run to Pleasant Prairie to pick up a medium-sized dehumidifier from a Freecycler (yay!), I went over to Mechanic Juan's shop. He had time to work on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
moiracoon's car that night. I piled the four new tires in and drove over.
It was really cool watching him mount and balance the tires. Even cooler was listening to him talk about the theory of operation behind all the tools he was using. I really hope he gets into engineering school like he wants to, 'cause I think he'd make a kick-ass one.
Anyway, we got the new tires on, and then he looked at the brakes since they'd been making some unhappy noises. Turns out one of the shoes on the rear passenger side had delaminated and the loose traction pad was getting jammed up in the wheel. Not so good. And after taking it apart once, it was, of course, even worse. I know this is a bad thing because the same thing had happened in the Neon before I bought it.sabrinageek replaced the brake because it was actually physically locking up the wheel. Ouch. That would just ruin your day if it happened on a busy road....
Juan already had a job on another car lined up, and I said it could wait until next week, but he didn't think I even ought to drive it home, as the drum would be hosed if the bare shoe contacted it. He sent me out to buy brake parts in his '80 something Buick Regal. I did that, got dinner while he was doing a brake line on his dad's van (thanks for cooking again sweetie!!) and drove back to the shop.
Best part about all this (apart from yummy 'coonie chow) was that Juan's Buick is a diesel! I've never driven a diesel car before and it was pretty nifty! He has the weirdest cars that he likes to tinker with (though he told me the Buick actually belongs to someone else who's letting him use it for a bit).
The neatest car of the night though, was one of the two in the shop with the KIA. Some may remember that right up around the top of my list of cars that I want to own some day is a mid sixties Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. Right there next to the KIA in the next bay, there it was. Gold '65 Continental convertible with suicide doors. I'm in love. Love. It was so pretty that I spent most of my time looking at it instead of the AMC Ambassador in the other bay over. And I love AMCs!
So we were in the shop 'till about eleven thirty as he did a brake job on the KIA. Juan is awesome. He put lots of unexpected time into a job that he wasn't planning for, on top of one for his dad, while in the middle of getting ready to move to Madison. I'm beyond grateful, and still feel like I was undercharged, even though I added a little bit to the price he quoted me when I wrote him a check. Juan rocks.
As for the KIA; wow. After the shocks Juan put in a while ago, and with the new tires and brakes, it rides like a new car. Sweet!!
===========
I have my clothes together for the trip. On top of that, I've closed a bunch of tickets today already! Now I need to get camera hardware together and pack Ebay stuff. Onward and UPward!
moiracoon's car that night. I piled the four new tires in and drove over. It was really cool watching him mount and balance the tires. Even cooler was listening to him talk about the theory of operation behind all the tools he was using. I really hope he gets into engineering school like he wants to, 'cause I think he'd make a kick-ass one.
Anyway, we got the new tires on, and then he looked at the brakes since they'd been making some unhappy noises. Turns out one of the shoes on the rear passenger side had delaminated and the loose traction pad was getting jammed up in the wheel. Not so good. And after taking it apart once, it was, of course, even worse. I know this is a bad thing because the same thing had happened in the Neon before I bought it.
sabrinageek replaced the brake because it was actually physically locking up the wheel. Ouch. That would just ruin your day if it happened on a busy road....Juan already had a job on another car lined up, and I said it could wait until next week, but he didn't think I even ought to drive it home, as the drum would be hosed if the bare shoe contacted it. He sent me out to buy brake parts in his '80 something Buick Regal. I did that, got dinner while he was doing a brake line on his dad's van (thanks for cooking again sweetie!!) and drove back to the shop.
Best part about all this (apart from yummy 'coonie chow) was that Juan's Buick is a diesel! I've never driven a diesel car before and it was pretty nifty! He has the weirdest cars that he likes to tinker with (though he told me the Buick actually belongs to someone else who's letting him use it for a bit).
The neatest car of the night though, was one of the two in the shop with the KIA. Some may remember that right up around the top of my list of cars that I want to own some day is a mid sixties Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. Right there next to the KIA in the next bay, there it was. Gold '65 Continental convertible with suicide doors. I'm in love. Love. It was so pretty that I spent most of my time looking at it instead of the AMC Ambassador in the other bay over. And I love AMCs!
So we were in the shop 'till about eleven thirty as he did a brake job on the KIA. Juan is awesome. He put lots of unexpected time into a job that he wasn't planning for, on top of one for his dad, while in the middle of getting ready to move to Madison. I'm beyond grateful, and still feel like I was undercharged, even though I added a little bit to the price he quoted me when I wrote him a check. Juan rocks.
As for the KIA; wow. After the shocks Juan put in a while ago, and with the new tires and brakes, it rides like a new car. Sweet!!
===========
I have my clothes together for the trip. On top of that, I've closed a bunch of tickets today already! Now I need to get camera hardware together and pack Ebay stuff. Onward and UPward!
